You have possibly thought of adopting a puppy, but have you ever thought about adopting a puppet? It just may turn out to be a fun adventure you never anticipated. Anyone visiting the RVA Winter Puppetfest, from Dec. 27 to Jan. 3, will have the chance to adopt a puppet that is gently used or refurbished.
“We’ve been collecting puppets over the years,” says Heidi Rugg, founder of the Puppetfest.
The puppets — nearly 50 will be available — are being sold at a low price point. “We just like getting the puppets in the hands of children,” Rugg says. “We have had several librarians and teachers who are retired and don’t have a home for them. We are happy to re-home these puppets.”
Rugg, a puppeteer, was only 10 when she started building puppets. But it wasn’t until she was in her early 20s that she realized puppetry has brought together her interests and talents. “It’s a good creative practice for people who are interested in doing a lot of different things,” she says.
Rugg founded RVA Puppetfest 10 years ago. “It started as an experiment to see if there is an audience for puppetry in the area,” she says. “It was really about creating a family-accessible event using both local and touring artists.”
The event has grown and evolved over the years, and Rugg hopes it will continue to grow. With that in mind, a black box theater in Artspace was created to host six different puppet shows this year with 10 performance times.
This year’s puppeteers include Grey Seal Puppets from North Carolina, Barefoot Puppet Theatre from Richmond, Whorls of Wonder Puppet Theater from Richmond, and Julia Tasheva from Northern Virginia, who is a professional actress and holds a master’s degree in puppetry from the National Academy of Film and Theater Art in Sofia, Bulgaria.
“Everyone will have good views because we have kept the audience small. We wanted to make it comfortable and family-friendly,” Rugg says, noting that shows are only around 50 minutes long, so they are “more like bitesize shows.”
The festival’s exhibit space will spotlight up to seven nationally known puppeteers who are based in central Virginia by featuring their hand-crafted puppets.
It will also serve as a tribute space to the late Terry Snyder, a local puppeteer and stage designer who developed puppets for Virginia Rep years ago.
Puppetry is a piece of art that can be created by an individual or a group of people, Rugg says.
“Our lineup speaks to that this year. Everyone’s approach is so unique and different as to how they handle the visual elements of storytelling. I think it really speaks to the creative nature of people in general.”
RVA Winter Puppetfest takes place December 27 to January 3 at Artspace Gallery, 2833-A Hathaway Rd. Tickets for performances are $8 and can be purchased through Puppets Off Broad Street’s website.
