Hello my friends and welcome to season 2 Chapter 11 "Middleof Trouble! & Chapter 12 "Everything's A Pippin!"  of Dr Mecurio’s Mythical Marvels and Traveling Menagerie!

It’s taken forever to get this episode up because… well… You know why… We’re based out of California so still on locked down so we all recorded are parts separately and I stitched them all together to create what I think is one of our best shows to date!

One of the reasons I like this particular show is because we’ve added some new voices! Michelle Avenell (who also co-wrote Chapter 12) & Collette Harrison are dragoneers in our live performances so it seemed only fitting to add them to the podcast. Speaking of the live show, if you haven’t heard we have a channel on you tube now where you can not only listen to the podcasts, but see the many creatures in Mecurio’s world on our new mini series The encyclopedia Mecurium. There’s two episodes up there and working on more to put up in the coming weeks!  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1cl82CK45L5vJMnWaq8gKw

Finally, for those of you who didn’t know, before the new normal, the show itself was also an inspirational school assembly. We’d bring larger than life dragons, unicorns, and other amazing creatures to elementary & middle schools with an hour long show and a lecture afterward about how every incredible feature of our puppets would not be possible without math, science, engineering and even language arts as we had to write the story they just watched. The goal being to show a practical use for the skills they’re being taught!

With that said I’m pleased to announce that we are in the process of creating a virtual version of that show which will be followed by a 30 minute live Q & A and virtual behind the scenes tour of The Puppetry Institutes Studio where you can see things like “what makes a 13 foot Yeti puppet work”.

The show will be available to stream to your school, remote learner, home school group, or learning pods this September. Click the links in the show notes for more information and details on how to bring this show, plus The Puppetry Institutes other live streaming workshops to your students.

With that said let us settle in, adjust our headphones, and turn it over to our good friend the DR.

Commercial Links:

https://www.thepuppetryinstitute.org/online-classes

I’d like to talk for just a minute to those parents with kids learning from home, about The Puppetry Institutes online, and live streaming workshops. For the past 4 years the Institute has taught puppetry, costuming, and effects art to children and adults on the central coast, both at our big studio in Capitola and in schools and low income housing communities.

Times being as they are, we have converted 75% of our classes into online and Live stream workshops. Our classes are not just your basic art class, but address VAPA standards such as Design, construction, puppetry, theater and concept artistry as well as  a True STEAM experience as all our classes involve two or more standards from Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and the Arts to be taught AND assessed in and through each other.

Each class and workshop comes with a kit containing everything you’ll need to turn your imagination into reality, easy to follow instructional videos, and up to 10 hours of live instruction from one of the Institutes talented instructors! Workshops are affordable and group prices are available with  a portion of all fees going to support the Puppetry Institutes scholarship program which provides free kits and workshops to low income-special needs-and kids of essential workers. What could be better? You learn something and pass a little art along to someone who needs it. Check the show notes to find out more and help make the world a cooler place… One Puppet at a time… 

Credits:

The Podcast is a Production of Geppettodreams.art in association with the TPI

“Middleof Trouble” Written by Ricki Vincent

“Every Thing’s A Pippin” Written by Ricki Vincent and Michelle Avenell

Starring the voice talents of Annamarie McLeod as Penelope

Ricki Vincent as Dr Mecurio, the Guard, and Mayor Squigglebottom.

Ray Esquerra as Percy

Star Hagen Esquerra as Sadie

Collette Harrison as Pippin

Michelle (sharkledog) Avenell as Judge Judith.

Episode Art: Sharkledog!

Dr Mecurios Mythical Marvels and traveling Menagerie is protected under a creative commons license which means don’t change it, sell it, steal it, but by all means share it with everyone you know!