About Deborah Costine- Artist, Puppeteer, author, naturalist.
Debbie grew up in Lancaster NH in a region known as “The Great North Woods.” There were no visiting school assembly programs and the only puppet Debbie had ever seen was “Bunny-Rabbit” on “Captain Kangaroo” (TV reception was very limited there in the 50s!) When she was ten she made a puppet! She had no idea how to go about it but made a papier mache clown that still sits in her studio today.
Since 1974, Debbie has been one half of the well-known “Gerwick Puppets” touring throughout New England at schools, libraries, museums and events such as First Night Boston. She writes the scripts with partner Lenny Gerwick, and makes all the puppets. She estimates that over the past thirty years she has made over two hundred puppets! The Gerwick Puppets have presented over 5,000 performances to over a million children! Productions include “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp,” “Pilgrim Adventure to America,” “Inside the Haunted House” "Adventures From Thornton W. Burgess" and "Midwinter Magic" to name a few. (see gerwickpuppets.com)
Beside her work with “Gerwick,” Debbie designs, constructs and performs her own solo shows called “Small Shows for Small Groups of Small Children.” Titles include “The Three Pigs and Other Tales,” “A Woodland Cinderella” and “The Twig Family in the Oak Tree.” These are especially popular in pre-schools, libraries and birthday parties.
For lower elementary grades is "Turtle's Wetland Quest" that reflects Debbie's growing interest in the environment and the value of being connected to the outdoors.
She has taught puppetry classes at Plymouth State University in NH and Northeastern University in Boston, and Worcester State College. She created a set of eight puppets for the National Park Service to teach about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railway. She has done professional voice work, such as playing numerous characters on the Verizon web-site: Superthinkers.com.
Debbie's environmental interests have continued to grow - taking her outside on trails more and more, downstream in her kayak and a growing interest in bird identification. Her own experience of growing up in a rural setting , playing outdoors, building "forts" in the woods with her brothers, wading in brooks, gave her an ongoing sense of the unlimited joys of the outdoors. Now, Debbie's mission is to try to do what she can to promote a love of nature in children. It is something that can give great pleasure to everyone. Nature is everywhere!
Since 1974, Debbie has been one half of the well-known “Gerwick Puppets” touring throughout New England at schools, libraries, museums and events such as First Night Boston. She writes the scripts with partner Lenny Gerwick, and makes all the puppets. She estimates that over the past thirty years she has made over two hundred puppets! The Gerwick Puppets have presented over 5,000 performances to over a million children! Productions include “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp,” “Pilgrim Adventure to America,” “Inside the Haunted House” "Adventures From Thornton W. Burgess" and "Midwinter Magic" to name a few. (see gerwickpuppets.com)
Beside her work with “Gerwick,” Debbie designs, constructs and performs her own solo shows called “Small Shows for Small Groups of Small Children.” Titles include “The Three Pigs and Other Tales,” “A Woodland Cinderella” and “The Twig Family in the Oak Tree.” These are especially popular in pre-schools, libraries and birthday parties.
For lower elementary grades is "Turtle's Wetland Quest" that reflects Debbie's growing interest in the environment and the value of being connected to the outdoors.
She has taught puppetry classes at Plymouth State University in NH and Northeastern University in Boston, and Worcester State College. She created a set of eight puppets for the National Park Service to teach about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railway. She has done professional voice work, such as playing numerous characters on the Verizon web-site: Superthinkers.com.
Debbie's environmental interests have continued to grow - taking her outside on trails more and more, downstream in her kayak and a growing interest in bird identification. Her own experience of growing up in a rural setting , playing outdoors, building "forts" in the woods with her brothers, wading in brooks, gave her an ongoing sense of the unlimited joys of the outdoors. Now, Debbie's mission is to try to do what she can to promote a love of nature in children. It is something that can give great pleasure to everyone. Nature is everywhere!
Some Professional Highlights:
2017: Museum of Fine Arts Boston; four performances of "Turtle's Wetland Quest"
2016: Presented workshop at Puppetry Conference: "The Importance and Value of Presenting to Young Children.
2016: Presented "Turtle's Wetland Quest" at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.
2016: Became a Grandmother
2014: Actively participated in saving the Historic "Burnett-Garfield House" Southborough
2013: Presented Ninety six performances.
2012 Winter: Performances at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
2012: The Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme CT
2011 April: Opened new show: “Turtle’s New Home” later became "Turtle's Wetland Quest"
2010 January: Week of performances at The Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta GA.
2009 Won the U.N.I.M.A. U.S.A. Citation for Excellence
2008 Selected to perform at the Puppeteers of America Festival at the University of Maryland
2007 Joined Board of Trustees of the Southborough Open Land Foundation. - ongoing
2005 October: Invited to be guest host of “Literary Limelight,” Boston Cable Network
2004-2006 President, Boston Area Guild of Puppetry
2003 October 19: Opened new show: “A Woodland Cinderella”
2003 Conceived, organized and produced “Art and the Breakneck Hill Cows,” a multi-part community project to raise money to support a local herd of belted Galloway cows.
2002-2004 Professional Voice work for the Verizon website: The Peetnik Mysteries
2002 Created and performed as “Mrs Muddle” in “Once Upon a time at Mrs Muddle’s Wabbit House” for Framingham MA cable television. Two episodes were aired.
2001 November: Opened new show: “The Twig Family in the Oak Tree”
1999 Artist-in-Residence, Summer Arts in Education Institute, Plymouth State University, Plymouth NH
1998 served on the selection panel for Mass Cultural Council touring roster
1991 and 1995 presented workshops on voice and sculpture at National Puppetry Festivals
1989: Registrar of National Festival, Puppeteers of America, M.I.T.
1990: (approx.) Opened first solo production- "The Three Pigs and Other Tales", classic stories with shadow puppets.
1984: Became a mom! Molly Elizabeth McAdow
1982 - 1985 and 1996 -1999: Editor of “The Control Stick” publication of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry
1974 Co-founded The Gerwick Puppets with Len Gerwick. We went on to produce twelve shows and build approximately 150 puppets and present over 5,000 performances!
Memberships:
Trustee, Southborough Open Land Foundation
Sudbury Valley Trustees, volunteer
Puppeteers of America
New England Wildflower Society
Massachusetts Audubon
2017: Museum of Fine Arts Boston; four performances of "Turtle's Wetland Quest"
2016: Presented workshop at Puppetry Conference: "The Importance and Value of Presenting to Young Children.
2016: Presented "Turtle's Wetland Quest" at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge.
2016: Became a Grandmother
2014: Actively participated in saving the Historic "Burnett-Garfield House" Southborough
2013: Presented Ninety six performances.
2012 Winter: Performances at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
2012: The Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme CT
2011 April: Opened new show: “Turtle’s New Home” later became "Turtle's Wetland Quest"
2010 January: Week of performances at The Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta GA.
2009 Won the U.N.I.M.A. U.S.A. Citation for Excellence
2008 Selected to perform at the Puppeteers of America Festival at the University of Maryland
2007 Joined Board of Trustees of the Southborough Open Land Foundation. - ongoing
2005 October: Invited to be guest host of “Literary Limelight,” Boston Cable Network
2004-2006 President, Boston Area Guild of Puppetry
2003 October 19: Opened new show: “A Woodland Cinderella”
2003 Conceived, organized and produced “Art and the Breakneck Hill Cows,” a multi-part community project to raise money to support a local herd of belted Galloway cows.
2002-2004 Professional Voice work for the Verizon website: The Peetnik Mysteries
2002 Created and performed as “Mrs Muddle” in “Once Upon a time at Mrs Muddle’s Wabbit House” for Framingham MA cable television. Two episodes were aired.
2001 November: Opened new show: “The Twig Family in the Oak Tree”
1999 Artist-in-Residence, Summer Arts in Education Institute, Plymouth State University, Plymouth NH
1998 served on the selection panel for Mass Cultural Council touring roster
1991 and 1995 presented workshops on voice and sculpture at National Puppetry Festivals
1989: Registrar of National Festival, Puppeteers of America, M.I.T.
1990: (approx.) Opened first solo production- "The Three Pigs and Other Tales", classic stories with shadow puppets.
1984: Became a mom! Molly Elizabeth McAdow
1982 - 1985 and 1996 -1999: Editor of “The Control Stick” publication of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry
1974 Co-founded The Gerwick Puppets with Len Gerwick. We went on to produce twelve shows and build approximately 150 puppets and present over 5,000 performances!
Memberships:
Trustee, Southborough Open Land Foundation
Sudbury Valley Trustees, volunteer
Puppeteers of America
New England Wildflower Society
Massachusetts Audubon
Cheers!
