Puppet Feast infuses Humboldt County with puppetness November 1 – November 9, 2008. This week long puppet festival of performances, art show, and workshops is brought to our community as a collaborative project of The Studio, Synapsis, and Vagabond Players. Puppet Feast kicks off with ambient puppetry at the Northcoast Growers’ Association Farmers’ Market in Arcata on November 1, including a parade at 1 p.m. and the  FREE show “Puppets do Produce” to follow.

Workshops offered are as follows:

1) November 2: "Soft Sculpture Puppet Construction" with Mark Dupre, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., $35, includes cost of materials. @ Synapsis, 47 West 3rd, Eureka.

2) November 7: "Soft Sculpture Puppet Construction Demonstration" with Mark Dupre, 3-4:30 p.m., $15. See what possibilities lie in the art of soft sculpture puppet construction. @ Synapsis, 47 West 3rd, Eureka.

3) November 8: "The Art of Teaching Puppetry" with S.B. Parks (Bay Area), 10 a.m.-noon, $25. @ Synapsis, 47 West 3rd, Eureka.

4) November 8: "Techniques and Approaches to Puppetry Performance" open forum and discussion, 1-3 p.m., free for puppeteers, $5-10 suggested donation for community members. @ Synapsis, 47 West 3rd, Eureka.

5) November 9: "Puppet Building for Children" 1-2 p.m. at the Blue Ox, 3-4 p.m. at Arcata Playhouse, FREE/by donation with admission to show.

Please note that space is limited for adult workshops. Please call Leslie at (707) 616-3104, to reserve your space, or email muppet33@gmail.com.

The festival’s performance schedule is as follows:

1) November 7: "The Great Puppet Feast" at Redwood Raks, Arcata.  An evening of traditional puppetry.  7 p.m. for the feast and puppet welcome, 8 p.m. for main feature. $5-10 for feast, $5-7 for show only, $9-15 for both.

2) November 8: "In the Dark" at Muddy's Hot Cup, Arcata.  An evening of adult and experimental puppetry, with a special feature of work based on the old Punch and Judy shows.  9 p.m., $5-7.

3) November 9: "Away We Go" at The Blue Ox, Eureka, 2 p.m. and again at 4 p.m. in Arcata (same show).  An afternoon show for children and families. $3-7, includes activities for children beginning 1 hour before the show

Also don’t miss the puppets on display during the month of November at Muddy’s Hot Cup in Arcata.