January Activities

Happy New Year!

We will host a two-part marionette-making workshop:

 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 and 25

 at the Hazel Green Opera House, 2130 Main St.

The workshop is for ages 8 and older. Children should be accompanied by a parent or other adult helper. Registration is required by calling 608-732-7129. The fee is $20. Please let us know soon if you plan to attend, so that we can have adequate supplies ready.

Participants will learn how to construct a marionette approximately 15 inches high. They  will work with papier mache, glue and paint and should wear old clothes or bring a paint smock. All materials will be provided, including a wooden control.

Participants also should bring a sack lunch. There is a fridge in the opera house. Also, grownups: The coffee pot will be on!

Winter being what it is in Wisconsin, we have reserved Sat. Feb. 1 as a makeup day in case of nasty weather. But hey, maybe we've been through the worst of it, right?

If you and your child have taken this workshop before and want to do it again because you had SO MUCH FUN!, that is absolutely great. I think this will be the third winter that we have offered this workshop and also, I have presented it as a summer school offering in the Benton schools several times. It's always great to see what characters the kids come up with to turn into puppets. Sometimes kids bring a drawing of something they'd like to create. Other times, they have no clue and the puppet evolves as they work on it.

The character does need to be human or at least stand upright like a homo sapiens.