Levi Home Hardware and Puppets Up! partner to build next generation of puppet talent at PuppetCon 2023
ALMONTE – Levi Home Hardware Building Centre has partnered with Puppets Up! to present PuppetCon by Puppets Up!, presented by Levi Home Hardware Building Centre, coming to downtown Almonte August 11-13, 2023.
“When we heard our friends at Puppets Up! wanted to put on a new event that really focused on education and building the next generation of puppet talent we knew we wanted to be involved,” said store owner Thomas Levi.
The Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival was a mainstay in Almonte from 2005 until 2016. The festival made its triumphant return in 2022 but organizers weren’t content with just relaunching the beloved showcase for established puppet talent from across Canada and around the world, they wanted to look to the future as well.
“PuppetCon is our attempt to not just entertain and inspire but also to build the next generation of puppet talent too,” said Jane Torrance, chair of the Puppets Up! Board of Directors. “So it only makes sense to partner with the folks at Levi Home Hardware, who know a thing or two about building themselves!”
PuppetCon by Puppets Up!, presented by Levi Home Hardware Building Centre is anchored around more than a dozen different workshops, covering everything from building simple puppets to learning how to develop and market a show. Whether you’re a parent or caregiver looking for a crafty way to spend a weekend or a burgeoning puppet performer looking for advice on breaking into the industry, you’ll find a workshop for you.
The weekend will also feature two theatre shows (“The Family Crow: A Murder Mystery” by Adam Francis Proulx and “Everybody Loves Pirates” by the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers) and three panel discussions at the Almonte Old Town Hall.
“We just know that this event is going to be a launching pad for puppet talent and we’re so excited to help build the foundation,” added Levi. “And as a family business we’re glad to see so much programming for families too!”
“Levi Home Hardware Building Centre has helped build this town,” concluded Torrance. “We’re so excited to have them get in on the ground floor of this exciting new event!”
