Puppetry in the Classroom: How Puppets can Enhance Education and Communication
WHAT IS IT?
A talk given by Chad Williams (Wonderspark Puppets) about how teachers can use puppetry as a tool that can fulfill the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal for education.
Chad shares opportunities in the classroom for puppetry and gives examples of work for the special needs community through Making Connections Through Puppetry.
WHO IS IT FOR?
- Teachers/Educators
HOW IS IT PERFORMED?
This can be done virtually (via Zoom or other platforms) or in person (flexible with theater settings, classroom, large gathering space, etc).
All Ages
Length: 15 - 60 min.
About Chad
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Chad Williams is Co-Artistic Director of WonderSpark Puppets and has toured and taught puppetry internationally. He has written, directed, and performed over 15 solo puppet plays for family audiences with hundreds of performances every year. Chad is a recognized master of hand puppetry, authoring the manual 50 Hand Puppet Techniques: Hidden Secrets and Tricks Revealed. He has trained puppeteers, teachers, actors, therapists and others in his unique Two-Finger Style, at universities and puppet festivals at home and abroad.
His original puppet shows were official selections at the International Puppet Fringe Festival NYC, La MaMa Etc Puppet Festival, Puppet Homecoming, the Siam Paragon Asean Fascinating Puppets Festival in Thailand, and at the 1st Lize International Puppet Festival in Taiwan. His works have been performed at the 14th Street Y Theater, Puppet Showplace Theater, Symphony Space, and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
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Chad has shot and edited 4 feature-length documentaries about American puppetry and was a constant videographer of puppet shows in the New England region from 2005-10 before he began performing his own shows alongside Z. Currently he is a two-term board member of UNIMA-USA and a current Fulbright Specialist.
He is a 12 year member of the improv troupe These Guy Are Sick and hosted puppet game shows for families at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital every month for 10 years. From 2013-17 he was Producer and Artistic Director for the biggest video game film festival in the world, Games on Film. He holds a BFA in Media Arts (magna cum laude) from the State University of New York at Fredonia.
