ROLLING SUBMISSION: Application closes Monday, October 28, 2024

NOTIFICATION: Monday, November 4, 2024

What Puppet Lab is:

Puppet Lab is an intensive 6-month developmental laboratory for emerging puppet and mask theater artists to advance their artistic development while creating new work in a supportive and challenging workshop environment. Artists meet monthly as a cohort to test ideas, learn from others, and receive and respond to critical feedback. The lab culminates with each artist creating an original short (30-45 minutes) work which is presented in a two week festival of public performances at Open Eye Theatre, supported with professional marketing, lights, sound, and documentation. The PUPPET LAB residency is led and nurtured by Co-Artistic Directors Oanh Vu and Sofia Padilla.

What Puppet Lab is not:

Puppet Lab is not a beginner or skillshare class for learning how to make puppets or perform. Rather, this program is intended for early-career artists who have some foundational puppetry skills in both making and performance, are self-motivated, and open to intensive group critiques to help refine their skills and puppetry aesthetics to take their work to the next level. 

What you give:

• Participate in cohort lab sessions twice a month from November to April; these sessions are scheduled on Monday evenings, 6:30pm-9:30pm

• Participate in two Saturday “super sessions” 

• Meet with a mentor director for at least 20 hours for 1-on-1 rehearsal and feedback

• Commit the outside time necessary to fully develop your show - creating puppets, sets, script, and workshopping/rehearsing your performance

• Contribute generous critical feedback to your cohort artists

What you get:

• $2,600 honorarium

• $500 materials budget

• Generous critical feedback from your cohort artists

• Workshops to strengthen skills needed for the creation of a new work

• Guidance of a mentor director you help select

• Program support and feedback from Lab Artistic Directors

• Production support from Open Eye Theatre (lights, sound, marketing and box office)

• Professional photo & video documentation

• Comp tickets to other shows during the festival
  

ELIGIBILITY

You are eligible if:

• You have been a Minnesota resident for at least one year

• You are available to participate in all Puppet Lab activities between November 2024 - May 2025

• You consider yourself an emerging artist*

How does Puppet Lab define an emerging artist?

Emerging artists are those who have some track record of creating and presenting puppetry work, but who are NOT at a point in their careers where they receive consistent development and production opportunities or significant recognition. Examples of recognition include: exhibitions, critical reviews, commissions, performances, grant awards, residencies, fellowships, publications, and productions. 

You are not eligible if:

• You are a full time student

• You intend to create a work of puppetry that is solely intended for youth

• You are a Puppet Lab selection panelist (this year)

• You are a former Puppet Lab Artist

• You are an employee at Open Eye Theatre (contracted artists ARE welcome to apply)

• You are not comfortable giving and receiving critical feedback
  

PREPARE TO APPLY

In addition to the familiar questions, you will be asked to upload information as PDF files into fields on this form. Required PDFs are:

• Visual Concept

• Resume(s)

• Work Sample Still Images

• Work Sample Description

Also:

Video Work Sample - You are required to include a 5-10 minute video work sample as a URL link on YouTube. This video work sample does not need to be professionally produced–videos made with your phone are fine.

The video can be of a past work, or a work-in-progress. What is most important is that you provide us with a video example of your performance skills and puppetry movement style, with or without sound and vocals. If your work sample is part of a longer video you have uploaded (e.g. a full-length recording of a prior performance) please specify the time marks (e.g. 1:30 - 3:45) for the 5-10 minute section you would like us to focus on.

Artist Statement  — 500 word (max)

Your artist statement should include the following:

• Describe your current artistic process of developing new work.

• Describe your current artistic interests and inspirations.

• Explain why Puppet Lab is a good opportunity for you right now.

• State how the Puppet Lab environment of process-driven feedback in a cohort setting would benefit your work and your artistic development.

Project Description — 500 word (max)

Provide a narrative of the project to be developed. Please describe your proposed project–what is the show about/ how will it be experienced? And please address these questions:

• How is puppetry necessary or integral to your idea?

• What kind of puppetry (if you know) do you want to work with?

• How is this performance a new exploration for you?

• What questions are you asking in your work right now?

Visual Concept

Upload one or more PDF files (5 files max) which show the visual direction you are interested in beginning with for this project. The PDF files can be composed of sketches, a storyboard, photographs, or combination of research images that are directly relevant to the puppetry/visual ideas in the proposed project. PDF document pages must be no larger than 8 ½ x 11. Clearly indicate which images are your own work vs. inspiration images from another artist, the internet, etc.

Artistic Resume

Upload a one-page PDF file that summarizes your artistic experiences and accomplishments. Note: If applying as a collaborative team, include one page for each participating artist.

Work Sample – You may submit work samples in one OR both of these formats:

• VIDEO - Submit a video work sample as a Vimeo or YouTube link. Your video may be an excerpt of a single work, or an edited collection from multiple pieces, but entire work sample must be no longer than 5 minutes max. If your video is longer the panel will only review the first 5 minutes. 

• STILL IMAGES - Upload a PDF file with a collection of photographic images of recent artistic work - please no more than 10 images total. 

Work samples are evaluated for the art being presented, not the quality of the documentation. 

Selection Criteria 

The four artists or collaborative teams will be selected through a competitive jury process. Artists will be selected based on criteria that include:

• Demonstrate a need and interest in further developing your artistic process in the context of Puppet Lab / Open Eye Theatre

• Interest in participating in a critical response process with peers and mentors

• Demonstrated commitment to puppetry - this can mean a history of doing puppet performance or a strong vision for it in your work

• Does the artist bring an identity, experience, or tradition to the cohort from a marginalized community

• Commitment to generating new and innovative work

• Work samples demonstrate a readiness/ability to manifest a performance

• Availability to participate in the full Puppet Lab process

• Quality of work presented in the work sample

Review Panel 

Applications are reviewed by an anonymous 3-person guest panel composed of local + regional artists who represent a range of identity and practice, and have demonstrated experience in and knowledge of the field of puppetry and experimental theater.