Captain Hook Learns About Bullying
The ‘Uppets’ stopped by the Oskaloosa Farmers Market on Saturday to perform a production sharing a message about stopping bullying.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Captain Hook visited the Oskaloosa Farmers Market on Saturday morning, but he found out that bullying isn’t okay.
Brant Bollman has lead a class of young people in crafting their puppets during this past week at the Oskaloosa Art Center.
Their work culminated at the puppet show on Saturday morning, where the participants performed a skit wearing their puppet costumes.
Evil Captain Hook was taught a lesson from the fairies that being a bully isn’t nice or acceptable.
Bollman led the Uplifting Puppet Co. weeklong workshop, helping to inspire young minds to create their wearable puppets.
The crowd at the farmers market enjoyed the production, sharing many compliments with the youth.
Bollman explained that he got the inspiration for the ‘Uppets’ from the Bread and Puppet Theater from New England that was a politically active puppet theater that got its start in the 1960s. “I’ve done a lot of studying of them during my master’s degree work; I studied big puppetry and how to use it with children at a summer camp kind of setting. This is the second year in a row we’ve put that plan into practice at the art center.”
For the summer camp students, the initial moments learning about the puppets can be a bit shocking because the inside is a tomato cage. “They have to brainstorm how they are going to make something. Are they going to have arms that are separate, or are they going to use their own arms? There’s a lot of creativity.”
“I think in the beginning this year, they [students] were nervous about doing the march, but by the end, they were so psyched, especially when they got all the hair on. They were so excited,” Bollman explained.
If the students had any nerves about performing in their Uppets on Saturday, it wasn’t apparent.
At first glance, it may seem strange to have such a performance at the local farmers market, but Bollman says he’s been a big advocate of the farmers market. “I love that atmosphere.”
When in college during the 1990s, Bollman says the farmers market was a fun experience and would like to help bring that fun atmosphere into the market locally.
Bollman was Captain Hook this year, taking on the subject of bullying. Last year the Uppets focused on cleaning up the environment.
Bollman was seen earlier this year in the New Sharon Spring Festival Parade as a giant hula girl. He also made a large nutcracker for this past year’s Lighted Christmas Parade but wasn’t able to participate due to the icy and windy conditions. The wind made things interesting at times during the spring festival parade as well.
“I’m sure I’ll be out at this year’s Lighted Christmas parade. I’m making something that will be all-weather.”
If you would like to see Bollman’s and the students work, the Oskaloosa Art Center will be hosting a closing reception on the last Thursday in August.
