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RESUME & TOURING HISTORY

KAREN KONNERTH

Calliope Puppets
623 Vallette Street
New Orleans, LA 70114
cell: (504) 913-8486
karenkonnerth@gmail.com
www.calliopepuppets.net
info@calliopepuppets.net

OBJECTIVE

Opportunities as puppet theater performer as well as creative educator, involving arts integration across the curriculum in active learning formats.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

  • 25 years experience as self-employed puppeteer, involving researching, writing, building, and performing shows in schools, theaters, libraries, etc. for children and families regionally and abroad.
  • 15 years experience creating arts in education based school residencies, using strong writing skills in integration of national and state GLE based lesson plans across the curriculum.
  • 25 years experience creating and implementing program for families and children at national festival.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts, Art and Sociology & certification to teach primary level Art: Tufts U., 1972.
Masters of Arts in Art Education 2/3 completed Rhode Island School of Design, 1973-1974.
Writing Children's Literature: noncredit course, University of New Orleans, 1994.
Artists as Educators: Planning Effective Workshops for Teachers Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1995.
Extensive workshops all aspects of puppetry: Puppeteers of America National Festivals 1991- present.
Undoing Racism 21/2 day workshop, People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, 2000.
10th Annual National Puppetry Conference, Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Waterford, Conn., 2000.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Workshop Leader Retreat (intensive 4 day learning experience in integration of arts in education), Washington, D.C., 2004, 2005.
Artist Residency at Calliope Puppet Studio: Jane Clugston, of Belfry Masks, Portland, Oregon (one month residency in use of Neoprene, in cast puppet head construction) 2005.
Collaboration with Deborah Schultz, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, in writing of wetlands theme based "The Fisherman and His Wife" touring show, 2005.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE SAMPLES

U.S. Theater and Festival Performances:

Houston Sierra Club, Houston, TX 2007.
Louisiana Book Festival, Baton Rouge, LA 2007.
Satchmo Fest, National Parks Service, New Orleans, LA 2006, 2007.
Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI 2007.
Bay Day Festival, Galveston, TX 2007.
Louisiana Children's Museum, New Orleans, LA 2007.
French Quarter Fest, New Orleans, LA 2007.
22nd Annual Kennedy Center Open House Arts Festival, Washington, DC, 2006.
The Puppet Showplace, Brookline, MA 2006.
Touring troupe member for Paul Mesner Puppets, Kansas City, MO, 2006.
West Liberty Puppetry Center performances, West Liberty, IA, 2005.
McNider Art Museum performances, Mason City, IA, 2005.
In The Heart if the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, Minneapolis, MN 2005.
Arts Council of Central Louisiana residency: performances in hospital, school, and theater, 2005.
Acadiana Arts Council, performances in theater and at Arts Council, 2004, 2005.
Chalmette Arts Festival, Chalmette, LA, 2005, 2007.
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, 1979 - present.
New Orleans Museum of Art: various festivals, 1988 - present.
Children's Castle Theater, Kenner, LA 1995 - present.
Houston Puppetry Festival, Houston, TX 2003.
Louisiana Children's Museum, New Orleans, LA 1995 - present.
Brer Rabbit Festival, Laura Plantation, Vacherie, LA 1998 - 2003.
Creole Festival, French Settlement LA 2003, 2004.

International Performances:

Festivál Teatro Madero, Lima Peru, 2008 Festival Culiacán, Mexico (puppetry festival touring five states), 2006, 2007.
U.S. Embassy Cultural Envoy grant, school and teacher workshop tour, Guatemala, 2006.
Festival Internacionál de Títeres Educativos: Paso del Norte, Ciudad Juarez, MX, 2006. (for conference on use of puppetry in education).
Festival Internacional de los Artes, San José, Costa Rica, 2006.
School performance and teacher workshop tour sponsored by U.S. State Dept., through Cultural Envoy grant, also working in English Language Specialist Program, San José, Costa Rica, 2006.
World Performing and Visual Arts Festival, Lahore, Pakistan 2004 Centre Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano, San José, Costa Rica 1998, 2004.
School performance tour, Costa Rica, 1998, 2004, 2006.
Ill Bienal Festival de Titeres (puppetry festival), Puerto Rico, 1996, 2002.
Festival tour, Spain, 1998.

School and Library Performances and Residencies:

Roster artist, Young Audiences, Inc. approx. 200 performances workshops/year, 1987-present.
School tour for Young Audiences of Massachusetts, 2006.
15 parish performance tour funded by Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. 2006.
Annual Literary Conference school tour Mission, TX, sponsored by Mission CISD, 2005.
School tour Muscatine, IA, sponsored by Iowa State Museum, 2005.
School tour Rhome, TX, 2005.
Performance George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX 2005.
School tour, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 2005.
School tour Avoyelles Parish, 2004, 2005 (Health/Conflict Resolution program sponsored).
School tour Lafayette Parish, LA 2000, 2003, 2007.
School tour Jefferson Davis Parish, LA 2001, 2003, 2004.
Louisiana State Library System Summer Reading Program Performer: providing programming state wide throughout summer vacation towards promotion of reading skills 1988 - present.

Instructor for Children:

Mulberry El. Sch., Houma, LA, social studies GLE based residency, 2007.
Algiers Charter Schools (Behrman and Eisenhower), social studies GLE based residencies, throught Young Audiences, Inc. Arts Partners 2006 - 07.
Residency Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education, Fairhope, AL, 2006.
Avoyelles Parish Schools: performance residency, 2004 & 2005.
Residency Orleans Parish, Lusher Middle School (Pre-Civil War History study) 2004.
Residency Jefferson Davis Parish Schools (Expression of Emotions through Puppetry), 2003, 2004.
Residency St. Bernard parish gifted program (poetry study through puppetry), 2004.
St. Leo the Great School, New Orleans, LA, residency with students grades Pre-K through 5 incorporating Grade Level Expectations and teacher lesson plans into puppetry arts lessons 1999 - 2005.

Performances for Adults:

3rd National Conference for Restore America's Estuaries, 2006.
Louisiana Library Association conference, 2005.
With Son Sur Latin Band & Patrice Fisher, jazz harpist, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA 2003.
National Puppetry Conference, Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Waterford, Conn., 2000.

Instructor for Adults:

Instituto Guatemalteco Internacional, National Conference for Teachers of English, Guatemala City, Guatemala, 2006.
U.S. State Dept., Costa Rica: Culture Connect Envoy, and English Language Specialist Program: Finding the Story: Puppetry as Natural Motivator and Assessment Tool, 2006.
Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education, Fairhope, AL, Finding the Story: Puppetry as Natural Motivator and Assessment Tool, 2006.
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D, C.: Inspiring Active Learning Through Puppetry: Exploring Medieval History; teacher workshop for Artists As Educators Series, 2004 & 2005.
Louisiana Lagniappe Teacher's Conference, Lafayette, LA: Inspiring Active Learning Through Puppetry: Exploring Medieval History, teacher workshop, 2004 & 2005.
Keynote speaker, Louisiana Association for the Education of the Young Child, New Orleans, 2000.
Liceo Franco, Costa Rica: Student Motivation Through Puppetry: Strategies for Achievement, 2004.
National Puppeteers of America Festival, Tampa, FL, Student Motivation Through Puppetry: Strategies for Achievement, 2001, The Louisiana Children's Museum, 2002.

Consultant/Collaboration Work:

Collaborative performance with Brazilian puppeteer Cesar Liete, with Chico and Rogerio band, Lafitte El., Sen., Lafitte, LA : 2 performances, 2005.
Commissioned theater piece by New Orleans Museum of Art in development to accompany exhibit opening 11/02 "Raised to the Trade - Creole Building Arts in New Orleans," 2001-2002.
Use of puppetry in collaborative project between Xavier University and Thurgood Marshall Middle School: Creating a Culture of Peace: Creative Expression in a City of Violence, 1997.

Community Enrichment Work:

Hosted the following puppeteers in Louisiana:

Guiñoleros UAS, Culiacán, México, 2007.
Cesar Liete, Brazil, 2005.
Grey Seal Puppets, South Carolina, 1998, 2004.
Teatri Dodona, Kosovo, 2004.
Hiroshi Hori Troupe, Japan, 2003.
Akbar Imhotep, Atlanta, GA, 2001.
Producciones Mario Donate, Puerto Rico, 1996, 2001.
Magical Moonshine Theater, California, 2000.
Los Titiriteros de Binefar, Spain, 1999.
Moderno Teatro de Muñecos, Costa Rica, 1997, 2002.
Alejandro Jara Villasenor, Mexico, 1995.
Served as Children's Program Coordinator, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 1979 - present.

LANGUAGES:

English, Spanish, French

AWARDS AND MEMBERSHIPS

Louisiana State Roster Artist since 1994.
Recipient LA Division of the Arts Artist Fellowship in Theater, 1998.
Member Puppeteers of America.
Member, and former Board member, UNIMA-USA.
Member Southern Poverty Law Center

BIOS

KAREN KONNERTH, Artistic Director

Karen Konnerth works full time as CALLIOPE PUPPETS, based for over twenty years in New Orleans, Louisiana, touring regionally, nationally, and internationally, presenting over 200 shows annually in schools, libraries, theaters, and festivals. Karen writes or adapts stories often rooted in folk lore and mythology, designs and builds puppets in a variety of styles, and performs live shows for children and families, working either solo, or with accompanying musician. She believes that the ancient art form of puppetry holds as much power in today's world as it did thousands of years ago, and works to promote puppetry through performances, workshops, and community work. Karen also offers workshops and residencies for children and adults focused on active learning through puppetry. Recipient of a Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship, as well as several state grants, Karen Konnerth has been a Louisiana State Roster Artist since 1985 and has presented teacher workshops at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. as part of the Artists As Educators series, as well as abroad for the U. S. State Department. Karen has also served as children's Program Coordinator for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival since 1980.

VIC SHEPHERD, Musician

Full time, professional musician for 30 years, Vic Shepherd is an extremely versatile musician, specializing in traditional jazz and blues on guitar, banjo, and chromatic and diatonic harmonica. Vic works in every type of venue in New Orleans, including jazz clubs, restaurants, conventions, casinos, and private parties, playing a wide variety of music in solo, trio, and larger combos for listening and for dancing. Vic co-writes songs and music for CALLIOPE PUPPETS, and accompanies some shows on guitar, harmonica, and sound effects.

STUDY GUIDES: