| Hi! Here are some details about myself: |
| My name is: |
Bernita McGoldrick |
| I have a home page at: |
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| My occupation (when I'm not doing puppets!) is: |
Student graphic designer/writer/illustrator |
| My approximate age is: |
35 - 45 |
| I live in the state of: |
NY |
| ... in the country of: |
USA |
 |
| Here's some information about my church or puppetry organisation: |
| My organisation's name is: |
St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church/ St. Mark's Puppet Players |
| My organisation's website is at: |
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| Some of My Puppetry Background |
| Q: Why do you write puppet scripts? What motivates you? |
| I write scripts when I dont't find anything to suit my needs. I like the message to reflect the situation, scripture or group to whom I am going to speak. |
| Q: Tell us about your church or puppet organisation. |
| My parish is located on Long Island. We are very family oriented and have grown alot in the last two years. We try to focus on the truth of Jesus ministry and desire for our lives and we hope to "catch the fire" for all our families, and celebrate the closeness of our community. |
| Q: How did you get started in puppets and what attracted you to this area? |
| I started using puppets in the Vacation Bible School in Summer of 04. It was my first time as director and my experience to date was that it needed alot more fun, especially for the pre-kindergarten to 3rd grade set. They didn't understand the scriptures and puppets brought a clearer understanding of what we meant. |
| Q: Where does your inspiration come from to write puppet scripts? |
| Mostly from the scripture, or setting, but I get some from the personalities of the puppets themselves, for which we created. Jody is a little more serious, Ricky is the jokester, and Mark is somewhere in between. Stephanie is the mom type and Ted is the Dad or Priest(Pastor) type. |
| Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in puppetry? |
| Relax. Start with your own personality, and then just go with it. As far as scripts, I really recommend that everyone stay away from stereotypes and topics that may offend another area of the country. I have had to edit too many scripts which, in trying to be funny, can be translated as hurtful to another culture. |
| Q: Who are your favourite puppet characters and what do you like about them? |
| Jody is more straight girl, Ricky is my jokester, and very easy to write punch lines for. |
| Q: What are the most important qualities in great puppet scripts? |
| Funny lines, of course. But, words that will appeal to all ages. I think it is important to make sure they sound like a real conversation you might have with someone, and not so "preachy" that they sound like a commercial. |
| Q: What would you do if you were a puppet? |
| I would definitely speak a little more freely, and not worry about what the "norm" is. |
