WAPASA Annual Summer Puppet Conference 2025 | July 31st - August 3rd 2025

Join our Collaborative Conference, featuring intensive workshops with multiple sessions over three days, along with morning movement, theme presentations, and discussions.

Highlights include:

• Friday & Saturday Evening Cabaret Sessions, hosted by Brian Hull (5% discount for participants sharing a puppet work in progress.)

Details:

• Dates: Thursday, July 31st, 7 PM – Sunday, August 3rd, 1 PM.
• Cost: $375 (includes morning/afternoon refreshments and some workshop materials. Pre conference workshop is an extra $125 and not inlcuded in the $375).
• Exclusions: Housing, meals, and transportation (meals available at Hawthorne Valley Farm Store located on campus).
• Work scholarships available.

For assistance with transportation, housing, or scholarships, contact .

For more details, please visit our website:

WAPASA presents  

The Creative Spirit Within Puppetry Arts 

A Collaborative Conference at Hawthorne Valley  

July 31st - August 3rd 2025 

“We know that Puppetry is one of the most powerful mediums to enrich, change and heal a world spinning precariously out of balance. But it needs our commitment to release this power and let it shine. We need to stay valiant and not ever allow the shadow of fear-mongering, division and sarcasm darken our sacred creative flame.” 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ~ Bernd Ogrodnik  

In the world of puppetry arts, wonder lives within the spark of soul that brings the inanimate to life!  The magic of such a moment depends upon the cultivation of attention and intention. We invite you to join us at Hawthorne Valley to dive into educational, therapeutic, and artistic streams that are vital for the cultivation of these human capacities. Participants will explore the core of their own creative presence ~ a healing balm for the ills of distraction and disconnect so prevalent in today's world.  

Optional Pre-Conference Workshop  

Thursday July 31st  9am - 3pm 

Hues of Nature... Plant Dye Explorations  with Janene Ping  

We invite conference enthusiasts to join us for this pre-conference all day immersion into the beauty of plant dye color. Participants will work with local plants gleaned from hedgerows - as well as primary color exotics to create the full rainbow spectrum on natural fibers. The pre-conference workshop fee is $125 which includes materials and 10 yards of natural material and fibers. Participants may bring extra silk yardage from home to freely dye at the end of the day.  

Creative Spirit Puppetry Conference 

Thursday July 31st  

The Search for the Sacred ~ 7pm  

Followed by  

Performance by Jennifer Aguirre 

Friday August 1st - Sunday August 3rd 

Puppetry Intensive Workshops Offered: 

A. Puppetry Magic ~ Traveling with a Story World in your Suitcase!  

~ Connie Manson 

B. Pedagogical Puppetry for Kindergarten, Grades One and Two  

~ Jennifer Aguirre 

C. Creating a Rod Puppet  

~ Mindy Upton 

D. Color Transparency Puppetry 

~ Cindy Sydow and Marjorie Rehbach  

Our Collaborative Conference offers a choice of one of the above intensive workshops that will have multiple sessions over the course of 3 days. In addition to this specialization, participants are invited to morning movement and conference theme presentation and discussion sessions:  

Intention… The Search for the Sacred 

Attention.. Cultivating the Essential  

With special guest Nancy Mellon 

Our collaborative conference features Friday and Saturday Evening Cabaret Sessions hosted by Brian Hull! Participants can receive a 5% conference fee discount for bringing a puppet work in progress to share.  

Cost of the Conference from Thursday Evening 7/31 to Sunday 8/3 at 1pm is $375. This fee includes morning and afternoon refreshments and some of the materials for the intensive workshops. Housing, Meals, and Transportation is not included. Meals can be purchased from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store which is on the conference campus. Work Scholarships are available - for this, or if assistance is needed in arranging local transportation or housing, please contact anBpbmcgfCBoYXd0aG9ybmV2YWxsZXlzY2hvb2wgISBvcmc=. 

Creative Spirit Puppetry Conference 

Preliminary Conference Schedule 

Thursday July 31st  Pre-Conference Workshop 

8am : Early Conference Morning registration  

9am - 3pm: Plant Dye Exploration of Nature's Hues - Single Day Workshop Cost: $125 

Creative Spirit Puppetry Conference 

4pm - 6pm : Puppetry Arts Conference Registration Cost: $375 

7pm Evening : Opening With Leading Talk and Puppet Performance 

Friday August 1 and Saturday August 2 

8:30am : Morning Movement or Walk in the Valley 

9am : Presentation and  Discussion ~ Led by Nancy Mellon and Janene Ping 

(Friday) Intention - Seeking the Sacred  

(Saturday) Cultivating Attention - Healing Modalities 

10:15 am: Morning Refreshment: Coffee, Tea, and Muffins 

10:45 am : Workshop  

12:15 pm : Lunch 

1:30pm : Workshop  

3pm : Afternoon Refreshment : Fruit and Iced Tea 

3:30 : Workshop  

5pm : Dinner  

6:30 - 8pm : Cabaret Performance and Demonstration Sharing 

Sunday August 3rd 

8:30am : Morning Movement or Walk in the Valley 

9am : Ending  Workshop Session 

11am : Summary Plenum and Sharing 

12:30 : Closing 

Also check out other Business events in Ghent, Conferences in Ghent, Workshops in Ghent.