"...EXCEPTIONAL!"
The Henson Foundation
"...the Show left me in awe of Hobey's talents and artistry."
Pat Minniaugh
-Director of Southeast Regional Puppeteers of America
"Adults as well as children were mesmerized!"
Charlotte J. Howell
-J. Y. Joyner School
Acclaimed puppeteer, Hobey Ford will open up the Ventura County Children's Series with his award-winning multi-media production of
Turtle Island Tales on Friday. Sept. 14 @ 7 p.m. at the Scherr Forum Theatre, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. This is the first of 8 productions featuring renowned touring performers from the fields of music, puppetry, dance and theatre. Tickets for Turtle Island are $16 for children and $22 for adults and can be purchased at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Box Office, online at
www.ptgo.org or by phone at 805-646-8907.
Turtle Island Tales is a performance of songs and stories of Native Americans, told through shadow puppetry and a life sized realistic Native American singer puppet who narrates the show. The production features three tales:
Raven Steals the Sun (Haida) which tells the antics of Raven the Trickster in stealing back the sun from a selfish chief;
The Gift of Fire, a cautionary tale of Man as he discovers the uses and dangers of fire; and
Antelope Carrier and the Thunderbirds (Arikara) which recounts how a boy helps the thunderbirds defeat a monster. The show's finale includes the Foamies, Ford's carved foam animal creatures.
Winner of puppetry's highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, and recipient of three Jim Henson Foundation grants, Hobey Ford is known for excellence in puppetry performance and craft.
His intricate shadow puppetry work and creation of the original rod puppets, the "Foamies", have earned him a place on stages across the world. Hobey's performances incorporate a variety of puppetry styles including Bunraku, rod, marionettes, "Foamies", and shadow puppetry.. He uses his own voice to create characters and sound effects, tell stories, and sing. Hobey is considered both an innovator in puppetry craft and a master storyteller.