Tag: family

Piccadilly Puppets Announces Rachel Frawley as New Artistic and Managing Director

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATLANTA, GA September 19, 2022 – Atlanta’s touring puppetry company, Piccadilly Puppets, has selected a brand-new Artistic and Managing Director. In support of the company’s mission to provide puppetry experiences of high artistic quality to young audiences, The Piccadilly Puppets Company (PPC)  is excited to move forward with new leadership. 

Incoming Artistic and Managing Director Rachel Frawley is an Atlanta based actor, writer and producer. She holds a B.F.A. in Theatre from Michigan State University and is an apprentice company graduate of the Atlanta Shakespeare Co. In addition to acting, she has narrated over 30 audiobook titles, and was a producer for the Weird Sisters Theatre Project for their 2017 and 2018 seasons. She has taught and directed acting camps, classes and master classes for theatres and studios across Atlanta. Rachel has worked and continues to train as an intimacy professional, and is enrolled in courses with the Association of Mental Health Coordinators. Currently she is writing, directing and producing a new children’s puppet musical for Synchronicity Theatre’s Stripped Bare series.

Veteran puppeteer Nancy Riggs has led the company for the past eleven years. She has endeavored to continue and grow PPC’s commitment to making puppetry accessible, interactive and affordable to underserved communities.  At her recent decision to step back from the role of Director, she led the search for her successor. “Piccadilly Puppets has been a wonderful part of my life for 25 years, and I hope to continue to be involved as a puppeteer and advisor for the near future” says Ms. Riggs. “However, I am ready to hand off leadership of the company to someone with new energy and vision. Rachel has just the combination of artistic and administrative skills needed, along with a love of children and puppets! I am excited to see how she moves the company forward.”

Rachel Frawley is thrilled to take on this opportunity, and is committed to honoring and expanding PPC’s stellar work entertaining and educating young audiences.

Piccadilly Puppets is a 501(c)3 non-profit touring puppetry company. Since its inception in 1970, Piccadilly Puppets has produced and performed puppet plays for schools, theaters, festivals and a variety of community organizations in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. Incorporated in 1976, the nonprofit organization has been awarded a Citation for Excellence in the Art of Puppetry from Union Internationale de la Marionnette, the oldest international theatre organization in the world. 

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For more information, contact Nancy Riggs, (404) 636-0022, piccadillypuppets@gmail.com

Remaining public summer shows:

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LeeAnna performing A Shore Thing at the Fayetteville Public Library

We have been so busy this summer that we have neglected to post a lot of our library and park shows, but there are still chances to come see us for free!

In Alabama: Wednesday, July 20 at 10:00 am CST A Shore Thing B. B. Comer Memorial Library 314 N. Broadway Ave., Sylacauga, AL

Sandy Springs: Saturday, July 23 at 3:00 pm A Shore Thing Sandy Springs Library 395 Mount Vernon Hwy NE Sandy Springs, GA 

DeKalb County: Wednesday, July 27 at 11:00 am A Shore Thing and a puppet-making workshop N. H. Scott Recreation Center 2230 Tilson Rd. Decatur, GA

Madison, GA: Friday, July 29 at 6:30 pm (2 shows between 6:30 and 8:30) Cat and Mouse Tales Firefly Festival in Town Park, Madison, GA

DeKalb County: Saturday, August 6 at 11:00 TBD show and workshop in another Dekalb park – watch our social media!

See us at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody for Kids to Parks Day on May 21 – interpreted into ASL

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The puppet show, Once Upon a Time in China, will be at 12:30.

The show will be interpreted into American Sign Language by Hands In.

Butterfly Ballad in Little Nancy Creek Park

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September 9 at 4:30

FREE

4012 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd NE, Atlanta, GA

Mother Nature with Katy Butterfly from Butterfly Ballad
Mother Nature with Katy Butterfly from Butterfly Ballad

Developed originally for the Callaway Gardens Butterfly Center, this story follows Katy and Kevin Caterpillar through the stages of their lives – from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly – and their fascinating migration to Mexico. Narrated by Mother Nature, with original music, rod and hand puppets. Recommended for ages 3-8, but you can bring the younger toddlers to this one; they can go play if they are not engaged!

Thanks to the Friends of Little Nancy Creek Park for helping to schedule this performance!

Fall festival season

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Piccadilly Puppets is performing at several festivals this season. We already performed for Bridgefest in Stockbridge. Next is Atlanta Parent’s Family Festival followed by Lilburn Daze. Read on for details!

Saturday, October 5 Atlanta Parent’s Family Festival

A banner saying "Join the Fun" for Atlanta Parent's Family Festival on Saturday, October 5.

Butterfly Ballad 12:45

https://www.atlantaparent.com/familyfestival/

Saturday, October 12 Lilburn Daze

children with instruments on stage with the puppeteer and Chief Gray Eagle puppet
Cherokee Tales

https://www.lilburndaze.org/

Cherokee Tales 1:00

This show is sponsored by the generosity of St. John Neumann Catholic School in Lilburn! Thank you so much!

Bring Piccadilly Puppets to your town with a Vibrant Communities Grant!

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grantWould you like to bring Piccadilly Puppets to your school, library or non-profit organization in Fall 2018 or Spring 2019? If your organization is located in a county in which no organization received an FY18 GCA Project, Partner or Arts Education Grant, you can apply for a Vibrant Communities grant from the Ga Council for the Arts. The grants are for arts programming; why not have us do puppet shows and/or workshops?

For more info including a list of counties that qualify:

http://gaarts.org/images/PDFs/FY19-VC-guidelines-FINAL.pdf

Elves and Santa and Foxes, oh my!

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See our listing of public Christmas performances:

Spiralina Toepick performs to “The Waltz of the Flowers” in our Nutcracker section of “Piccadilly Holiday”.

Saturday, December 2   3:30 pm.    ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas    Peachtree Branch, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library

Friday, December 8  6:00 pm.    ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas AND Juggler Ron Anglin.    R. E. Lee Auditorium, Thomaston, GA

Saturday, December 9   11:00 am, 1:00 pm.    ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.          Little River Canyon Center, Fort Payne, AL

Tuesday, December 12   5:00 pm.     ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas   Commerce Public Library, Commerce, GA

Friday, December 15 and 22   6:00, 7:00 pm.     ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.   Atlanta History Center

Saturday, December 16   10:00, 11:30 am.    ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.          Aurora Children’s Playhouse, Aurora Theater, Lawrenceville, GA

Tuesday, December 19   10:30 am.      Piccadilly Holiday.        Cleveland Branch,   Atlanta-Fulton Public Library

Wednesday, December 21-22   10:00 am (plus a 1:30 show on Thursday only).   ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas     Roswell Cultural Arts Center

 

Thank you to the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs!

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Piccadilly Puppets is a proud recipient of funding from the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs! We provide puppet performances throughout the City of Atlanta, and the funds help us to cover some expenses, so that we can keep our shows affordable. Funding also enables us to offer discounts to schools that receive Title One funding and other venues in those neighborhoods (such as libraries), and occasionally offer free shows in underserved parts of the city.

Thank you so much to the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs for helping us to educate and entertain children in Atlanta through the art of puppetry!

Book your holiday show now!

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Santa finds the Mouse “stirring” in ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Choose from three fun holiday shows:

‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 
Piccadilly takes a few liberties with the classic holiday poem penned by Clement C. Moore more than 100 years ago. In this version, performed with hand puppets, children will get the real story of that night from a mouse who was an eyewitness to the whole affair. It’s a merry tale with lots of silly twists and turns to entertain and amuse children of all ages. PreK-5, families, or senior citizens.

FOXY CHRISTMAS
A tale of Christmas spirit and friendship. This endearing Christmas story is about a hungry fox and a lonely bunny, and how they find that, for them, the true meaning of Christmas is friendship. Although there’s no mention of any reindeer in the forest, Santa Claus still manages to make an appearance—much to the delight of the audience!

 

PICCADILLY HOLIDAY   A secular, holiday-themed variety show. The show will feature several pieces including a rod and hand puppet version of “The Nutcracker”, an ice-skating marionette, and an original hand puppet story of an elf that comes to Atlanta to escape the North Pole snow. The benefit of this show is that it is adaptable to whatever length the presenter needs. All ages.

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Rutherford the Electronics elf with a couple of carol-singing snowballs from PICCADILLY HOLIDAY

Puppet Palooza September 24

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Puppet Palooza is a fabulous afternoon filled with puppet shows and puppet activities! It will take place Sunday, September 24 from 1:00-5:00pm at the Clarkston Community Center

Some of Atlanta’s top puppeteers will perform short pieces in a variety style show. Shows will be ongoing throughout the day, along with puppet-making and other games for kids. There will be all kinds of interesting puppets and puppet-related items for sale, as well as concessions.

Featuring:

  • Performances by That Puppet Guy, Piccadilly Puppets, Paulette Richards, Kiera Robbins, Jane Schindler and InJest Puppets
  • Puppet making workshop sponsored by the Center for Puppetry Arts
  • Games for children

Tickets may be purchased at the door or at the link below: $10 adults, $5 children.

Proceeds go to the Atlanta Puppetry Guild, a local chapter of the Puppeteers of America, an organization that promotes the art of puppetry. The Atlanta Puppetry Guild gives local puppeteers and anyone interested in the art form a chance to meet, share ideas, and support one another. One way we do this is through offering scholarships to members to further their craft. Puppet Palooza is a fundraiser for the guild scholarship fund; a percentage of the proceeeds also goes to the Clarkston Community Center.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puppet-palooza-tickets-37290041518?aff=es2