Meet the Team

Amber Smith

Amber is a graduate of Anthroposophy with an emphasis on Waldorf education. She enjoys serving her time as a creative director and fiber artist with a special interest in puppets, characters, and themes related to her Scandinavian heritage. She directs a wide range of productions at Forest Folk School Friends utilizing puppets made by real folks who specialize in various forms of handcrafted. Amber can be found sharing her classical folk tales within her local community, setting the stage both outdoors and indoors in Duvall Washington.

MS AMBER'S SPECIAL TALENTS:

• Writing Pedagogical Puppet Productions: She writes folk tales and fairy tales—with a good understanding of which is which. Each tale is crafted carefully to include heartfelt verses and intuitive pentatonic tunes that speak to the whole being.
• Voice Presentation: In performances, she uses a slow, spacious way of speaking—pausing, listening, and attuning to the other puppeteers or musicians, so that the whole body of work flows naturally.
• Felting or Sewing Puppets: She understands the simplicity of crafting the pedagogical puppet and the importance of allowing the child's imagination to complete the picture. She sees handwork and fibers arts as an integral to the presentation of puppetry—in fact, it is just as important as the puppet show itself. Additionally, to honor the sense of community, she often incorporate other peoples creations into her puppet productions

• Developmental Awareness of the Human Being: She understands how to shape the character of pedagogical puppets, guided by Steiner's insight. She shapes her stories and performances so that they reach the inner life of the audience, focusing on creating experiences that touch the invisible within.

Tony Burton

Tony is a multifaceted craftsman and military veteran, with decades of experiences in mentoring, classroom instruction, and lecturing. He has brought these skills together to support the development of a series of publications meant for families and the earth. As a postgrad engineer Tony has brought his technical expertise to a wide range of projects, including carpentry, metal fabrication, and mechanical design, where he constructs functional designs scaling from whole buildings to small detailed, intricate works of art. And occasionally during the holiday season you may catch a glimpse of his alter ego at his local community Yuletide Light Walk.

TONY'S SPEICAL TALENTS:

• Guiding Through Process: He natures patience, confidence, and resilience by encouraging learners to engage fully in the steps of creating, constructing, and learning as much from their journey as they might learn from the finished project.
• Balancing Technical and Artistic Expression: He helps learners to connect precision and craftsmanship with imagination and beauty—fostering both practical skills and creative insight.
• Fluency with Materials: Drawing on his life long experience in carpentry, metalwork, and design, he introduces students to wood and tools in ways that are safe, meaningful and developmentally appropriate.
• Attune to Seasonal Rhythm: He weaves narrative and the cycle of the year into the handcraft. This gives the learner a sense of connection, purpose, and reverence to their work.

Elizabeth Hill

Elizabeth gathers community in her old-time mountain music (and magical poke berry painting). Each of her musical improvisations carries the spirit of storytelling and connection to time and place. For more than forty years, she has explored the roots of American Appalachian music while opening space for collective listening and human connection. Whether through local musical productions, painted installations, or seasonal gatherings, Elizabeth carries a deep reverence for art the created within her community. Today, you can see Elizabeth shaping immersive soundscapes for gentle puppet shows, bringing warmth and presence to audiences of all age. Each musical creation holds a space for reflection, awakening others into a deeper relationship to self, each other, and the language of the land.

ELIZABETH'S SPECIAL TALENTS:

• Creating Living Soundscapes: She uses simple children's instruments to shape musical atmospheres that support storytelling and awaken imagination.
• Making Music Accesible: She intentionally incorporates simple musical instruments that children may recognize and relate to, helping young audiences to experience music as something possible with their own hands.
• Deep Listening: She listens closely to the living presence of each show—responding intuitively to the direction of the puppeteers, the audience, and the living moment, helping create an atmosphere of connection.
• Honoring Folk Traditions: She carries a deep respect for traditional mountain music and its diverse cultural roots, helping others to experience the richness of humanity, and its interconnected history within musical traditions.