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Community Corner

Village Puppeteers Visit Cosman Cultural Center

The live experience of puppets is more memorable than TV, says puppeteer.

Digitizing Ernie and Bert on PBS’ Sesame Street television program might not be the best fate for the characters, but it’s good for master puppeteers like Lawrence Basgall and Michael Schwabe. The pair put on a puppet show and workshop last Friday at Cosman Cultural Arts Center, where Schwabe explained how children relate to the art of puppets.

“Kids recognize the materials. They can see what it feels like,” said Schwabe. “The show is reacting to the people in the audience. The relationship either builds or it falls apart.”

That dynamic between the audience and the performers is what sets live puppet shows apart from television experiences like Sesame Street, which featured muppets and puppets for decades and has recently been adding digitized elements to the series.

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“It’s great for our business because live experiences are what people remember,” said Schwabe.

Basgall and Schwabe have been working as puppeteers for 35 years. They do all the voices, writing and touring associated with producing shows for their company, Village Puppeteers, based in Chicago, and Douglas, Michigan. Schwabe has also worked as an actor and painter, and he said puppeteering enables him to express himself in many art forms.

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“We did a show in England called 'Bunny Town' for Playhouse Disney,” said Schwabe. “We also did 'Jack’s Big Music Show' on Nickelodeon.”

At Cosman, the Village Puppeteers event featured the antics of Puss ‘N Boots, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and other classic fairy tale characters.

David Gentry, marketing and special events manager at Cosman, said the all-ages appeal of puppet shows makes them a good draw.

“We had about 180 kids at the puppet show, and this is the first time we’ve had them (perform here),” said Gentry. Cosman camp attendees and counselors attended, and Gentry said the adults reacted favorably to the puppets too.

Algonquin resident Marlene Smith brought her daughter Jayden, 7, and Kaitlyn Ofria, 6, to the puppet show and workshop. The children each decorated felt puppets with Schwabe, who guided them glue gun applications.

Sophia Kuharich of Huntley brought her grandchildren, Braxton, Angelo, Meredith, and Alexa, for their weekly get-together.

More information about Basgall and Schwabe is available at their website, www.villagepuppeteers.com.

 

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