GOING BATTY
Perhaps you’ve seen them flapping their way onto our Hallowe’en stage, or flying onto our phone screen. Either way, we’d love to formally introduce you to our BAT FAMILY!
This brood of Bats are some of the newest puppets, created for Choo Choo Revue. In the mountainous region of our upcoming train ride, this lovely little family flies out to say hello!
Right now, they are making a sneak preview performance in our current season of Hallowe’en Spooktacular, showing off their bright, shiny faces in the blacklight!
Creating the Bat family was an exciting development in the show, and one that ties our 63-year-history to new innovation.
Original concept sketch by Zane Yarbough
Concept design by Andrea Gilletti
In the initial stages of Choo Choo Revue creation, a group of talented artists and illustrators met for “charrettes,”a collaborative sketch process to create the first inklings of Choo Choo puppets.
Artist Zane Yarbough created a first sketch idea of our bats, and from there, the project grew and grew.
“These puppets bring together generations of marionettes and puppet-making techniques to create something new!”
Photo by Terrell Tangonan
From there, Andrea Gilletti led the Bat project. With Andrea’s updated concept designs and technical drawings, the team used Bob Baker’s archival head sculpts, originally for monkey puppets, as the heads for these new puppets. Updating these designs into five new bats bridges the artistic legacy of our 63-year-old theater with today’s technology, from 3D printing to mechanical innovation. They are flapping into the future!
Working the Wolfgang Criswell on fabrication and Karina De Le Cruz on movement R&D and stringing, the puppets were engineered to do three things:
Open Wings
Close Wings
And tilt for more realistic flying movement!
And as a little added bonus, they can also waddle!
For their color and look, the puppets were painted to look as good in both the bright spotlight and glowing blacklight. Watch them glow!
We’re so excited to show a sneak preview of these batty creation in our Hallowe’en Spooktacular. With such a talented team, we can’t wait to show you even more! These bats are an embodiment of our rich artistic legacy, and the innovative techniques and artistic collaboration that is bringing that legacy into the future!
Jump on board for Trains of Thought as we send monthly dispatches from BBMT workshop and stage as we create, rehearse, and bring Choo Choo Revue to life.