Calling all Shakespeare, theatre, and / or film enthusiasts of all stripes:
Have a digital video camera?
Want to make a short film featuring fingerpuppets of Shakespeare’s most beloved characters?
Quirk Books invites you to re-create the most memorable scenes in all of theatre…or create your own, brand-new scenes using our Masterpuppet Theatre kit!
Three winners will be selected for fantastic prizes, including a Flip Cam. We’ll post our favorite videos to our Facebook page. We’re looking for the most creative and entertaining interpretations. Bonus points for obscure Shakespeare references!
Sound like something you’d be into? Email masterpuppettheatre@gmail.com by July 30, 2010. Let us know that you’re interested in participating in our contest, and we’ll send you a Masterpuppet Theatre kit and send you the details. Then upload your 30-second to 4-minute video to YouTube, and send us the link by August 26, 2010.
The Masterpuppet Theatre kit includes:
- Sixty fingerpuppet cards featuring Shakespeare’s most famous characters, including Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, Shylock, and Falstaff
- Twelve stand-up sets of castles, forests, balconies, and battlefields
- A 96-page “folio” of classic scenes-from Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy to Romeo and Juliet’s classic balcony serenade
Once you’ve finished staging the Bard’s entire canon, you can mix and match masterpuppets to produce your own Shakespearean mash-ups. Perhaps your Romeo will fall in love with Lady Macbeth!
Remember: Whatever fate you decide for your characters, to thine own fingerpuppets be true.
Masterpuppet Theatre Contest Rules
Please upload your Masterpuppet Theatre video entries to YouTube and e-mail the link to masterpuppettheatre@gmail.com by August 26, 2010.
When sending the link to your video, please make this your e-mail subject line:
MASTERPUPPET THEATRE VIDEO ENTRY
In the body of your e-mail, please include your name and address, a short bio about the filmmakers and actors, and a brief description of your video.
Videos will be judged on creativity in premise, script, and performance — not necessarily on your filmmaking skills.
Prizes:
First place winner will receive a Flip Cam with a retail value of $199.
Second place winner will receive a Visa Gift Card valued at $75.
Third place winner will receive a Visa Gift Card valued at $50.
Contest Rules:
To be considered, videos must be:
- Uploaded to YouTube with link submitted to Quirk Books by Thursday, August 26, 2010, at 5PM EST.
- No shorter than 30 seconds and no longer than 4 minutes.
- In English, or with English subtitles.
- Relevant to the subject matter, using the Masterpuppet Theatre book-plus kit as its main focus. Creativity is encouraged; just make sure you use the puppets!
- Safe for work! No nudity, excessive profanity, or anything else you wouldn’t be comfortable showing your boss. Puppet-on-puppet violence is permitted, if not encouraged.
- Contest limited to US residents.
Videos that do not comply with all the rules above will not be considered for the contest.
