Sitting across the table from Nora Christensen and Shawn Hennessey, the masterminds behind Squallis Puppeteers, I feel a little like Chris Farley interviewing Sir Paul McCartney.
“Remember when you guys went on stage with My Morning Jacket at Forecastle with a big shark puppet?” I asked them. “Yeah, that was awesome!”
But the directors of Squallis, who are also married, are humble and almost surprised by their Forecastle appearance. When a man in horns and a cape tried to mount the stage with them at Forecastle, security had to be called.
“It was a little flattering and a little disturbing,” said Hennessey.
Neither Hennessey nor Christensen have formal theater training and Christensen confesses she’s actually shy, a word that wouldn’t come to mind as you watched any of her hilarious hand puppet shows. Hennessey considers their public appearances more like performance art, something he studied as an art student at the University of Cincinnati and The Ohio State University. Throughout the interview, Christensen was warm and friendly, patiently taking care of their squirming toddler, Oscar, while Hennessey talked enthusiastically about what Squallis has planned for this fall.
Write this down! You will want to visit the Squallis website as soon as possible to register with your child for the first ever Squallis Halloween Puppet Workshop. In this series of workshops, you and your child will create a Halloween backpack puppet made of PVC pipe, paper mache, and fabric. If you have ever seen a Squallis parade with characters such as The Geisha and Abe Lincoln, then you know what a backpack puppet looks like. They are immense! The frame of the backpack sits on your back and makes up the torso of the puppet while, high above your head, your puppet head looks out over the crowd of admirers. You can peek at your fans through a mesh scrim sewn into the front of the puppet’s torso. While Hennessey and Christensen have conducted summer puppet camps and one-hour workshops, this is their first parent-child endeavor. They really like the idea of families creating a project together, especially large-scale puppets.
“I’ve always wanted to do something focused on the larger puppets,” said Hennessey. “I really dig making the big puppets.”
According to Hennessey, the workshop is like a camp for families. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays and Sundays in October leading up to the exciting finale where you and your child can debut your amazing creation at BOO: A Halloween Happening. The Happening is part fundraiser, part 15th anniversary shindig, and part family puppet class recital. It also happens to be the first Halloween event Squallis has had since its first show in 1997. “The Chicken Show” was held at the defunct-but-not-forgotten Sugar Doe Cafe.
Even if you haven’t made a puppet with your child, take your entire family to this two-day extravaganza held at School of Sharks Theater on Eastern Parkway. Hennessey and Christensen promise entertainment for both children and adults, including trick-or-treating, a fun house, opportunities to flaunt your Halloween costumes, and local bands. While they’re still booking performers, a Squallis board member’s band, Supertruck, has signed on to play.
Hennessey explained the motivation behind the new Halloween event.
“We’ve burned ourselves in the past because if you have too high a ticket price the people who come to our Saturday shows can’t afford to come with their kids [to our fundraiser shows],” said Hennessey.
“We’d rather have a fun event and make less money, which is the story of our lives,” said Christensen.
“We’re really interested in remaining cheap for families,” said Hennessey.
In other Squallis news, Hennessey and Christensen recently received a $5,000 grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women to collaborate with Planned Parenthood of Kentucky peer educators on a sex education puppet show aimed at middle and high school students in Louisville. The tentative title is “TMI.” Just when I thought Squallis couldn’t get any cooler, they prove me wrong.
-Amy Miller
Halloween Puppet Workshop
October 10, 14, 17, 21, and 24
Wednesdays 6-9 p.m. and Sundays 1-3 p.m.
Cost: $300 includes standard materials and two free tickets to BOO: A Halloween Happening
Register online at squallispuppeteers.com
Families, community organizations, and artists are welcome – limit two people per puppet project
BOO: A Halloween Happening
October 26, 6-11 p.m.
October 27, 4-11 p.m.
School of Sharks Theater
Our Mother of Sorrows School gymnasium
770 Eastern Parkway
Adults: $10
Kids under 12: $5
Kids under 2: free
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