Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned puppeteer looking to refine your skills, this workshop will cover:

• The Basics of Tabletop Puppetry: Understand how gravity informs natural movement, how focus tells a story, and how breath brings subtle realism to performance.
• Solo and Ensemble Techniques: Learn how to animate a single figure with one, two, or even three puppeteers in harmony.
• Hands-On Training: Participants will gain practical experience manipulating tabletop puppets under Fred’s expert guidance.

Fred C. Riley III is founder and artistic director of Odd Savvy https://oddsavvy.com/. He brings years of performance, directing, and puppetry expertise to this exciting class. Fred has worked with Jon Ludwig, Ping Chong, Janie Geiser, Yeng Feng, Josef Krofta, and Larry Reed, to name a few of the iconic directors that he has learned from over many years in puppet theater. He has performed marionettes from 9 foot to 7 inches tall. He has performed rod, moving mouth, Czech black, tabletop, mask, and every combination thereof. He has performed shadow with press screen, overhead, and 30 foot wide cinematic. He has directed and written for the Center for Puppetry Arts and many others. He choreographed for Ping Chong and Company. He has taught movement and puppet theory. He voiced many puppets and has done voice over work for many companies. He has recorded and done sound design. His passion for collaborative storytelling and precision movement makes this a must-attend event for artists, educators, and theater enthusiasts alike.