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OBJECT MOVEMENT is a curated festival and developmental residency for puppeteers and object theater artists. Object Movement supports the development new work and advances existing works-in-progress that address eternal human questions and the urgent challenges of our society today through puppetry and object theater, culminating in a festival of 15-20 minute performances. Participants meet weekly as a group to share the progress of their pieces and offer peer feedback. The group is moderated by a curatorial team of puppetry artists and producers. Group meetings are on Tuesday evenings from September 2019 to March 2019, culminating in a spring festival of performances.
Object Movement is curated by Maiko Kikuchi, Rowan Magee, and Justin Perkins.
Important Dates
Applications due: Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 11:59 PM
Applicants notified: Friday, August 9, 2019
First Residency meeting: September 10, 2019
First work-in-progress showing (closed): Tuesday, November 26
Second work-in-progress showing (invited audience): Tuesday, January 28
Object Movement Festival tech and performances: March 23 to April 5 (performances Fri/Sat/Sun at 7:30)
Final residency meeting: Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Workshop meetings will take place weekly at 6:30-9:00 PM on Tuesdays at The Center at West Park on the Upper West Side. Participants will be expected to commit to the weekly schedule with a minimal number of absences. All residency meeting dates: September 10, 17, and 24; October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29; November 5, 12, 19, and 26; December 3, 10, and 17; January 7, 14, 21, and 28; February 4, 11, 18, and 25; March 3, 10, and 17; April 7.
Festival performances will be in the Center’s Balcony Theater on March 27-29 and April 3-5, 2020. Each participant will have three total performances on one of the two weekends. Each artist will have up 20 minutes to show either a completed short work or a selection of a full-length piece.
Participants will receive up to 40 hours of free rehearsal space at the Center during the residency. Free rehearsal hours may be used in the Chapel between 10am and 6pm, Monday-Saturday and must be reserved in advance.
Artist Stipend
All participants will receive a stipend of $250 at the residency to offset materials costs and other expenses.
Festival Info
The Object Movement 2020 Festival will take place over two weekends, with Program A running Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29 and Program B running Friday, April 3 through Sunday, April 5. Participants will be scheduled in Program A or B by January 2020 based on performer availability. Each piece in the festival will get one full day in the theater for tech and dress rehearsal.
The Center will provide front of house and technical staff for the festival, including a box office manager, house manager, technical director, and production stage manager. Equipment including a lighting rep plot and PA sound system will also be provided. All tickets will be $20 and sold through the Center’s website.
Print and digital marketing materials, including posters and Facebook pages, will be created by the Center. The Center will host a promo photo shoot in advance of the festival, and provide a photographer for production stills.
Application Information
Artists of all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Applications should be for a specific project, either a new piece or an existing work in progress to be developed further. Please upload a one-page text description and one-page image/illustration of the project you would like to develop and perform during the residency and festival.
Your text description should include:
a summary of the story you are telling or experience you hope to share
the style of puppetry or object theater used in the project
the social and/or aesthetic questions you hope to explore with the project
why puppetry or object theater is essential to addressing these questions and serving the intention of the project
the length of the completed piece as you envision it
when, where, and how much of the material you have already created and shared
Please upload a document with one-page resumes or narrative biographies for up to three lead artists participating in the project. PDF preferred.
Please upload a document with work samples for up to three lead artist participating in this project. Work samples can be links to video, audio, or image galleries; a series of still images; and/or text. Please keep script samples to no more than 10 pages. PDF preferred.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the application process, the residency, or the festival.
OBJECT MOVEMENT is a curated festival and developmental residency for puppeteers and object theater artists. Object Movement supports the development new work and advances existing works-in-progress that address eternal human questions and the urgent challenges of our society today through puppetry and object theater, culminating in a festival of 15-20 minute performances. Participants meet weekly as a group to share the progress of their pieces and offer peer feedback. The group is moderated by a curatorial team of puppetry artists and producers. Group meetings are on Tuesday evenings from September 2019 to March 2019, culminating in a spring festival of performances.
Object Movement is curated by Maiko Kikuchi, Rowan Magee, and Justin Perkins.
Important Dates
Applications due: Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 11:59 PM
Applicants notified: Friday, August 9, 2019
First Residency meeting: September 10, 2019
First work-in-progress showing (closed): Tuesday, November 26
Second work-in-progress showing (invited audience): Tuesday, January 28
Object Movement Festival tech and performances: March 23 to April 5 (performances Fri/Sat/Sun at 7:30)
Final residency meeting: Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Workshop meetings will take place weekly at 6:30-9:00 PM on Tuesdays at The Center at West Park on the Upper West Side. Participants will be expected to commit to the weekly schedule with a minimal number of absences. All residency meeting dates: September 10, 17, and 24; October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29; November 5, 12, 19, and 26; December 3, 10, and 17; January 7, 14, 21, and 28; February 4, 11, 18, and 25; March 3, 10, and 17; April 7.
Festival performances will be in the Center’s Balcony Theater on March 27-29 and April 3-5, 2020. Each participant will have three total performances on one of the two weekends. Each artist will have up 20 minutes to show either a completed short work or a selection of a full-length piece.
Participants will receive up to 40 hours of free rehearsal space at the Center during the residency. Free rehearsal hours may be used in the Chapel between 10am and 6pm, Monday-Saturday and must be reserved in advance.
Artist Stipend
All participants will receive a stipend of $250 at the residency to offset materials costs and other expenses.
Festival Info
The Object Movement 2020 Festival will take place over two weekends, with Program A running Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29 and Program B running Friday, April 3 through Sunday, April 5. Participants will be scheduled in Program A or B by January 2020 based on performer availability. Each piece in the festival will get one full day in the theater for tech and dress rehearsal.
The Center will provide front of house and technical staff for the festival, including a box office manager, house manager, technical director, and production stage manager. Equipment including a lighting rep plot and PA sound system will also be provided. All tickets will be $20 and sold through the Center’s website.
Print and digital marketing materials, including posters and Facebook pages, will be created by the Center. The Center will host a promo photo shoot in advance of the festival, and provide a photographer for production stills.
Application Information
Artists of all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Applications should be for a specific project, either a new piece or an existing work in progress to be developed further. Please upload a one-page text description and one-page image/illustration of the project you would like to develop and perform during the residency and festival.
Your text description should include:
a summary of the story you are telling or experience you hope to share
the style of puppetry or object theater used in the project
the social and/or aesthetic questions you hope to explore with the project
why puppetry or object theater is essential to addressing these questions and serving the intention of the project
the length of the completed piece as you envision it
when, where, and how much of the material you have already created and shared
Please upload a document with one-page resumes or narrative biographies for up to three lead artists participating in the project. PDF preferred.
Please upload a document with work samples for up to three lead artist participating in this project. Work samples can be links to video, audio, or image galleries; a series of still images; and/or text. Please keep script samples to no more than 10 pages. PDF preferred.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the application process, the residency, or the festival.