Native American Tales, and Special Canadian Guests!
Happy almost Spring, Puppet Friends! We have been SO busy here at Puppet Showplace--Between the simply gorgeous world premiere of Lollipops for Breakfast, awesome Vacation Week shows by Barefoot Puppets, field trips, classes, and super fun shows of Puppet Playtime, we've barely slept a wink! And guess what? We're not slowing down a bit! Following a wonderful week of The Singing Turtle, Resident Artist Brad Shur is back for round 2 with another run of Raccoon Tales created by Paul Vincent Davis! Whether you've never seen it before or loved it and want to see it again, this show is the perfect way to kick off your March with lots of smiles and giggles!
SHOW DATES AND TIMES:
Thursday, March 5th @ 10:30am
Friday, March 6th @ 10:30am
Saturday, March 7th @ 1:00pm & 3:00pm
Sunday, March 8th @ 1:00pm & 3:00pm
ABOUT THE SHOW: Journey deep into the forest with the trickster Ring-Around-His-Tail Raccoon as your guide! The animals in the forest are always getting into trouble playing tricks on each other. Will they ever learn their lessons? "Raccoon Tales" features three humorous vignettes inspired by the Native American just-so-stories of the Seneca tribe: How the Fox and the Raccoon Trick Each Other; Why the Blue Jay is Blue and the Gray Wolf Isn’t; and, Why the Bear has a Stumpy Tail. Recommended for ages 4 - 10. Some characters tease and trick each other. One scene involves a hive with stinging bees.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS: Brad Shur is a versatile puppeteer who has created and performed characters made of everything from pixels to papier mache. As the Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theatre he performs regularly and teaches puppetry classes to students of all ages, Pre-K to adult. As protégé of master puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis, Shur trained extensively in glove puppetry and currently performs two of Davis’ classic shows at venues across New England. 'Robin Hood' is Shur's first original glove puppet show. Shur’s other original works include 'The Carrot Salesman,' 'Dr. Doohickey and the Monster Machine,' 'The Yankee Peddler: Stories and Songs from Old New England' and 'The Magic Soup and Other Stories,' featured at the Puppeteers of America National Festival 2013. Prior to becoming the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace, Shur toured the country as a performer with Big Nazo (Rhode Island), Wood & Strings Theatre (Tennessee) and The PuppeTree (Vermont). As a builder Shur has designed and fabricated puppets for American Idol, Dollywood, Avenue Q, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Master puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis is widely recognized as one of America's foremost glove puppeteers. For over 30 years he served as Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace Theater where he and founder Mary Churchill worked tirelessly to establish a home for puppetry in New England. Paul created over a dozen full-length puppetry productions and received five prestigious UNIMA Citations of Excellence for his work. He has also toured internationally, including a multi-city tour of Japan in 1993. Paul was also honored with the President's Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Puppeteers of America. Now retired from performing, Davis remains active as a teacher and mentor in the New England puppetry community. Paul currently resides in Brookline Village, where he recently celebrated Puppet Showplace Theater's 40th anniversary and his own 80th birthday.
Immediately following "Raccoon Tales", we are so excited to present a truly unique show for you: Canadian company Des Mots d'la dynamite will be travelling all the way from Quebec to premiere "Where I Live--La ou j'habite"! This is a beautiful work that is recommended for ages 18 months - 5 years, and is sure to be a treat for you and your little ones.
SHOW DATES AND TIMES:
Wednesday, March 11th @ 10:30am
Thursday, March 12th @ 10:30am
Friday, March 13th @ 10:30am
PURCHASE TICKETS!
ABOUT THE SHOW: Montréal's acclaimed 'Words of Dynamite' theater company explores the wonder of the places we inhabit in this wildly imaginative production for very young audiences. Two characters, Téqui (Who-are-you) and Téou (Where-are-you) create delightful vignettes from found objects and simple materials in order to better understand one another. As they play, their feet become cars, their heads houses, their arms pathways, and their voices cities. In this way, even the smallest audiences members are invited to consider big questions about how we inhabit our bodies, our homes, our neighborhoods, and our planet.
Recommended for ages 18 months to 5 years old. Very gentle, interactive visual storytelling; visible puppeteers.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS: Since 1988, Des mots d'la dynamite has been a pioneer in the field of interdisciplinary arts, creating shows for small children and their families that incorporate theater, puppetry, dance, music, and visual/media arts. The company has been seen throughout Canada, France, Italy, the United States, and Cuba, and has performed for theaters, museums, artist-run centers, festivals, and other cultural events. This performance is their Boston debut.
In 2008, the company decided to focus on a relatively unexplored area of the Canadian performing arts: the very young audience (18 months to 5 years old). 'Scenes from a Tree' premiered in 2009 and toured internationally, including to Sandglass Theater's Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival in Vermont. In 2013, 'Where I Live,' co-written with the children and educators of a Montreal daycare center, became the company's newest production.
Reflecting on the experience of performing for very young audiences, company co-founder and General and Artistic Director Nathalie Derome writes 'We are thrilled to have such candid spectators who challenge us to listen actively and respond openly...for some children, this is their first contact with the performing arts; for others, it is a whole new experience. As performers...we are exhilarated when we make eye contact with an inquisitive youngster who is surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place. Our shows are a tribute to poetry, creative thinking, and the freedom of being.'
"Where I Live-La ou j'habite" is sure be a feast for the senses and truly unique experience. And, it will only be here at Puppet Showplace for THREE performances, so be sure to reserve your tickets early for all the magic! Also, keep an eye out for an interview with our Artistic Director, Roxie Myhrum on what inspired her to present the show at Puppet Showplace and why you will love it!
More to come...thanks as always for your support and see you soon, Puppet Friends!
-Katie B, Marketing Intern :)