A Junior Bloodstain, 2013

20 Feb

A Junior Bloodstain was held at The Roosevelt Hotel, New York City, on Saturday January 12, 2013 from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.

It featured the premiere performance of The Riddle of the Starving Swine by Gayle Lange Puhl (adapted for dramatic reading by William Hyder) with hand puppets by Ken Vogel. Gayle is from Evansville, Wisconsin and William is from Catonsville, Maryland. Many enthusiastic Wodehousians and Sherlockians read the parts and manipulated the puppets in the jovial spirit of the playlet. The Dramatis Personae in order of speaking were:

DR. WATSON: Bill Hyder, Stu Nelans and Philip Cunningham

SHERLOCK HOLMES: Ken Shuttleworth, Allan Devitt and Burt Wolder

LORD EMSWORTH (Clarence, Ninth Earl of Emsworth): George Vanderburgh

BEACH (Butler at Blandings Castle): Ed Van der Flaes

LADY CONSTANCE (Sister of Lord Emsworth): Norma Hyder

ANGELA (Niece of Lord Emsworth and Lady Constance): Margret Fleesak

LORD HEACHAM: Dick Sveum

JAMES BARTHOLOMEW BELFORD: Christopher Music

THE EMPRESS OF BLANDINGS: Albert J. Danforth

The story (one of thirteen) was included in Gayle’s first book Sherlock Holmes and the Folk Tale Mysteries which was also illustrated by her and launched on the BSI Weekend. The script is available on request to George Vanderburgh (gav@cablerocket.com) at no charge as a nine page pdf for those interested in reading it.

Also introduced at the Junior Bloodstain was the new Clients pin designed by Laurie Fraser Manifold.

Five Authors and Hand Puppets

18 Oct

I recently visited Ken Vogel in Madison, Wisconsin to retrieve a set of five authors represented as hand puppets that Ken created from pictures that I gave him. I enclose a photo here, and now I will simply have to practise operating them. It involves the use of the five fingers on the dominant hand. I also have a set of five marionettes, but these definitely require coordination of both hands in manipulating a number of strings attached to an overhead cross stick. A couple of these fellows will serve double duty as characters in the January 2013 dramatic reading of “The Riddle of the Starving Swine” by Gayle Lange Puhl. The final location and time to be announced.