FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Almonte (Town of Mississippi Mills) Ontario, June 17, 2011 — Birds, and bugs, and all the huggable (and not so huggable) creatures of the natural world will inspire the puppeteers and their audiences at this year’s Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival.  Almonte’s world-famous festival will be “alive” with the natural talents of the acclaimed puppeteers, and their puppets, who will creep, crawl, sprout, fly and wiggle their way to this charming community on the banks of the Mississippi River.

“From the classic Frog Prince to the Bugtown Follies, Puppets Up! is going all natural this year,” says the festival’s Artistic Director, Noreen Young. “Tossed in are a few swashbuckling pirates, some classic children’s stories, an amazing Aboriginal re-telling of Nanabush and the Ducks, and the Treehouse Channel’s famous Toopy and Binoo, to name just a few.” Detailed information about the festival line-up can be found at www.puppetsup.ca or in the attached media backgrounder.

In its seventh year, Puppets Up! will feature 11 professional troupes, including one from France, and up to 66 family-friendly puppet shows in tents and old-fashioned theatres along the banks of the Mississippi River and Almonte’s historic Mill Street. The festival runs on both Saturday and Sunday and offers daily parades, street entertainment, musicians, a kids’ craft tent, and an adult cabaret.

“This year the festival will give expression to all the life that goes on in our gardens and woodlands and even beneath the back steps,” says Young. “Young or old, we all like to contemplate how all of the creatures and life forms interact, and play, and live on the earth.  Puppetry lets us imagine what that life is like”.

The Town of Mississippi Mills truly rolls outs the welcome mat each year for festival visitors, especially families with children. Nearly all festival activities take place within the downtown core of Almonte, along Mill Street. Local businesses and volunteers are ready to attend to every need for shopping, entertainment, food (full meals, snacks and take-away) and guest services.  Theatre venues are wheelchair and stroller accessible. All theatre venues are located within an easy stroll and there are plenty of shady places to sit and for kids to run in the grass.

This year’s festival line up has something for everyone —toddlers to grown-ups!

Puppets Up! is presented by the BMO Financial Group and our major partners include the Town of Mississippi Mills, the Ottawa Citizen, the EMC, and theHumm. The festival is strongly supported by a growing list of local businesses and individuals.

Tickets:

Day Passes:

Adults:  $15
Children (ages 3-12) – $10
Kids under 3 get in FREE

Weekend Passes:

Adults:  $25
Children (ages 3-12) – $15
Kids under 3 get in FREE

Passes allow entry to all shows.

Tickets can be ordered online via PayPal at www.puppetsup.ca

Cash, debit and credit payments can be made on-site.

For more information on performances, tickets and pricing, visit www.puppetsup.ca. Become a Puppets Up! fan on Facebook too!

The following backgrounders are also posted on our web site:

-Puppets Up! 2011 Festival Line Up

-Noreen Young’s bio

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Media Contact:
Susan Wright:   (613) 730-2020 – (613) 314-2021 (cell)
e-mail: susan@suzwright.com

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL!

Nanabush and the Ducks

Nanabush and the Ducks is based on an old Ojibwa tale in which Nanabush (Nanabozho), a well-loved trickster character, tries to catch a flock of tasty ducks but is thwarted in his efforts and learns a big lesson.  Although this native myth has been performed many times, this particular production will be unique because it includes puppetry for the first time.  Aboriginal Experiences is an Ottawa company based on Victoria Island in the shadow of Parliament Hill.  This creative collaborative group is dedicated to promoting the rich history and culture of First Nations Peoples from across Canada through dance, storytelling and theatre performances.

http://www.aboriginalexperiences.com

Toopy and Binoo…Live!

The hit kids TV series Toopy and Binoo seen on the Treehouse Channel is now a popular children’s puppet show, performed live by the man-behind-the-voice-behind-Toopy, Frank Meschkuleit.  Kids love meeting and greeting and having their photo taken with their favorite TV friends, zany Toopy and his cuddly sidekick Binoo.  For over 30 years, Frank has been a puppeteer and voiceover guy in television and film, and has manipulated or voiced everything from robots to hippos, dragons to reindeer….and of course, Toopy.  In the recent past, Frank performed his slightly naughty The Left Hand Of Frank show to the stage at the Puppets Up! adult cabaret night.

http://puppetsandvoices.com/site/Welcome

Everyone Loves Pirates

Join Lucy and her goofy friend Little Chucky as they discover a treasure map while fishing one day.  Our two heroes set out on a quest to find their fortune, but run into a crew of bumbling pirates who steal their treasure.  Not to be outdone, Lucy and Chucky enlist the help of some new ocean-dwelling friends including Lobster Boy, Crabby and wise Sea-Monkey.  It’s silly swashbuckling fun for the whole family!  The Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers are a traditional favorite at Puppets Up!, returning year after year.

http://frogtownpuppets.com/

The Tale of Timsville

The people of Timsville have a problem on their hands with two rather nasty troublemakers.  Chuck, a local ruffian and bully, and his dog Scruffy are bad news for the environment and the animals in the forest.  How will the townsfolk deal with this despicable pair? Find out as a cast of talented Almonte kids use puppets, actors and music to present this homegrown production written by local Grade 7 student Max Berkowitz.  The Kids Power Project and its premiere show “The Tale of Timsville” is guaranteed to amuse and inspire.

La Leçon du Montreur

Welcome to puppet school!  As “spectactors” in this unique puppetry lesson, you’ll be a class of kids and adults under the tutelage of “Roger” the puppet professor.

Louis-Do Bazin combines his love of teaching and his passion for puppetry in a show filled with humour and fantasy, poetry and passion.   He has taken his art all over Europe and in 2006 he opened a puppetry school, working with teachers, teenagers and children to open their hearts and minds to the wonderful world of puppets – making puppets, creating stories and manipulating lovable characters that bring joy and laughter to audiences everywhere.

Direct from France, this production will entrance children over 5 years of age.

The Frog Prince

In this enchanting, updated version of the classic fairy tale, Wanda the Witch casts a spell on the handsome prince, turning him into a frog. To break the spell, he now must be kissed by a beautiful princess.  In the process, there are a few delightful surprises.  Enhanced by beautifully designed puppets and music, this production is a sure crowd pleaser recommended for pre-kindergarten to 2^nd grade.  Bob Nathanson and his wife Elise founded Puppets To Go over 30 years ago, and have been entertaining audiences across the USA ever since.

http://www.puppetstogo.com/

The Bugtown Follies

Take an up-close look at the insect world like you’ve never seen before, and get ready for a hilarious vaudeville pageant hosted by Master of Ceremonies Bugsby Berkeley, grasshopper extraordinaire.  Acrobatic ants, tap-dancing spiders and butterfly beauty contestants are clowning around and turning the bug world upside-down in The Bugtown Follies.  As a premiere repertory puppet theatre, the Robert Rogers Puppet Company has been touring the USA and internationally since 1980.  Specializing in plays for young people, the troupe has created and utilized hundreds of beautifully crafted string, hand and rod puppets.

http://robertrogerspuppets.com

Perseus and Medusa

Take a trip back in time to the dawn of civilization, to an ancient world of gods, goddesses, prophecies and heroes.  Accompany Perseus through personal trials and glorious quests as Tanglewood Marionettes presents their most lavish production ever, featuring beautiful hand-crafted marionettes, scrolling sets, exotic music and much, much more!  New England’s Tanglewood Marionettes is a nationally touring USA puppet troupe with a repertoire consisting primarily of classic tales.

www.tanglewoodmarionettes.com

The Punch and Judy Show

With its roots in the 16th-century Italian commedia dell’arte, a Punch and Judy Show is always sure to intrigue and amuse its audience.  Montreal’s Tenon Mortaise troupe brings a contemporary twist to the telling of this ancient story. Devoted as they are to interdisciplinary creation, artistic co-directors Denys Lefebvre and Diane Loiselle combine unique theatre, choreography and production techniques, to showcase their version of the famous trickster, Punch.

Trained in dance, mime and theatre, the troupe has contributed to the development of new plays over the past 13 years, and regularly promote the performing arts to youth audiences.

Rovero and Juliet
The Bard’s greatest tragedy is presented as it was originally intended – with puppets and a happy ending!  Can two feuding families – the Muttagues and Catulets -  be brought together by love?  Find out in this new production by talented puppeteers Allan Martin and Trish Leeper as they premiere their hilarious show at Puppets Up!  Allan has worked on many puppet productions with Puppets Up! artistic director Noreen Young, and Trish’s many credits include television’s Fraggle Rock and Sesame Park.

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Trish_Leeper

Honest Frankie’s Shoreline Review / A Walk in the Neighbourwoods

Glen Caradus leads this troupe of eco-friendly puppeteers to deliver fun, frolic and positive messages for our environment.  On Saturday, join Honest Frankie the Frog and Jean-Luc the Voyageur, Blue Heron, the very shy Caddis-Fly Larvae, Mordecai Cattail, and many more in a music-filled look at the natural history of Ontario’s shorelines.  And on Sunday, “Violet” and “Marlin” take you for “A Walk in the “Neighbourwoods”, telling their story in song about the beauty and benefits of urban trees.

http://paddlingpuppeteers.com/

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Puppets Up! also features an outstanding line-up of street entertainers and musicians.

For more information on performances, tickets and pricing, please visit www.puppetsup.ca.

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Attention News/Assignment Editors

ALMONTE (Town of Mississippi Mills), February 17, 2011 – Some of the “regulars” from the Puppets Up! family of puppets and puppeteers will be on deck this coming Monday, February 21, as the National Arts Centre (NAC) English Theatre celebrates Family Day.

Puppets Up! mascot, Nick, and the Balcony Puppets will join an array of children’s performers in the foyer of the NAC. Kids (ages 5 and up) and their families are invited to dance, sing, play, do crafts, snack and make friends with puppets from noon to 4 p.m. that day. The event is made possible by the contributions of the Friends of English Theatre.

“We are thrilled to have been invited to participate in this unique family event at the NAC,” says Puppets Up! Artistic Director, Noreen Young. “The Puppets Up! Festival is all about family fun, so this is a natural for us, plus it gives our puppeteers a chance to warm up their natural gifts of goofiness and mischief.”

Information about the NAC Family Day program can be found at

http://www.nac-cna.ca/en/theatre/event.cfm?ID=6571

Puppets Up! is a two-day festival (August 6 & 7, 2011) hosted by the community of Almonte (only 30 minutes outside of Ottawa) that features internationally acclaimed puppet troupes. The festival draws thousands of visitors annually for puppet performances in tent and storefront theatres, a daily parade and street entertainment in the heart of the Ottawa Valley’s “Friendly Town”. Details about the 7th Annual festival and its line-up of puppet stars will be revealed in the spring.

For more information about the Festival visit www.puppetsup.ca

Media Contact

Susan Wright
(613) 730-2020
susan@suzwright.com

Attention News/Assignment Editors

ALMONTE (Town of Mississippi Mills), July 30, 2010 – Spend a weekend in Almonte at the Puppets Up! International Festival and you’ll feel like you’ve been around the world in two days. For the sixth year running, Puppets Up! will welcome puppet troupes from around the globe and they, in turn, will deliver 54 world-class puppet shows in tented or storefront theatres in downtown Almonte.

Puppets Up! runs August 7 & 8 and the festival venue is open between 9:30 and 6:30 each day.

Almonte’s main thoroughfare, Mill Street, will also offer tons of free family-friendly street entertainment provided by clowns, balcony puppets, musicians, face painters and street entertainers. Children of all ages can also learn how to make their own puppets at the kid’s craft tent.

Once a day, puppets of every shape and size, along with musicians, celebrity parade marshals and street entertainers, come together on Mill Street for the famous Puppets Up! parade. The parade starts each day at 1:45 p.m. and ends at 2:15 p.m.

On Saturday evening, in the Almonte Old Town Hall, Puppets Up! offers an adults only cabaret performance — Puppets…Unstrung! — that features the talents of all of the visiting troupes. This year, the cabaret will include an auction of puppets made by some of Canada’s best-known puppeteers.

Almonte and its businesses are also ready to deliver lunches, snacks, cold drinks and a shady spot to sit and enjoy a spectacular view of the Mississippi River and its thundering waterfalls.

For a snapshot of what to see and do at Puppets Up! check out The Guide to the Puppets Up! Festival posted on our web site at www.puppetsup.ca. The full festival schedule is posted there too, along with a map. The guide includes recommendations about performances based on children’s ages. All venues and the festival shuttle bus are wheelchair accessible.

Lots of signage will lead visitors to both the festival and ample free parking. For detailed driving instructions to the festival, maps and parking (including handicapped), see the directions page on the web site.

Puppets Up! is presented by the BMO Financial Group and BMO Nesbitt Burns. The festival is endorsed by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and is strongly supported by a growing list of local businesses, media and individuals.

For more information on performances and festival tickets visit www.puppetsup.ca or call 613-256-3881. Become a Puppets Up! fan on Facebook too!

The world awaits you at this year’s Puppets Up! festival!

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Throughout the festival, media can report to the media office on site at the Almonte Old Town Hall to collect their credentials and information kit.

Media Contact:

Susan Wright
(613) 730-2020
(613) 314-2021 cell
e-mail: susan@suzwright.com
www.puppetsup.ca

Almonte (Town of Mississippi Mills) Ontario, July 8 2010 — On Saturday night, in the middle of this year’s Puppets Up! International Puppet festival (August 7 & 8), things are going to get a little out of control.  Purposely.

During the day, the streets of Almonte are given over to families and child-appropriate performances by puppets and puppeteers from around the world.  But on Saturday night, those same puppeteers put aside childish things and focus exclusively on an adult audience. This year’s “Puppets …Unstrung!” cabaret will once again prove that puppets can be very naughty indeed.

Matt Ficner – a puppeteer, puppet maker and all ‘round creative whiz kid – will produce “Puppets…Unstrung!” again this year. The cabaret will include over a dozen adult puppet sketches with hilarious puppet continuity by Matt and friends. The cabaret stage crew, performed again this year by clowns Zip-E and Drouille, will try to keep their hands off each other and focus on supporting the production.

The show will include a live auction of puppets made by some of Canada’s most famous puppeteers and puppet makers, such as Noreen Young, Ronnie Burkett Trish Leeper, Kanja Chen, and Matt Ficner.  These puppets will be on display in Almonte prior to the show in the windows of Bob the Baker’s on Little Bridge Street.

The performance begins at 8 p.m. in the Almonte Old Town Hall.

Tickets ($25) are available at Baker Bob’s (cash only) and at Mill Street Books (cash and credit) (613-256-9090) both in Almonte.

Puppets Up! is presented by the BMO Financial Group and our major partners include the Town of Mississippi Mills, Royal LePage Real Estate, the Ottawa Citizen, the EMC, and theHumm. The festival is endorsed by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and is strongly supported by a growing list of local businesses and individuals.

For more information on performances and festival tickets visit www.puppetsup.ca. Become a Puppets Up! fan on Facebook too!

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Media Contact:

Susan Wright:
(613) 730-2020
(613) 314-2021 (cell)
e-mail: susan@suzwright.com