The puppets perform under the guidance of McGgoo

After spending time practicing at home with their puppets, the students and their hand-held friends were set to perform for their fellow puppeteers. McGoo gave them some time in class to finalize their preparations. As we said before--how hard can hand puppetry be? The answer is VERY.

The students learned about hand fatigue...getting bored with your puppet mid-way through a performance...and trying to allow the puppet to engage the audience and not the puppeteer. McGoo and Dane (did you know his nickname is "Madman"?!?) gave some great suggestions on making the puppet an extension of the puppeteer, and even interacting with the puppet in order to make the performance more entertaining and appealing. My favorite critique: help your puppet work on diction. That gives a whole new meaning to "stuff a sock in it"...haha...now your sock also needs to speak clearly, too.

Sofi concentrating very carefully on Lola's expressions....


Shelby Jo and Trey coordinating movements for their duet...


Sami putting the finishing touches on Eliza Doolittle...


Kyler gets feedback from McGoo ...


The students were advised to maintain eye contact on their puppet, working to draw the audience's attention to the puppet and not the puppeteer....


Christian's rocker puppet who plays for a band named "Paramour". I'm loving the funky hair...


Alyx and his cheerleader puppet (complete with pom poms, I might add), singing to "Oh, Mickey"....you're so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey....


Janice (ah, the 80s) tells a story about beenie weenies...


Kalene and her bald-headed Brittany...I dunno...the bald head kind of DOES make those eyelashes stand out...


...oh, and of course, the hair...


Taylor's cow puppet sang the song "Milkshake". How apropos... I love Taylor's smile in this image...this was hard work for the students, but as always, there was a lot of laughter and support among this group...


that's Dane in the background...Madman...we'll get you on the blog...I promise!


Cherish and Marie Antoinette, singing from "Phantom of the Opera"...


More feedback from McGoo...and quite a few chuckles...


and, back by popular demand, an encore performance by Sr. Mary Annette (YES, thank you, I GET THE JOKE NOW :)


One of the groups and their creations:

Back row: Taylor, Sami, Kyler, Kalene, and Eden
Front row: Alyx, Christian, Shelby Jo, Trey, and Sofi


Great job, troops.

Coming up: More McGoo...we just can't get enough of this guy. Stage make-up and costuming were on the agenda. Also...4th of July performance at the Southgate Mall.