O'Neill Theatre Hosts National Puppetry Conference in June

The National Puppetry Conference is proud to announce the 21st annual Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Hands down, the best venue in which to collaborate, experiment, explore and develop your ideas and talents relating to puppet theatre, the National Puppetry Conference is open to puppeteers, theatre designers, actors, musicians, directors, artists, producers, playwrights and students. The Pre-Conference intensive workshops run from June 8th to the 10th with the full Conference beginning June 11th and culminating with public performances June 18th and 19th.

This year's special guest artists include acclaimed puppet artist Leslie Carrara-Rudolph with Michelle Spears, Roman Paska, and the marionette masters, Phillip Huber and Jim Rose. Tim Lagasse and Martin P. Robinson will lead the popular Video Anarchy program. The Pre-Conference intensives will feature workshops in Manipulation with Eric Bass, Mechanisms with Jim Kroupa and Writing for the Puppet Theater with Robert Smythe. The Pre-Conference will also feature a new intensive in Marionette Performance for Film. Pam Arciero, Artistic Director of the National Puppetry Conference invites participants to "Join us for a wonderful time to find your voice, work on a dream, take a chance, fail, succeed, communicate, and learn something new about yourself and your art, in a supportive and beautiful environment."

For the opportunity to put your ideas on their feet and work with our talented team of guest artist and mentors, apply online at www.oneillpuppetryconference.com/applications.html. There are fees to apply and attend the conference, some scholarships are available for financial assistance. Applications will be accepted until March 15th at 11:59 PST. Please visit the National Puppetry Conference for more information: www.oneillpuppetryconference.com

The National Puppetry Conference is a multi-faceted conference whose primary mission is the development of solid dramaturgical works for the puppet theater. It culminates with two public performances of the newly developed works. It is led by National Puppetry Conference Artistic Director, Pam Arciero and Preston Whiteway, Executive Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964 in honor of Eugene O'Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and America's only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, is the recipient of two Tony Awards, in 2010 for Regional Theatre, and in 1979 for Theatrical Excellence.

The O'Neill is the country's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. The O'Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full production at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, Off-Broadway and major regional theaters.

O'Neill programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Critics Institute, National Puppetry Conference, the Cabaret & Performance Conference, and National Theater Institute, which conducts semester-long intensive theater training programs, and Theatermakers - a six-week summer program.

In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage, boyhood summer home of Eugene O'Neill. The museum is a registered National Historic Landmark and is open to the public.

It addition to its Tony recognition, the O'Neill has received the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theatre Excellence, and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. For more information, visit www.theoneill.org or email theaterlives@theoneill.org.

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