Summer Ends With A Bang!

Whew! It was a busy summer for Grey Seal!

The workshop was hopping all summer finishing a big project for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. RCCL is launching a brand new ship this Fall called Oasis of the Seas. There will be several parades on board ship, and Grey Seal had the opportunity to help construct props for one of those parades. Stay tuned to our blog to see some photos!

Drew spent the first week of July at PuppetFest Midwest in Trenton, MO. PuppetFest Midwest is an independent puppet festival in an intimate setting, where puppeteers can study in-depth techniques such as performance and puppet building, as well as see performances by some of the best puppeteers around.

Drew performed The Emperor's New Clothes and led a workshop called "Advanced Adventures In Polyfoam Puppet Construction!" Participants built their own "Nip and Tuck" puppet heads, as well as learned how to make moving eyes and other moving puppet features. It was a great way to start off the month!

The following week found us tucked into the charming Downstairs Theatre at Atlanta’s phenomenal Center for Puppetry Arts for a week-long run (17 performances!) of our adaptation of the Andersen classic, The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Grey Seal’s Drew Allison did three performances a day and hoped his voice and arms and shoulders would survive the run. Survive they did as we enjoyed sold-out audiences throughout the week. Everyone on the Center Staff was simply amazing to work with and Drew was particularly thankful for his great stage manager for the run, Gillian, who was always so upbeat and wonderful and made the shows a pleasure to perform.

The National Puppet Festival was also taking place in Atlanta, at nearby Georgia Tech. Drew took advantage of this awesome opportunity and made his way over to the Festival each evening in time for dinner after the final performance of the day at the Center. Drew saw an amazing array of wonderful performances throughout the week. He also caught up with longtime puppeteer friends and made some new ones as well.

July wrapped up with a week of performances in Fairfax County, Virginia. Drew performed Salsa Cinderella 13 times in four days at libraries all over the county! Whew! Drew said it was a challenge to do three performances with three different setups and strikes each day, but the performances were well-spaced out and all went well and it was a lot of fun. He had great audiences who were very multi-cultural and savvy. It was a great week!

But there's no rest for the weary at Grey Seal! This Fall promises to be a busy one. Keep up with all our latest news by subscribing to our news feed. It's easy-- just click on subscribe in the column on the right. You'll be glad you did!