Show Information
Our standard shows run one half hour and feature approximately nine puppet characters. There is also a forty-five minute show which includes a fifteen minute educational puppet workshop that follows the puppet show. This is great for school and library shows. During the workshop the children will explore(on their age appropriate level) the wondrous art of puppetry. They are taught that "puppets" are more than hand puppets. A collection of puppets: Hand, Rod, Shadow, Sock, Finger, and Marionettes, will be shared and touched. At the conclusion, the children will receive materials to take home to make their own paper bag hand puppets!
We also have a one hour show that includes a puppet making workshop. The children will make their own hand puppets! This is a great craft activity especially for children’s birthday parties recreation centers, and school shows. The puppet making workshop involves coloring, cutting, and pasting, and is geared for ages 3 and a half -10 years old. This fun activity will keep the kids busy and open the world of puppetry to them as they perform with their own puppets. (See Picture of Puppet Making-Click Here).
Franklin Haynes Marionettes offers twelve different shows throughout the year-- and growing! We have two-hundred professional handcrafted marionettes--a lifetime of work. That means each time we come out to you, you will see a fresh new and different show. Puppets stand about 18-20 inches tall and are animated with moving eyes, mouths and eyebrows. And we maintain our shows! All curtains are like new and props are freshly painted. All costumes are clean and professionally designed and constructed by a former Disney designer.
The magic in all our marionette puppet show productions that has lead to our great success, is that they are all variety shows! This is important to understand. As variety shows, our productions can be customized to fit your specific theme, venue, and age group of audience! Whether you are looking for entertainment for your child's birthday party, booking a show for your library's summer reading program, pre-school, looking for entertainment for your Senior Center, or coordinating an elementary school assembly, the performer will modify and adjust the presentation of the show to make it appropriate to your venue and age group. You can trust our twenty years of experience working with all audiences. No matter what age, everyone loves marionettes!
Shows have been performed all over southern California. Franklin Haynes Marionettes has performed on television on MTV, ABC, and UPN. Shows have been performed for Donna Mills, Marvin Davis, John Laraquette, Luke Perry, Vannah White, The Jonathan Club, The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Santa Monica College Children’s Performing Art Theater, Pacific Bell Co., American Airlines, The Vintage Club, La Quinta, General Electric, Orangewood Children’s Home, Pacific Care, The City of Beverly Hills, the Mayor of Brea, Capitol Records, numerous shopping mall Kid’s Clubs, hundreds of private shows for children's birthday parties, adult parties, and company parties throughout the year.
Show Set Up
Our shows are "one man" shows performed by one puppeteer. The puppet stage takes up a 10’ X 10’ area, but we are flexible with smaller areas. Other than stage shows, children are seated down on ground level in the round in front of the puppet stage. The performer will mask (with tape) the area for larger groups in a horseshoe shape (See Photo). The puppeteer performs in front of the audience!
This type of presentation is called "Open Face" or "Theater in the round." Also it is known as "California Style" and is very exciting for the kids. There is a lot of child-puppet interaction.
Our shows are self-contained. We provide our own microphone, music, lighting, staging and amplification (See Photo). Shows can even be done outside, i.e. backyards, parks, parking lots, etc., where electricity may not be available! We have our own power supply. Outside shows are wonderful, but keep in mind that we have no cancellation policy due to poor weather. Please have a back up plan for weather conditions. As in theater, “The show must go on!”
Pricing/Booking Shows/Terms/Travel
Prices range from $250.00 to $500.00 depending on your venue, season, show length, travel, and availability. Shows are
priced at a flat rate, meaning that we don't charge per child. There are discounts for same day multiple show
bookings, and if you book the season (Christmas, Spring, Summer,
Halloween, shows). There are no discounts on or during major holidays.
Usually shows should be booked a month or more in advance to guarantee
openings and show selections. Note: We accept all major credit cards.
For
a price quote please call 800-687-5193 or E-mail Us!
Book shows by telephone, or better, here on our website. Just click on "Bookings" at the bottom or top of this page. Internet booking is always suggested for convenience in making show selections, and answering frequently asked questions.
Terms
Once a show is booked, a Show Contract and a deposit of $125.00 is needed to secure your date and show time. In some cases a full payment is requested in advance. A Schools or libraries paying with purchase order or other outside resources are exempted, but a show contract is mandatory.
We have no cancellation, refund, or rescheduling policy. You can not cancel due to low turnout, poor weather, changes in ownership, or any other reason. Just make sure that you are certain of dates and times when booking. As in theater, "The Show Must Go On!" Please be aware that you are reserving a date and time slot making it unavailable for others.
In the very unlikely event that we have to cancel due emergencies or any other matter on our part, you will receive a full refund and a free show anytime you like!
We serve most all of southern California, however travel fees ($25.00-$50.00) apply to areas OUTSIDE metro Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. Please call if you have questions regarding your geographical area.
Puppeteer/Performers
Franklin
Franklin Haynes, the artistic creative power house behind the company, resides in Riverside California with his beautiful wife Cathy and new baby daughter Rachel Ramona. Born in New Port Beach California, Franklin Haynes has logged over twenty five years of experience entertaining with marionette puppetry. He is a seasoned performer, a gifted and talented puppet builder. A graduate of UC Riverside with a degree in theater and education, Franklin Haynes was a credentialed first grade bilingual elementary school teacher for Riverside USD for five years. He is a member of the Screen Actor's Guild. Credits include puppetry manipulation on television on ABC in Day Break with Taye Diggs. He helped in the making of the Scapegoat Wax rock video on MTV. He also was seen on UPN’s popular Blind Date program where he taught the blind date couple how to manipulate marionettes. He has performed numerous children’s programs on cable. His rapport and experience with children is magical and unmatched by other entertainers. Because he is fluent in the Spanish language, shows can be performed bilingually.
T.C.
Born in Italy and now residing in Diamond Bar with his wife and two children, Terry Conci (Cone-chi) has a great rapport with children and has extensive experience as a children's entertainer. He has owned and operated a clowns and characters business since 1992. He studied theater and communication at Pasadena City College where he has been involved with children's theater since 1987. T.C. has been involved as an actor in front of the camera and on the stage. Credits include starring in the Pulitzer Prize winning play SHADOW BOX on a television cable production of "Oh What a Night." His warm and genuine personality coupled with his years of experience as a puppeteer, make him a wonderful performer both children and adults will enjoy.
Vsev (Sev)
Of Ukrainian decent, a seasoned stage actor, Vsevolod or Vsev (pronounced "Sev") Krawczeniuk has performed in over 30 productions in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas areas. Vsev just completed a Masters Degree in Theater Arts at Cal State L.A. He graduated with a B.A. in Theatre from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. In addition to performing, Vsev enjoys teaching acting and drama to young people. Vsev is also the artistic director for the Theatre at Grace in Pasadena. With his warm and genuine personality, Vsev is a natural performer working with children as a puppeteer! The only thing Vsev enjoys more than performing is spending time with his wife, Lynn, and their two boys, Vsevie and Kuyper. Vsev resides in Burbank.
Costume Designer
Signe Buckley
Signe Buckley has been designing and sewing costumes for forty years. She has created wonderful costumes for Foot Lighters Theater in Redlands and has been active in the Children's Theater Experience in Encino as well as costuming. She currently teaches home economics at Poly High School in Riverside. Her great creative talents, eye for fabric, and use of color enhance our beautifully hand crafted marionettes.
Puppet Builder
Vladimir Timofte
Born in Romania, Vladimir Timofte is a classically trained European children’s puppeteer. He is well versed in all art forms of puppetry. He is a graduate of the University of Art Iasi, Romania and holds a degree of Bachelor of Dramatic Arts, with a specialization of puppetry including the fabrication, craft , and manipulation of puppets and marionettes. Vladimir has fine tuned his performing, puppetry skills, and puppet building abilities after completing a four year run as a performer at the International Institute of Marionette Art, Prague, Czech Republic. He has more than 2400 children’s performances under his belt touring through many countries all over Europe. Vladimir Timofte has experience with Wayang, Bunraku, traditional Czech marionettes and puppets, shadow theater, and black theater and is a guest puppet builder learning the techniques of American style marionette puppetry construction.
Sculptor
Nadia Souetre
Nadia Souetre was born in France and raised in Paris. One of her earliest memories as a child was going with her mother, on a
Saturday afternoon, to see the marionettes' outdoor performances at the Rond
Point des Champs-Elysees. The interaction between the children who
cheer loudly for the marionette heroes and boo at the villains, always brought
much excitement and laughter.
Nadia studied History of Art and Painting at the Ruskin
School of Art in Oxford, England, where she received a classical art
formation. She went on to study at the Kunsthochschule in Berlin,
Germany, a radically different art school, where modern art was taught with
passion. She later perfected her drawing at La Grande Chaumiere in Paris
and was involved in the parisian art scene.
Nadia holds a B.A. degree from the University of South
Africa, where she lived for six years.
Drawing, painting and creating have always been part of her
life, and she has shown and sold her work, be it paintings, painting on silk,
ceramics or sculptures, in Europe and the United States. Nadia now resides in
California.
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