The Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts will present Mr. B’s Puppet Camp and Playful Evolving Monsters, two brand new puppet camps to be held in August as part of the Bay Street Theatre’s summer camp program.
Each week-long camp will take place Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is available for children ages 4-7. Registration is $450 for each five-day camp. For more information, please contact the box office by calling 631 725 9500 Tuesday-Sunday 11am-5pm or 24/7 on baystreet.org.
Mr. B’s Puppet Camp (August 1-August 5) with Bryan Mercer will join the heroes as they battle fierce sea monsters around Sag Harbor in search of gold and glory. Children will explore a variety of puppet techniques, including shadows, projections and homemade puppets, working as a set to create a pirate puppet musical. Playful Evolving Monsters (August 22-August 26) with TJ Hanretta will introduce children to the puppet basics of manipulating and playing with a sock puppet, a three-puppeteer puppet, and even a giant puppet. Campers will also build puppets to take home and co-create a puppet show to perform on the last day of camp to share with friends and family!Bryan Mercer has worked as a theater professional for over 30 years. Working primarily in the Southeastern United States, he has also worked professionally in New York and the New York area. Originally from Ocala, Florida, and currently based in Atlanta, Bryan has excelled as an actor on both stage and film, and has also enjoyed equal success as a musician, singer, songwriter, musical director, educator, designer, director, painter and puppeteer. , with a long professional experience in these disciplines, including theater direction for people with intellectual disabilities. This skill set has allowed Bryan to form longstanding relationships with many arts institutions, as he has with the Hippodrome State Theater, as well as many Atlanta organizations such as the Center for Puppetry. Arts, Theater Gael, Seven Stages, Theater Emory and the Alliance Theater Education Department, where he created some of the most innovative and memorable educational theater experienced in the city. Alongside his theatrical work, he developed as a visual artist, becoming a self-taught folk painter whose work can be found in a multitude of theatres, galleries and private homes. Bryan Mercer’s next goals include the publication of his poetic memoir, Quicksand, as well as the expansion of his unique, highly regarded and highly productive style of theater and music education for youth and adult performers.TJ Hanretta is a puppeteer and life coach. She builds, plays and teaches all types of puppets. She worked for a high school theater department where she taught and facilitated puppet making and performance, as well as other theatrical skills. She ran a puppet and prop business in Hong Kong before moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and opening her company, Playful Evolving Monsters, in 2020. Bay Street Theater is a fully vaccinated company. All attendance is available through a contactless ticket office. For the full list of COVID-19 related procedures and safety guidelines for in-person events, please visit us online at baystreet.org.Bay Street Theater is a nonprofit professional theater and community cultural center open year-round, which strives to innovate, educate and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. It serves as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource and home to a community of artists.
