Testimonials
Dr. John A. Price with A+ Academy Theatre, TX
The best part about working with StageWorthy Arts was Melissa's warm, collaborative nature and artistic sensibility. I was very impressed with the high quality of the masks we custom ordered for Midsummer Night's Dream. The professionalism of the masks excited my actors, as they felt like professionals working with such high quality masks. I would absolutely recommend StageWorthy Arts to anyone in need of puppet or prop rentals. The collaboration and quality is Equity-level work.
Melissa Moss with Squawking Bird Head Workshop
The “Squawking Bird Head Workshop” was an answer to prayer! Our youngest son is uber creative, but alas I’m not. We had been looking around for an engaging, hands on experience for Noah to hone and develop his creative skills. We’re pleased to report that Our 13 year old son loved the course and its teacher, Melissa, far exceeded our expectations. Thank you Melissa for a great workshop! We strongly recommend anyone considering a course from Melissa, for yourself or a member of your family, take it - you’ll be glad you did!
Hollie Knight with Collective Art School Tennessee
Melissa is just such a delight to work with! She is so creative and creates dreams and artistic visions that are larger than life. She produces the work of a perfectionist, and everything that she provides is professional-grade quality. You will not be disappointed if you work with Melissa/StageWorthy Arts, the customer service and attention to detail are unparalleled. She will work with you to get the pieces that you need at a price that works for you. She will take any production and increase the production value 10-fold. She offers a unique opportunity for students and cast members to experience puppetry arts and learn another facet of stage and production design.
Amy Harpenau with New Albany Theatre Arts, OH
StageWorthy Arts is very communicative and easy to work with. The dragon puppet for our production of Shrek was stunning! Its size and quality made it a gorgeous piece on our stage. The quality of the work made it easy to assemble and for our students to use. The dragon was used by student actors, making it both a huge challenge and treat for them to work with a professional puppet! I would definitely recommend StageWorthy Arts to other theatres in need of puppet or prop rentals.
Joan Schubin with Timberlane Middle School, NH
My favorite part about working with StageWorthy Arts was the responsiveness of Melissa! Time is always of the essence in live theatre, and she was always available and ready with an answer. I loved the design of the James and the Giant Peach puppets we rented (both looks and engineering.) I also appreciated the instructions Melissa sent to us, and how easy it was for the kids to maneuver the puppets. Each puppet had its own distinct movement, which in turn gave each insect its own personality. The audience just loved them. Also, when the students looked at the puppets up close, they saw the amount of work and attention to detail, which made the students treat them with extra care. “I feel so special,” said the girl playing Lady Bug, holding her puppet and making her wings flap. The boy who played Grasshopper worked tirelessly to figure out how to make the puppets head turn, and to make it look more “bug like.” The professional look of the puppets definitely made the students work harder at bringing them to life. I would absolutely recommend that others work with StageWorthy Arts! Melissa’s designs are creative, accessible, professional, and fairly priced. They bring such life to your production! Thank you StageWorthy arts for making the experience easy, hassle free, and successful!
Sara Akers with North Texas Performing Arts, Plano Children's Theatre
Melissa Patrello, founder and lead designer of StageWorthy Arts, bring a director’s creative dreams to brilliant life on stage. Melissa listens to the director’s vision and creates unique pieces that will make any production sparkle! I particularly love the functionality of the props and costumes we have rented. If the theatre and actors want to be a success, I would highly recommend StageWorthy Arts!
Natasha Tolleson with Temple High School
StageWorthy Arts provided easy transactions and quality merchandise. The items we rented were well constructed - we did not have to repair or add anything to them. Many times when you rent, you have to first embellish, but not with StageWorthy Arts! The cast was so excited about the Dragon. The crew kids that got to operate the Dragon had a blast! I was given great customer service and will be recommending others to StageWorthy Arts, as they are very accommodating!
Abbie Malkewitz with LaVilla School of the Arts, FL
StageWorthy Arts was the easiest part of the whole show’s production! The dragon we rented was just as pictured and the kids could work the puppet together as a team. Hurricane Irma put us in a time crunch to be able to finish all the production work. I searched on the internet and it couldn’t have been easier to make the reservation and schedule the delivery. I’m not sure we would have had a dragon in Shrek if I had not found StageWorthy Arts. I look forward to recommending StageWorthy Arts - we loved the personal contact and the quality of the work. Any questions were answered promptly and efficiently.
Tom Gough with Foothill College Theatre Arts, CA
StageWorthy Arts provided me with personal, helpful, and timely service, as well as an artistically satisfying product. In addition, Melissa Patrello (founder of StageWorthy Arts) was very patient in working with the district's elaborate reimbursement policies. The items we rented were complex in imagination, simple to operate, and big time crowd pleasers! For all of these reasons stated, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend StageWorthy Arts to any theatre looking to rent.
Megan Moore with Melissa High School Theatre
The obvious answer as to why I loved working with StageWorthy Arts has to do with the incredible quality of the puppet we rented, as well as how much I loved working with Melissa Patrello! We did a “build to rent” custom item (Captain Flint parrot puppet) for our production of Treasure Island. Melissa was an incredible collaborator! When creating Captain Flint, she attended several of our rehearsals in order to get a sense of how the puppet would function within our production. She listened to my ideas and concepts and also worked directly with the actor who operated the puppet. The Captain Flint puppet added an incredible element of theatricality to our production. He was exquisitely beautiful and perfectly fit the world of the play. I have several photos of the puppet onstage where he truly looks like a real parrot! The actors (especially the actress who operated him during the show) definitely became attached to Captain Flint! They appreciated the theatrical element he brought to the production, and the loved having such an unusual and exciting member of the cast. I would absolutely recommend StageWorthy Arts. Working with them was an incredible experience from start to finish. Melissa is one of the kindest people on the planet, and I know she would do anything in her power to make anyone’s production more outstanding! Thank you StageWorthy Arts and Melissa Patrello for an incredible experience! I look forward to working with you again.
Lori Spielman with Puppet Making Workshop
Melissa is awesome. She is a wonderful friend and fellow artist. She is a very creative person and comes up with the best ideas. My favorite part of Puppet Making Workshop was the whole experience from beginning to end. I highly recommend Melissa because she will make your creative juices flow! She will give you faith in humanity. If you would like to experience her guidance I would strongly suggest trying one of her amazing workshops. Thank you from Natalie and Dashiel, ages 11 and 12.
Jodi Plaia, Malibu High School, CA
While working with StageWorthy Arts, everything was easy! From the ordering, to receiving as scheduled, to asking any questions along the way, the entire process was refreshingly easy, which helped to put my mind at ease about a very big part of the show. I was very grateful to Melissa for this (who is an absolute pleasure to work with!) I rented the James and the Giant Peach package. I absolutely loved the design of them (their creative and unique look), the quality of the puppets themselves, and the incredible ease as to how to use them. I was afraid my students would have difficulty maneuvering them, but they couldn’t have been easier to use without forgoing the integrity of the design. My students LOVED the puppets, as did the audience. I put the actors in all black so the puppets would pop on stage and be the focus of those scenes. It worked beautifully and you believed the puppets were alive. I would absolutely recommend StageWorthy Arts. As a matter a fact, I even had the business card printed on the back of our program (as well as listed in the program) so that everyone would know where the puppets came from. And again, I would recommend StageWorthy Arts for the creative designs, the homemade feel and look giving the puppets and the company itself, and overall because it is an incredibly easy and relaxing process. When renting from StageWorthy Arts, you are in good hands. I would just once again like to thank Melissa for everything!
Aislinn Oliveri, Mineola High School Performing Arts, NY
Working with StageWorthy Arts was such a great experience. The detail on each one of the puppets we rented was incredible! I was very impressed with the detail and lifelike creativity on each puppet! They were all in great condition and brought our production to the next level. The cast was so inspired by Melissa’s work; it helped them visualize their characters and added so much to their experience as a performer. If anyone is in need of puppet or prop rentals, I suggest working with StageWorthy Arts! The personal and individual help made the experience amazing.
Misty Baptiste, Liberty Christian School, TX
I think my favorite part of working with StageWorthy Arts was that they did not raise an eyebrow or question me at all when I explained what I was looking for. They were immediately on board and excited to try what I was wanting. Our elephant butts for Big Fish were so easy to use and so creative (the way they were created.) They added another level of whimsy and fun to this incredibly creative show. StageWorthy Arts is so accommodating and fun to work with, which is why I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them!