Where Are They Now? - Bonnie Kim
Your Name/Company: Bonnie Kim
Fringe Show you were in: Hokulani & Tutu’s Garden (2011),
Long Long Ago, When Tiger Smoked: Animal Tales from Korea (2013)
Your role: Director, Puppeteer
Please tell us a bit about your background and/or company you performed with at the Fringe?
I am a Freelance Artist and Teaching Artist (one of the programs I provide services to is the Artists in the Schools Program. I offer drama, puppetry and mask residencies in schools for this program mostly on the Big Island.)
What inspires you on a personal as well as on an artistic level?
Looking at other great artists’ performances and creative works. Also working with other artists and creative groups when opportunities present themselves. I love gardening and growing my own food. That really keeps me grounded and inspires me to focus on my work.
Has the show you were in been taken to another Fringe or to another performing arts festival? Or what has happened to the show you were in?
I took part of my last year’s O’ahu Fringe show (Korean animal tale puppet show) to Germany and Korea this year to share with children in schools. It was so much fun to share with children in other parts of the world.
Where are you now with your performance career?
Trying to create and do more puppet shows!
What project (s) are you developing right now?
I just returned home from Korea and Taiwan after a month long puppetry adventure. Got super charged with many creative ideas and energy and now I’m ready to create a couple of new puppetry works soon. One will be a toy theater puppetry which I hope to premiere in summer 2015 and a new shadow puppetry work for children in the fall of 2015.
When and where can we see you perform?
I will be doing my Korean animal tale puppet show at Waipahu Library on November 12 at 5:30pm. And Korean dance & music presentation at Keaau Library on November 20 at 7pm on the Big Island.
What survival tips can you give to emerging as well as seasoned artists working in Hawai’i?
I’m always struggling with different aspects of freelancing. I try to save money when I can, grow my own food as much as I can, and take odd temp jobs here and there to cover bills. Being open and flexible for unexpected challenges and possibilities have brought me many unexpected adventures and creative work for me.
What resources can you recommend to look into for funding or to support each others work?
This is a tough one. I’m always looking for ways to support my work. Often I spend much more money on my projects than what I get out of it.
How can people contact you for professional work or to collaborate with you on creating an amazing show?
Email is the best way to reach me as I’m often on the road – bkimhawaii@gmail.com.
Finally, if you were given a magic bag what three items would you like to pull out to create your ideal show with? How would you use those items? And what name will you give your show?
Space, money, support crew—something I wish I always have but never do for my own creative work.