ARTIST RESIDENCY: THEATER

The Puppet Factory
Carolyn V. Koerber
Puppetry, Theatre Workshops

150 East Main Street, Box 407
New Freedom, PA 17349
717/235-5946 (w); 410/357-5846 (h)

Carolyn Koerber, founder and director of The Puppet Factory, has brought puppetry performances and workshops to schools since 1969. She uses puppets to help students unlock their creativity and find new ways of communicating feelings, ideas, and actions. Puppetry empowers the children to explore characters and conflict and learn creative problem-solving skills.

Residency activities may include a performance, teacher workshops, and classroom demonstrations.

During a residency, students learn how to make simple puppets that become powerful communicators and characters; how to communicate clearly through puppet movement and sound; and how to add feelings and set mood. Students then develop simple scenarios of stories that have conflicts requiring creative solutions. Scenarios may be based on such themes as a folktale from another culture, a glimpse into a rainforest environment, acts of kindness, or an exploration of cause and effect.

Suitable for grades 3-12

Education/Experience: BA, Western Maryland College; graduate work in French, Sorbonne, Paris; creative drama, Towson University, Maryland. Ms. Koerber has been involved in teaching, acting, and directing since 1967 and has taught creative drama and puppetry to children and adults in schools, libraries, theatres, and community centers since 1969.

Availability: All but December/January

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