Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2016 25 Coach Brian Jones says that this year there are 25 youth in the pup- peteer troupe, plus over 500 costumes and props, a specially built wooden stage, and of course, black lights. The performers, aged 13 – 18, are mainly from Greenbank, but there are also a few participants from Seagrave and Port Perry, plus one from Uxbridge this year. Brian described the hour-long performances as, “A combination of music on the Christmas theme, with a mixture of holiday music and reli- gious carols.” While some of the performers have a background in acting or dance and are very outgoing individuals, Brian notes that others are shy. They are able to come out of their shells, because their puppets are the ones in the limelight. “The shy kids really shine doing black light theatre because nobody knows it’s them,” Brian said. “They really come to life!” An educator who enjoys working with youth, Brian says he “always wants to help kids grow.” A former DDSB principal, he is currently work- ing for the Ministry of Education. Brian explained that youth ben- efit from being part of the black light puppeteers by learning cooperation, mentoring and performance skills. They also have a lot of fun. The ex- perienced puppeteers mentor the new ones. There are two other adult coaches: Nancy Rensink and Daphne Kalliomaki, plus new assistant Cindy Primo. There’s no business like puppet show business! ...................... Please turn to page 26 The stage is set: The room is darkened. The audience is feeling the excitement of anticipation. Then the colourful, neon puppets take centre stage, glow in the dark and come to life, for the popular annual musical production put on by the Greenbank Black Light Puppeteers.