| Madcap Productions Puppet Theatre is a nonprofit, touring
children's theater company which combines giant puppets with actors
to create a unique style of puppet theater. Madcap wants to
introduce children to a whole new concept of puppetry, one that allows
all the elements of theater to be combined in an artistic and educational
performance. Now in its twenty-first year, the company offers in
production both original scripts and fresh adaptations of old tales. |
|
|
Central to Madcap's work is its dramatic, focussed visual style
and deep commitment to develop new plays designed for giant puppets
and actors. We strive, always, to give life to all characters (whether
puppet or human) within each play. Our puppet characters reach
up to 12 feet tall, and range in style from hand to rod to body
to backpack puppets.
With a new puppet center (where children can build their own
puppets) in Cincinnati, Madcap Productions tours with five
companies throughout the Midwest, performing for schools, theaters,
libraries and community centers and reaching over 460,000 children
each year. Madcap sponsors a local Hats Off Series
at its resident theater in the Cincinnati Art Museum
in Eden Park. Madcap has also performed for such organizations as
the Indianapolis Children's Museum, Huntington Arts Festival, The
Cincinnati Historical Society at the Museum Center, Karamu House
in Cleveland, The Midwest Puppetry Festival, Chamizal National Memorial
Theater in El Paso and the Cincinnati-Kharkiv Sister Cities Project
in Ukraine.
|
 |
| Madcap Productions Puppet Theatre provides artists for exciting
in-school residencies that help to create a bridge between art
and education. Each residency is designed specifically for a school,
library or community setting. Where possible, Madcap will send
a residency coordinator to the residency site to work with administrators,
teachers or community leaders to decide what areas of study the artist
will explore with the students. There are several popular types of
residency packages that Madcap offers: |
| Introduction to Storytelling and Puppetry: |
| (Our Most Popular Residency!) |
| Students discover the power and magic of storytelling through interactive
sessions with the artist. The artist also arrives at the residency
site with a large collection of Madcap Giant Puppets. This collection
also includes unique costumes, set pieces and a portable puppet
stage the Madcap artist uses to demonstrate puppet manipulation. |
|
This residency is designed to help promote the
language and visual arts through exciting storytelling and puppetry
presentations and grade/age specific writing prompts.
Length: One or two weeks. Recommended for grades
K through six.
|
 |
|
Children are able to build their very own puppets! With
the help of parent and school volunteers, the Madcap Artist helps
lead children on an exciting, creative adventure where they can
create their own puppet.
In very large schools, the artist may work very closely with one
or two grade levels while still holding workshop sessions with the
remaining students in the school.
|
 |
The artist also arrives at the residency site
with a large collection of Madcap Giant Puppets. This collection
also includes unique costumes, set pieces and a portable puppet
stage the Madcap Artist uses to demonstrate puppet manipulation.
Length: One or two weeks. Recommended for grades
Preschool through six.
|
|
This residency marries the best of our Intro to Storytelling and
Puppetry residency with a special focus on the science of puppets.
Gravity, tension and balance all play key roles in how puppets
are used by the puppeteer. The secrets of how these scientific principles
are used in puppet making is made clear in workshops where the Madcap
Artist shows how puppet builders use simple machines to help
make the puppets move. The "guts" of puppets are revealed
to show how mouths are made to move and limbs are brought to life.
The artist also arrives at the residency site with a large collection
of Madcap Giant Puppets. This collection also includes unique costumes,
set pieces and a portable puppet stage the Madcap Artist uses to
demonstrate puppet manipulation.
|
| Mask and Movement Residency: |
| Primary Objective: The
artist introduces the students to several types of masks designed
to be accessible to different age groups/ability levels. The artists
oversees the construction of masks as well as leads sessions in
mask based movement. In these sessions the history, cultural significance
and storytelling traditions of mask theater are explored. |
|
|
With this residency the artist arrives with a collection of masks
and different styles of mask theater are demonstrated. Length: One
or Two weeks. Recommended for grades Kindergarten through six
|
|
Workshops on puppet manipulation, storytelling
and creative drama are available for half day and full day. These
workshops are specially designed to accompany a performance. With
each workshop the artist arrives with a sample collection of puppets
that are demonstrated during the workshop.
Madcap Productions will also send artists to
the school to teach puppet making / storytelling and integration
to teachers as an inservice. The workshops can be taught to parent
volunteers and later brought into the classroom.
|
 |
Jerry
Handorf
1960 – 2005
Jerry Handorf was an extraordinary man. He not only touched people's
lives, he took them along with him into his amazing imagination
and helped them to see their own dreams. His imagination, creative
talent and artistic genius astonished those who were privileged
to work with him and thrilled audiences who saw his productions.
To the millions of children and adults who saw his productions
in the 23 years since Madcap began, he was the bringer of joy and
laughter, of excitement and anticipation, (for there was always
something unexpected—known as the ‘Handorf Twist’)
and, so important to Jerry, the ‘WOW’ factor. He would
wait eagerly for the ‘ahs’ and shrieks of joy from his
young audiences during each performance—proof that he had
successfully conveyed his own excitement to those watching his plays.
While Jerry’s death leaves a gaping hole in Madcap and in
the hearts of so many who knew him, we know Jerry lives on in the
legacy of his art and in Madcap. We at Madcap can do nothing less
than to ensure that his legacy not only will survive, but will thrive
as we continue to bring the art of puppetry and his gift of creativity
to children around the country.
Jerry Handorf, Artistic Director of Madcap Productions Puppet
Theatre
Jerry co-founded Madcap Productions in 1981. A native of Cincinnati,
he graduated from the American School of Mime and Dance in New York
City and earned his teaching certificate in Art Education at Edgecliff
College, as well as a B.F.A. degree in Graphic Design from Pratt
Institute of Art. In New York Jerry worked with Jim Henson, creator
of the Muppets, studying puppet manipulation and construction, and
was a puppeteer on Sesame Street. His interest in the art and history
of puppetry took him to Japan to study the art of Bunraku puppetry,
and to Czechoslovakia to study Czech Black Theatre. The influence
of both techniques can be found in Madcap plays. Through Jerry’s
curiosity and initiative, Madcap productions have been seen in Germany,
Australia, the Ukraine and Switzerland, as well as in more than
22 states in America.
Jerry brought to Madcap an extensive artistic background; one that
is unmatched in the region. He has written hundreds of productions
for Madcap and a number of children’s books and short stories.
Jerry’s imagination and vision will keep Madcap’s productions
on the cutting edge of artistic, fun and unique theatre for years
to come.
|
Jerry and some of his creations
photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer
We Remember Jerry
|
|
 |
 |
|
MADCAP PRODUCTIONS PUPPET THEATRE
3316 Glenmore Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45211
Phone: 513-921-5965
Fax: 513-921-3845
E-Mail: madcap@fuse.net
|
|
|
Copyright © Madcap Productions Puppet Theatre - Cincinnati,
Ohio
|
Copyright © Madcap Productions
Puppet Theatre - Cincinnati Ohio - 513-921-5965
|
