Drew Allison

INDIVIDUAL - SCAD ID - #122



Designations

  • SCAC Verified Teaching Artist


Contact

drew@greysealpuppets.com
704-589-1304
www.greysealpuppets.com
Facebook
Charleston County, SC


Discipline

  • Theatre


Geographical Availability

  • Upstate
  • Midlands
  • PeeDee/ Grand Strand
  • Low Country
  • Western Piedmont
  • Olde English

About

Artist Bio

Drew Allison is the founder of Grey Seal Puppets. He is involved in all phases of production. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from UNC-Wilmington where he studied theatre and was mentored by the late, great Doug Swink. Since then, Drew has performed regularly on television and stage including such venues as The Center for Puppetry Arts, The Smithsonian Institution, The Detroit Institute of Art, The Tampa Theatre and The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Sometimes he sits alone in the houses of these grand theatres, before the audience arrives, and listens to the quiet sounds that the theatre makes all on its own and he’s happy he’s a puppeteer.

  • Drew was awarded The President’s Award by The Puppeteers of America for outstanding achievement in the art of puppetry.
  • Drew has received three prestigious UNIMA Citations of Excellence for Grey Seal Puppets’ productions of A Show of Virtues, Bathtub Pirates, and Animal Farm.
  • Drew is the recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant for his production of The Nightingale.
  • Drew has been selected to perform at two National Puppet Slams including the 2022 National Puppet Slam in Atlanta. Drew also performed “The Emperor’s New Clothes” accompanied by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in February, 2023.
  • Drew co-authored The Foam Book: An Easy Guide to Building Polyfoam Puppets and is featured in The Foam Book DVD.
  • Drew is a Verified Teaching Artist with the South Carolina Arts Commission and with Engaging Creative Minds in Charleston, SC.
  • Drew has served on the Board of both The Puppeteers of America and UNIMA-USA.

Artist Statement

I have always used the power of puppetry to tell stories. As a storyteller, I realize and relish that fact that a puppet isn’t just playing a role, it becomes the role, it was created solely for its purpose. A frog puppet is not an actor playing a frog, it is a frog indeed! Therefore abstract ideas can be personified and clarified as puppet characters and distill a story more clearly. I use puppetry to comment on politics, satire, current events and societal issues. These topics can all be represented, exaggerated and shared through puppetry.

An example of this is our latest stage production, an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Nightingale.” A timeless story that was written in 1843 and yet it remains so applicable today. By using puppetry to tell this story, we were able to weave in relevant themes of device dependency, materialism and mindfulness.

When working with elementary school students, these same artistic ideas can be applied. I work in classrooms where we take familiar folk tales such as “Three Billy Goats Gruff” and put a modern-day spin on the story. Students have written adaptations where the goats and troll are hanging out at Starbucks sipping lattes! These adventures in satire and society are where, I believe, puppetry is put to its strongest use.

The power of puppetry straddles many genres. When considering a new piece, I always ask, what type of puppetry would tell this story best? What kind of staging? Is the story to be told on stage? Or on camera? On a shadow screen? With a rod puppet, a shadow puppet, a hand puppet? This palette of possibilities keeps puppetry new and fresh to me as I continue to create and perform. I feel this creative energy passes from me to my students as I teach them what puppets are capable of. Awesome!

Teaching Artistry Details

Description of Offerings

We offer a “Theatre with Puppets” Residency that empowers students to write a story, create puppets and perform the story for their peers. This approach can enrich many different academic content standards and indicators.

Experienced with the following age groups
  • Early Learners (0-2 years)
  • Preschool (3-5 years)
  • Kindergarten -2nd Grade
  • 3rd-5th Grade
  • 6th-8th Grade
  • 9th-12th Grade
  • Higher Education
  • Adults
  • Creative Aging (Adults 60+)
Materials Provided to Schools or Organizations by Teaching Artist

We provide all necessary materials to design and create the necessary puppets as well as providing puppet theatres for the performances.

Physical and Technical Requirements of a School or Organization

A dedicated room for the residency is preferable. Chalkboard or smartboard is helpful. Outlets around the space to plug in shadow puppet theatre lights.