A message from Julia and Richard:Dear Puppetry Enthusiasts,This is our final O.P.E.N.Richard and I launched O.P.E.N. in January, 2010. It evolved from UNIMA Oz,...
A message from Julia and Richard:
Dear Puppetry Enthusiasts,
This is our final O.P.E.N.
Richard and I launched O.P.E.N. in January, 2010. It evolved from UNIMA Oz, a modest email newsletter which filled in the gaps between issues of the print magazine, Australian Puppeteer, (which I edited from 2002 to 2008) .
We felt there was a need to open up communication about puppetry and to celebrate and share what’s happening in the Australian expression of the art form - from multi-million productions involving giant animatronic beasts to Sunday morning sock puppet-making with the neighbourhood children. Kassius Kamel (our puppet mascot) joined us as ‘outback correspondent’ and we enjoyed creating his irreverent commentary on life and politics.
Over the years we have provided coverage of festivals in Australia, have provided up-to-date information about events, workshops, employment opportunities and festival applications and have acknowledged and commemorated the passing of puppeteers.
Although our emphasis has been on the visual presentation, one highlight was Simon Rann’s regular journal submissions about his life on the road with Phillppe Genty, an insight into the everyday routines of a puppeteer in one of the most renowned companies of the world. We also compiled regular ‘OpDates’ - mid month bulletins with updates.
. In 2013 Kay Yasugi came on board O.P.E.N. and reported significantly on puppetry in NSW with PSS ( Puppetry Scene Sydney) and included brief reviews of productions she had attended. Her input has been invaluable!
Initially, O.P.E.N. was disseminated monthly, but we have been assembling it less regularly in recent times.
The mail base is enormous and has continued to grow.
We have decided to discontinue our involvement with the newsletter for many reasons.
The newsletter was modelled on a print magazine and this format is becoming outdated. As are we! We can see the possibilities that social media offers to promote the art of puppetry and exciting new ways to present material online and hopefully, younger artists will explore this, as we don’t have the technical know-how or the time to invest in learning it. Richard and I are still very busy, and want to focus on our creative work. We have new shows to prepare and launch and some of our work is taking us in new directions involving more travel and performing internationally. Richard is currently the president of UNIMA Australia and is forging connections with overseas artists, we are both working on new shows for school audiences in 2016 and I have singing commitments too.
Here is an opportunity for anyone who would like to take on O.P.E.N., using our resources or to develop it in a new direction. Kay Yasugi, who is overseas until the end of the year, may wish to continue as editor next year, but would welcome input. Please contact us on info@dreampuppets.com or Kay on info@pupperoos.com if you would like to discuss the exciting possibilities of an ongoing O.P.E.N.
Julia Davis and Richard Hart
September, 2015
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