LAST NIGHT OF THE OPPRESSED

Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre invites you to a fun and affordable fundraising party at Rudyard's! On Thursday the Third of July, Bobbindoctrin will be celebrating the last night of oppressed, commemorating that fateful night 232 years ago when our founding fathers went to bed thinking, "Enough already!" Join Bobbindoctrin company and board as we honor the Third of July with music, puppetry and the unveiling of our new T-shirts and koozies. Local bands Fussing and Fighting and The Treehouse Project will rock the Rudz upstairs with their original tunes. Joel Orr and Kevin Taylor will present new works of puppetry for the nightclub stage as special preview of Bobbindoctrin's new round of nightclub acts, premiering this summer! A Declaration of Puppet Liberation will be on display for all visitors to sign. A raffle will be held for prizes, Jell-O shots will be distributed, and of course the Rudz bar will be open for the purchase of drinks and their award winning pub grub. Kick off your three-day weekend being entertained and tying one on--all while supporting Bobbindoctrin!

WHAT: Last Night of the Oppressed
featuring Fussing & Fighting and The Treehouse Project
and new puppetry by Joel Orr and Kevin Taylor
WHERE: Rudyard's Pub Upstairs, 2010 Waugh Dr.
WHEN: Thursday, July 3rd, 2008, 8pm 'til 1am
HOW MUCH: $10 gets you in, higher donations welcome

Call Joel at 713-259-1304 for more information.

Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company and
Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre Present:

Rot by John Harvey

Houston, Tx- Rot won ‘Best Original Show’ in The Houston Press in 2007 when the two companies collaborated on its premier in 2007. Now, for all of you unfortunate souls who missed it the first time, we are doing a remount of the production for our “Rotten to the Core” tour, beginning at Diverseworks January 17, 18 and 19, 2008, and traveling to other Texas Cities in February and March, such as Rude Mechanicals in Austin, and The Strand Theatre in Galveston.

What is Rot? A by Mildred’s Umbrella resident playwright John Harvey. What is Rot? A collaboration between two of Houston’s premier theater companies. What is Rot? A husband dying of the plague. What is Rot? A daughter who, after setting the world on fire and destroying the sun, comes home to find out what happened to her dog. What is Rot? Two gentlemen sitting in the front parlor in their underwear. What is Rot? Puppets in the furniture remembering what the family would like to forget. What is Rot? A happy death.

Featuring Jennifer Decker, Eric Doss and Patricia Duran, Joel Orr, Troy Schulze and Karen Schlag, Rot will entertain, unsettle and infect the dreams of Houston theatre-goers.

The production will also feature an original score by University of Houston Honors College student Meghan Hendley.

The show will premier at DiverseWorks, January 17, 18 and 19, 2008 at 8pm.

Who: Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company and Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre.
What: Rot, by John Harvey
When: January 17, 18, 19, 2008 at 8pm.
Where: DiverseWorks
Price: $13.00

For further information or reservations to this show, call 832-418-0973 or email mildredsumbrella@hotmail.com. More information is on the web: www.mildredsumbrella.com and www.bobbindoctrin.org .

Tickets may be purchased via paypal at www.mildredsumbrella.com or paid by cash or check at the door. Reservations recommended as seating is limited.

“Rotten to the Core” Tour dates

January 17, 18, 19, 2008 Diverseworks, 1117 East Freeway, Houston TX

February 1, 2, 2008--- The Off Center (Rude Mechs), 2211-A Hidalgo, Austin TX

February 15, 16, 2008--- Super Happy Funland, 3801 Polk, Houston TX

February 29, March 1, 2008--- University of Houston, Jose Quintero Theatre, Houston TX

March 14, 15, 2008------ Strand Theatre, 2317 Mechanic Street, Galveston TX

BOBBINDOCTRIN 2007 SEASON

Bobbindoctrin continues is proud to continue its tradition of cutting through the holiday treacle with a new selection of daring puppet shorts! In Bobbindoctrin’s Fourth Annual Puppet Festival, local and national artists convene to show their latest short works or for the puppet stage and screen! This year’s selection features new works by Miss Pussycat from the 9th Ward in New Orleans, Brad McIntire from Dallas, and an assortment of local artists including Jenny Campbell, Kevin Taylor, Joel Orr, Francesca Marquis and others!

Bobbindoctrin’s Fourth Annual Puppet Festival featuring new puppet works by local and national artists at Ovations Night Club, 2536 Times Blvd, Houston TX

Live performances:
Thursday December 13 at 8pm,
Sunday December 16 at 6pm.
and Monday December 17 at 8pm.

Special Houston premiere of TRIXIE AND THE TREETRUNKS
Friday December 14 at 8pm.

Tickets: $12
For reservations call Bobbindoctrin at 713-526-7434.

FEATURED PRESENTATIONS
***FILM - FRIDAY DECEMBER 14 at 8PM***

Miss Pussycat and Quintron present the Houston premiere of their new film series TRIXIE AND THE TREETRUNKS, a puppet mini-series originally created for Vice Magazines new online TVstation, www.vbs.tv. After being given a secret message by a talking "Happy Tree" two woodland animals start a band . Adventure unfolds as Trixie and Marsha look for a drummer, adopt stray cats that glow in the dark, travel to the center of the Earth, meet witches, and write songs for their first show at Harvest Fest!

This evening of the puppet Festival is suitable for all ages!

***LIVE SHOWS THURSDAY DECEMBER 13 and MONDAY DECEMBER 17 at 8PM, SUNDAY DECEMBR 16 at 6PM***

Bobbindoctrin company member Jenny Campbell introduces the first part of her ongoing series TABLE FOR THE FUTURE DEAD, a play about authoritarianism, contortionists and death.

Chelsea Luna presents her shadow puppet play SEALU'S SIDESHOW, which concerns itself with drag, gender/queer quantum physics and fire-dancing.

Local playwright Lyndsay Kayser and David Barr present BOX GUTS, a wordless puppet play in which puppets made of music box mechanisms depict the struggle between the animal and the mechanical.

Dallas theater maverick Brad McIntire brings a portion of his work in progress to Houston. ROSALITA’S DEAD MAN is an eclectic tale of a skeleton cuckolded and seeking revenge in a wordless piece that combines eccentric physicality, mask work and unique tabletop puppetry.

Bobbindoctrin veteran Francesca Marquis presents ETHEL AND RASPUTIN, a marionette play that warns that when love has no boundaries—time, place nor language—you have the makings of a disastrous situation, especially when it's a love triangle between Ethel Merman, Rasputin and a Komodo dragon.

Bobbindoctrin founder Joel Orr presents a new shadow work about the arguments for extinction in BUT THEY ARE WEAK.

Veronique Schlumberger of Et Voila Theatre uses various objects and hand puppets in FLOWERS FROM THE FIELD (Thurs only), about childhood, adulthood, old age, peace and violence.

The "Rotten to the Core" Gala

October 6, 2007 from 7:00pm- 12:00am

At

DiverseWorks Art Space

1117 East Freeway, I-10 at North Main, Houston, TX 77002

Houston, Tx- Come out and party with Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company and Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre! All proceeds from the party will go to the "Rotten to the Core" fund, which will enable the two companies to tour their recent collaboration, Rot, an original play by local playwright John Harvey.

Admission is $25 per person, and includes a buffet dinner, courtesy of Prego restaurant, wine and beer, a piano sing-a-long with Keith Reynolds, free-improv music by Houston's own The Defenestration Unit, and a live performance by the Doomsday Wrestlers! The benefit will also feature a silent auction with art from local artists, tickets to some fantastic local events, and many other exciting items!

Infrared
By Mac Wellman
CANCELLED

Bobbindoctrin’s Fourth Annual Puppet Festival
A Festival Celebrating the Art of Puppetry
December 2007
Various locations in Houston

In December of 2007 Bobbindoctrin presents its fourth annual puppet festival, featuring local artists new to the craft as well as the highly experienced artists of Bobbindoctrin. Over the course of two weeks, Bobbindoctrin company members produce and oversee 4 events showcasing live puppetry and puppet film. This festival is designed to further Bobbindoctrin’s mission of bringing the most daring contemporary puppetry to Houston audiences while continually introducing new audiences and artists to the medium.

365 Days/365 Plays/7 Answers
by Susan-Lori Parks
A worldwide premiere event
Friday the 16th and Sat the 17th of June date changed
At Super Happy Fun Land, 2610 Ashland, Houston TX

What happens when a world-renowned playwright writes a play a day for a whole year? Apparently, she’s gonna have some bad weeks. Bobbindoctrin is participating in the Suzan-Lori Parks project 365 Days/365 Plays, and we’re not too terribly excited by the half-page fragments we were assigned. Rather than politely bow out of the project, we have decided to write companion “answer plays” to go along with the assigned plays. The plays to be produced are entitled “El Fenix,” “Are We in Business or What?” “The War to End All Wars is Almost Over,” “Wave,” “Red Blanket,” “The Presidential Race Circa 1972” and “The Script.” The Bobbindoctrin Answer Plays are satirical treatments that will speak to the content of the plays themselves as well as the circumstances surrounding their composition. A puppet version of Suzan-Lori Parks will be featured throughout the production.
Although several local and state theater companies are participating in this project, this week’s installment will be the only all-puppet endeavor in this region, and the only one that we know of that will satirize the project itself. These plays are produced by Bobbindoctrin company members who share building, directing and performing duties

The Gift of Night
by Jenny Campbell
July 6th, 7th, 13th & 14th
at Frenetic Theater
5102 Navigation, Houston TX

In July of 2007, Bobbindoctrin presents The Gift of Night. Written and directed by Bobbindoctrin company member Jenny Campbell, this new work will utilize actors, puppets, sound and light to explore the perilous territory between vision and blindness, expectation and regret. In a work inspired by writings of Jorge Luis Borges and Bruno Schulz, a storm of complete darkness falls upon the optometrist, forcing him to see his life and his past through the prism of night. This production will be produced by Joel Orr with designs by Jenny Campbell and sets by Dennis Clay.