Hand-made Puppets and Crankies
Sandglass Theater
Sandglass Theater Ines Zeller Bass Studio Info
17 Kimball Hill, Putney VT
Workshop
Our workshop is housed in two adjacent former sheds right behind Sandglass Theater in downtown Putney Village. There is some parking on the theater grounds, in the small field by the studio, and on the street in town. The workshop will be open during the days of the Craft Tour, until 4 pm. On Friday and Saturday evenings, I will be performing at Sandglass’ Rafter of Crankies at Green Mountain Orchards.
Sandglass Theater is located in the historic S.L. Davis Barn. Davis owned and operated the Putney General Store from 1915 to 1949.
During that time, he used the barn (now Sandglass Theater) to take livestock in trade for store goods. The barn became our theater in 1996.
Ines is one of Sandglass Theater’s primary makers of puppets and crankies. Her puppets range from theatrical figures used in Sandglass productions to whimsical playthings for everybody.
Hand Puppets
Dragons with gnashing teeth make a clacking sound when they are filled with joy or agitated! They are made from wood and fabric.
Rod Puppets
Simple rod puppets of Cows, Wizards, Goats, and Giraffes can be animated by kids and adults alike! They are made of wood and fabric.
More theatrical rod puppets are larger, and have expressive hand gestures. They require a creation process of several stages, including making the mold and curing the neoprene which is the primary material for the heads and hands. Ines and other Sandglass artists will demonstrate the process of mold making as well as the animation of the puppets themselves.
Crankies are illustrated scrolls of stories, songs, or poems. Their history in this country goes back to the 19th Century, when they were called “moving panoramas.” They originated in Europe. A crankie can be made by ANYONE, a hands-on, creative and beautiful antidote to our computer age.
Puppets, no matter how big or small, how realistic or abstract, are always some part of ourselves. They are metaphors for many aspects of our lives, they are entertainers, they hold stories and they are objects to play with. I have created and performed with many puppets who fulfill specific roles in our own plays. When I create a puppet for an unknown person it has no assigned role other than being an object of play, joy and discovery. For me a puppet begs to be played with no matter how serious or light the play, no matter how old or young the player might be.