Ruffus Steampunk Adventure

My apologies for not posting anything for a while but I have been very busy preparing for our latest project: Ruffus The Dog’s Steampunk Adventure.


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The original Ruffus The Dog series aired on broadcast television and after we got the rights back we put all those shows online, free to watch and download. With the help of a lot of very generous IndieGoGo supporters we were able to create our own holiday special Ruffus The Dog’s Christmas Carol which is still enjoyed online every year. You can watch it anytime – you don’t have to wait for Christmas to come around.

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Now we’re doing an epic Steampunk adventure, featuring our usual cast of goofy puppet characters and a bunch of guest artists like Alyson Court, Fred Stinson, Ash Catherwood and many more. We’ve put together a trailer to once again seek IndieGoGo support for the whole production. This time it is a much bigger and more labour intensive endeavour. As you can see from some of the screen shots here, the Ruffus Steampunk Adventure is a lavish period piece set in alternative history Victorian London. This time Ruffus, a meek and mild bookseller, finds himself caught up in a ripping yarn of intrigue and deceit as an evil Robber Baron seeks to seize control of the new emerging technologies and threatens to rule through brutal force and nefarious mind control. There are plenty of strong willed women in battle-ready corsets, astounding airships soaring through the skies and a never ending supply of dogs, sheep, pigs, weasels, monkeys and (naturally) a lobster who band together with a dedicated group of techno-rebels determined to stop the Robber Baron at all costs and keep the world free.

I really enjoy making these sorts of stories and this project is no exception. The wardrobe design by Jane Edmondson is staggeringly beautiful and once again she has upped the ante and forced me to make the rest of the project rise to meet the quality of workmanship she so ably provides. Jane is also our Line Producer this time around, keeping us organized, on schedule and on budget. Thank you, Jane!

You can watch the teaser for the Ruffus Steampunk Adventure right here:

– but be sure to visit our IndieGoGo capmain pages to find out more!

Alyson Court is also on board, portraying the mysterious Mistress Branican. We stole the character name, Mistress Branican, from Jules Verne and will be weaving elements of her original backstory quest to find her long lost husband into our own grand adventure. She comes to the bookshop seeking a strange and hefty volume tucked away on the back shelves – but this is no ordinary book – it’s laden with gears and gizmos and proves itself to be the key to making the Robber Baron’s dreams of domination come true. The wondrous mechanical book is authored by none other than Professor Clarence MacGuffin and this weighty tome proves to be the bane of Ruffus’ existence. Alyson Court and I have had the pleasure and privilege of working together before on several projects (including The Big Comfy Couch – she was the original Loonette The Clown!) and it is always a delight to conspire with her on all things creative.

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Fred Stinson appears in multiple roles in our Steampunk Adventure. He is the noble Airship Commander and the totally evil Henchman, the right hand of wrong, who does the bidding of the Robber Baron and his techno enabler, Doctor INSERT NAME HERE. I’ve known Fred for many years and we always enjoy working together as performers, writers and badly behaved kids at the back of the class. Fred also worked on Big Comfy Couch (as Major Bedhead) and has innumerable credits as a puppeteer and scriptwriter.

We had fun at this year’s Fan Expo, showing the teaser and meeting the fans. It was a blast. And we got to meet Lloyd Kaufman and his Troma team. How cool is that?!

As we proceed with the work on the Ruffus Steampunk Adventure I’ll share more of our behind-the-scenes antics and showcase the hard work and talents required to make a show like this happen. Please be sure to visit our IndieGoGo campaign page for updates and to find out how you can help make the adventure happen. If you make a donation of $25 or more – Ruffus will record a special video Thank You just for YOU!

Cheers.

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