Puppet Fever Hits Nashville, Tennessee
Art Imitates Life with the age-old art of puppetry
By Ima Puppet, Special to Conference News and Views blogsite
GALLATIN, TN - The audience is enthralled. Children and adults alike are hanging onto Taffy the Duck’s every word. They erupt in laughter as she explains with confidence that “God must love ducks best…’cuz he made them so cute!” Taffy is the alter ego of Liz VonSeggen, professional ventriloquist and co-founder of One Way Street, a puppetry and children’s ministry training and supply company based in the metro area of Denver, CO. According to Liz, “Puppets are dynamic tools to grab attention, helping people laugh, pretend, dream, empathize and learn unforgettable truths!”
Puppetry has been used in ministry applications for many years and is growing in popularity with school educators and community education programs. One Way Street specializes in training and equipping ministry leaders in areas of puppetry, creative ministries and Christian music. Their “RPM Series” which stands for Righteous Pop Music is a series of Christian parody music and one of their most popular products. Ministry leaders enjoy using the music to tell biblical stories in new and interesting ways. Adding puppets to the music adds visual interest, creating excitement and interest for the audience and increasing memory retention in children. The art of puppetry is used extensively throughout the United States and the world as a tool in children’s church programs, Vacation Bible Schools, missions programs and outreach events. It is effective for reaching a wide range of audiences and is especially effective with children in the impressionable 4-14 year old age range.
Organizations outside of church ministry are also finding puppetry effective for communicating to this age group. Fire departments, police departments and other agencies utilize puppetry in their safety programs with positive results. South Metro Fire Rescue in Centennial, CO has effectively used puppets in their safety training presentations and videos. Their live safety presentations utilize puppetry, drama, and music to teach children important safety lessons. Hurricane relief workers in the Houston Astrodome utilized puppets to reach out to children in shock. The puppets brought laughter and a welcome break from the thoughts of disaster, uncertainty, and painful loss.
Puppetry is also an effective tool in cross-cultural communications. Ted Stoner of Bongo Bi-Lingo Buddy uses puppetry to teach important educational and moral lessons in English and in Spanish, bringing two cultures together. When contacted, Ted Stoner stated, “We love to celebrate both languages and both cultures through compassion, friendship and “alegría”, a Spanish word for joy. We use puppets because our target audience is three to seven year olds. It’s a non-typical age group to hit and puppetry helps us to bridge this unusual target. The puppets allow us to be interactive and interpersonal with our audience.” One Way Street is also committed to bridging these two cultures. The company sponsors bilingual training events and offers a line of Spanish products. Ana Griffitts, a bilingual representative from One Way Street Events states, “We reach new people by bridging cultures and overcoming language barriers through creative ministries such as puppetry. Everyone loves puppets!”
A large group assembling in the Nashville region in August certainly loves puppets. Puppeteers, ventriloquists, illusionists and other creative ministry performers will come together for one Saturday to gather new ideas, increase their skill level and gain inspiration in their craft. The One Way Street SummerFest training workshop is scheduled for Saturday, August 12th and will be held at 1st United Methodist Church in Gallatin. Event organizers are planning a fun-packed day of puppetry training, performances and competitions. Dale VonSeggen, co-founder of One Way Street is enthusiastic about returning to the Nashville region. “We have been coming to Tennessee for a number of years to train and encourage young people to use puppets effectively in their churches and schools and we are excited to be returning this year,” the company President stated.
This event is designed to inspire and equip educators, ministry leaders, community awareness groups, homeschool groups and any individual interested in learning the exciting and fun art of puppetry. Workshops will include basic and advanced puppetry manipulation, blacklight effects, choreography and leadership training, among others. Teams and individuals can enter competitions and compete for “The People’s Choice Award”. Each competition participant receives valuable feedback from industry experts. Liz VonSeggen commends today’s teens “Who demonstrate their willingness to serve, rather than be served when they give so much time, effort, and talent to creating excellent puppet presentations!”
Staff for the weekend training event includes seasoned professionals from various locations throughout the country. Dale VonSeggen explained, “We do our best to bring in talented performers and teachers to challenge and inspire the workshop attendees.” The VonSeggens are strong proponents of education. Liz graduated with a BA Degree in secondary education from Olivet Nazarene University with a major in Spanish and continued her education with a Master's Degree in Drama/Communication from Western Michigan University. She has taught on every level from preschoolers to college in public and private schools. Dale graduated from Olivet Nazarene University, with a degree in mathematics and coaching, and received his Master's degree in Educational Leadership at Western Michigan University. After ten years teaching public school mathematics in Illinois and Michigan, and nine years as children's pastor in Denver, Colorado, Dale has been working full time as President and CEO of One Way Street, Inc. since 1987.
The puppetry-training event begins Saturday morning, August 12th at 1st United Methodist Church, 149 Main Street in Gallatin. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and the first presentation beginning at 9:00 a.m. Events include general sessions featuring high quality performers, workshop sessions and an inspiring closing session complete with an exciting giveaway drawing. The event runs until approximately 4:30 p.m. Registration rates are $30 per person, with a discounts available for groups and early bird registrations. More information on rates and schedules can be found on the company’s website at http://www.onewaystreet.com/ or by calling 800-569-4537, extension 4.
By Ima Puppet, Special to Conference News and Views blogsite
GALLATIN, TN - The audience is enthralled. Children and adults alike are hanging onto Taffy the Duck’s every word. They erupt in laughter as she explains with confidence that “God must love ducks best…’cuz he made them so cute!” Taffy is the alter ego of Liz VonSeggen, professional ventriloquist and co-founder of One Way Street, a puppetry and children’s ministry training and supply company based in the metro area of Denver, CO. According to Liz, “Puppets are dynamic tools to grab attention, helping people laugh, pretend, dream, empathize and learn unforgettable truths!”
Puppetry has been used in ministry applications for many years and is growing in popularity with school educators and community education programs. One Way Street specializes in training and equipping ministry leaders in areas of puppetry, creative ministries and Christian music. Their “RPM Series” which stands for Righteous Pop Music is a series of Christian parody music and one of their most popular products. Ministry leaders enjoy using the music to tell biblical stories in new and interesting ways. Adding puppets to the music adds visual interest, creating excitement and interest for the audience and increasing memory retention in children. The art of puppetry is used extensively throughout the United States and the world as a tool in children’s church programs, Vacation Bible Schools, missions programs and outreach events. It is effective for reaching a wide range of audiences and is especially effective with children in the impressionable 4-14 year old age range.
Organizations outside of church ministry are also finding puppetry effective for communicating to this age group. Fire departments, police departments and other agencies utilize puppetry in their safety programs with positive results. South Metro Fire Rescue in Centennial, CO has effectively used puppets in their safety training presentations and videos. Their live safety presentations utilize puppetry, drama, and music to teach children important safety lessons. Hurricane relief workers in the Houston Astrodome utilized puppets to reach out to children in shock. The puppets brought laughter and a welcome break from the thoughts of disaster, uncertainty, and painful loss.
Puppetry is also an effective tool in cross-cultural communications. Ted Stoner of Bongo Bi-Lingo Buddy uses puppetry to teach important educational and moral lessons in English and in Spanish, bringing two cultures together. When contacted, Ted Stoner stated, “We love to celebrate both languages and both cultures through compassion, friendship and “alegría”, a Spanish word for joy. We use puppets because our target audience is three to seven year olds. It’s a non-typical age group to hit and puppetry helps us to bridge this unusual target. The puppets allow us to be interactive and interpersonal with our audience.” One Way Street is also committed to bridging these two cultures. The company sponsors bilingual training events and offers a line of Spanish products. Ana Griffitts, a bilingual representative from One Way Street Events states, “We reach new people by bridging cultures and overcoming language barriers through creative ministries such as puppetry. Everyone loves puppets!”
A large group assembling in the Nashville region in August certainly loves puppets. Puppeteers, ventriloquists, illusionists and other creative ministry performers will come together for one Saturday to gather new ideas, increase their skill level and gain inspiration in their craft. The One Way Street SummerFest training workshop is scheduled for Saturday, August 12th and will be held at 1st United Methodist Church in Gallatin. Event organizers are planning a fun-packed day of puppetry training, performances and competitions. Dale VonSeggen, co-founder of One Way Street is enthusiastic about returning to the Nashville region. “We have been coming to Tennessee for a number of years to train and encourage young people to use puppets effectively in their churches and schools and we are excited to be returning this year,” the company President stated.
This event is designed to inspire and equip educators, ministry leaders, community awareness groups, homeschool groups and any individual interested in learning the exciting and fun art of puppetry. Workshops will include basic and advanced puppetry manipulation, blacklight effects, choreography and leadership training, among others. Teams and individuals can enter competitions and compete for “The People’s Choice Award”. Each competition participant receives valuable feedback from industry experts. Liz VonSeggen commends today’s teens “Who demonstrate their willingness to serve, rather than be served when they give so much time, effort, and talent to creating excellent puppet presentations!”
Staff for the weekend training event includes seasoned professionals from various locations throughout the country. Dale VonSeggen explained, “We do our best to bring in talented performers and teachers to challenge and inspire the workshop attendees.” The VonSeggens are strong proponents of education. Liz graduated with a BA Degree in secondary education from Olivet Nazarene University with a major in Spanish and continued her education with a Master's Degree in Drama/Communication from Western Michigan University. She has taught on every level from preschoolers to college in public and private schools. Dale graduated from Olivet Nazarene University, with a degree in mathematics and coaching, and received his Master's degree in Educational Leadership at Western Michigan University. After ten years teaching public school mathematics in Illinois and Michigan, and nine years as children's pastor in Denver, Colorado, Dale has been working full time as President and CEO of One Way Street, Inc. since 1987.
The puppetry-training event begins Saturday morning, August 12th at 1st United Methodist Church, 149 Main Street in Gallatin. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and the first presentation beginning at 9:00 a.m. Events include general sessions featuring high quality performers, workshop sessions and an inspiring closing session complete with an exciting giveaway drawing. The event runs until approximately 4:30 p.m. Registration rates are $30 per person, with a discounts available for groups and early bird registrations. More information on rates and schedules can be found on the company’s website at http://www.onewaystreet.com/ or by calling 800-569-4537, extension 4.
