By Jen Knights
Master puppeteer Kevin Augustine of the critically-acclaimed, New York City-based company, Lone Wolf Tribe, led four workshops with undergraduate and graduate acting and design students in the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts this fall. Augustine has earned many honors in the world of professional puppetry, including grants and fellowships from the Jim Henson Foundation, The Puppeteers of America, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Augustine, who founded Lone Wolf Tribe in 1997 and has written and performed seven full-length shows with the company, said, “It was a true pleasure to be in residence at the UI for a week, teaching puppet workshops during the days and spending evenings developing work for Lone Wolf Tribe with the theatre students.”
He typically devotes 2-5 years to fully realize each new production, and used the workshops to integrate UI Theatre students in his creative process.
Students had the opportunity to learn from Augustine, a trained actor and self-taught sculptor and puppeteer, about the creation of large-scale puppets, sculpted from foam, and the integration of improvisational, team-based puppeteering through collaborative workshopping of his solo works-in-progress: People Vs. Nature and The God Projekt.
In addition to his work with students, Augustine took time to draw from the directorial expertise of Department of Theatre Arts Chair, Associate Professor Mary Beth Easley, who provided guidance about kinetic story-telling, integration of design elements, and acting coaching to help realize his vision for these new works.
Both People Vs. Nature and The God Projekt weave immersive audience participation into their storytelling, so throughout his residency Augustine worked with UI students and faculty to explore and devise ways to seamlessly integrate untrained audience members into the narrative. Students also learned how to breathe life into a variety of puppets—from the life-sized, laboratory-imprisoned chimpanzee, Jerom (a primary character in People Vs. Nature), to a tiny, squirming, handheld piglet—and they also got to try their hand at puppet sculpting.
Mark Bruckner, who is a lecturer and Resident Music Director for the Department of Theatre Arts, says the workshops were a big hit with students. “Our students have been bitten by the puppeteering bug, and they are eager for further opportunities to delve into this magical theatrical story-telling art form with Kevin,” he said.
Augustine agreed, saying, “I hope to come back to Iowa, to deepen this artistic process. Collaborating with young fellow actors really invigorated me creatively, especially since I'm primarily a solo artist. Their willingness to explore and take artistic risks in our rehearsal room helped push the work to levels I wouldn't have discovered entirely on my own. I'm indebted to everyone involved for being such enthusiastic partners in building story.”
