Zoot Theater Company

WOW! This week I took my 7th grade Art of Theater students to the Zoot Theater Company workshop in downtown Dayton. We learned about the art and science and history of puppetry and also learned about different types of puppets.

The studio is my kind of place for sure, and if you’ve ever seen the art room you’d know why. There are works, works in progress, and potential bits of and pieces in every nook and cranny and it was like taking a tour inside the artists’ heads.

Next, students became puppeteers. Using only a sheet of scrap paper and some tape, they each created a figure. They learned the 3 principles of bringing this bit of paper to life” breath, focus, and fix point. Suddenly these paper people began to wake up, rub their eyes, and move about! This was a great opportunity for my students to see professional artists at work and to learn more about the world of puppetry.

THANK YOU to Tristan Cupp and Shirley Wasser of Zoot Theater Company!