Sunday, January 30, 2011

More about… “Monkey Wreaks Havoc in Heaven” by Galapagos Puppet Theater


CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION PERFORMANCE!
Thursday | February 3 | 10:30AM

The Wednesday, February 2nd performance has been canceled due to the winter storm and street parking ban in effect in Brookline.

About the show: The magical Monkey King makes mischief in the Heavens, eating all of the Jade Emperor’s peaches and Laotze’s elixirs. Performed with traditional Chinese puppets, Chinese music, and intricate choreography.

Performed with hand puppets. This show is recommended for ages 5 and up.

About Galapagos Puppets: Margaret Moody loves the way two hands and a few puppets can present a whole story. She studied with master puppeteer Li Tien-lu of Taiwan for three years, and continues to use the intricate puppets and choreography of Chang Chung Hsi (‘theater of the palm of the hand’) in performance. Margaret lives in Arlington with her family and many puppets.

Galapagos Puppet Theater was founded in 1987 by Margaret Moody and Madeleine Beresford. Their work has been funded in part by grants from organizations such as the Henson Foundation and the Puffin Foundation.

BUY TICKETS

Thursday, January 27, 2011

More about… “Moccasin Stew” by Magpie Puppets

Saturday and Sunday | January 29 & 30 | 1PM & 3PM

About the show: Adapted from a Southwest Native American folktale, Moccasin Stew is the story of Coyote, who is always outwitted by the creatures he tries to catch. Coyote is joined by a cast of characters that includes Hank, the rabbit chef; a Bluefish who sings the blues; a tricky Magic Fish; and a clever Quail who fools Coyote time and time again. Moccasin Stew is a delightful tale that teaches lessons of forgiveness and resourcefulness.

Performed with hand puppets. This show is recommended for ages 4 and up
.

About Magpie Puppets:
Magpie Puppets is committed to innovative children’s entertainment, free of stereotypes and violence. Performances include taped or live music, one-of-a-kind hand puppets, extensive audience participation, and inventive staging.

Director and puppeteer Maggie Whalen is also a trained pediatric occupational therapist. As an artist and therapist who works with children every day, she is uniquely qualified to understand the developmental and emotional needs of children, and their need for joyous participatory fun.

Magpie Puppets [official site]

BUY TICKETS

Brementown Musicians Show canceled due to snow, THURSDAY 1/27 @ 10:30!

We are sorry to announce that the THURSDAY performance of Brementown Musicians by Romper Rhythm and Puppets has been canceled due to the weather. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please contact the box office at 617-731-6400 or boxoffice@puppetshowplace.org for more information.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

More about… “The Brementown Musicians” by Romper Rhythm and Puppets

Wednesday and Thursday | January 26 & 27 | 10:30AM

About the show:
Adapted from the traditional Grimm Brothers folk tale, these three animals join together to form one fantastic band and audition for the king. A tricky robber, however, throws a wrench in their plans. Lots of participation and fun!

Performed with hand puppets. This show is recommended for ages 4 and up.


About Romper Rhythm & Puppets:
Diane Kordas has been performing music for children and families since 1992, and puppet shows since 1998. As a registered nurse and later as a mom she started using music and puppets to entertain and educate her patients, friends and family. She learned how to design and sew her own dolls and puppets with instruction from her mother, and enjoys making her own puppet characters for her shows. Today, her classic and original stories with puppets, music, humor and audience participation are enjoyed by children and families at libraries, schools, outdoor events, parties, daycares and preschools throughout New England.

Diane Kordas is a member of Puppeteers of America, Children’s Music Network, and the Boston Area Puppet Guild. Thanks to the success of her children’s music recording entitled Hello, How Are You?!
, she has finished recording a second CD entitled Dinosaur Stomp.

Dinosaur Stomp
has been chosen Winner of the Children’s Music Web Award 2005 for Best Recording for Younger Children ages 5 to 8, and Best Educational Seasonal or Religious Recording for Younger Children ages 5 to 8.

She was also recently selected as a member of the NH State Council on the Arts Touring roster and the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Romper Rhythm & Puppets [official site]
BUY TICKETS

Thursday, January 20, 2011

More about… “Puppet Pandemic: The Boston Outbreak!"


This Saturday night - January 22nd - at 8pm, the Puppet Showplace Slam is proud to present "Puppet Pandemic: The Boston Outbreak", a showcase of works curated and cultivated by alumni of the O'Neill National Puppetry Conference. In addition to the performed pieces — 13 in all — the Puppet Pandemic organizers will be holding a raffle filled with amazing puppet items, including a personalized voicemail recording by a Sesame Street character! The funds raised by the raffle as well as donations to Puppet Pandemic will benefit the Alumni Scholarship to attend the National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

The scholarship was founded on the belief that puppetry is a contagious art form. The Alumni Scholarship is meant to support artists and encourage them to propagate provocative theatrical works.

Performing artists who have benefitted from the scholarship include 2010 recipients Jonathan Little, Alissa Hunnicutt, Elizabeth Hara, and Marta Mozelle Macrostie.


There will be 13 different pieces performed as part of the program. Below is more information about the performers.

Frankie Cordero has worked as a puppeteer/designer/builder/director in NYC for the past 10 years. Theater: Lemony Snicket's "The Composer is Dead" at Berkeley Rep, "Walking with Dinosaurs," "Ko'olau" with Tom Lee, "Bride" with Lone Wolf Tribe, "Madama Butterfly" at The Met Opera. TV: Comedy Central/McDonald's commercials, "Sesame Street," "Oobi," "Its a Big, Big World," "Jack's Big Music Show," and many music videos and pilots. Directing/Producing: "The Whole World and You," (Atlantic Record's), "IRL FILES" (The Motorola Backflip Phone). www.frankiecordero.com

Melissa Dunphy plays strings on the side, but her day job is composing. Her best-known work, The Gonzales Cantata (see www.gonzalescantata.com), was performed at the 2009 Philly Fringe, receiving rave press and reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Rachel Maddow. She has composed and performed music for many Philadelphia-area theaters and is currently getting a Ph.D. in composition at UPenn. More information at www.melissadunphy.com

Thomas Getchell I am currently working on my MFA thesis project at the University of Connecticut, a cabaret marionette performance called Proleptic Voice: A Visual Poem. The show, which was inspired by Emily Dickinsonʼs prose “I Heard a Fly Buzz--When I Died,” will run February 18-19. I did my undergraduate studies in theatre and dance at California State University Sacramento, where I learned about puppetry from professor Richard Bay.

Honey Goodenough is a producer, puppeteer, clown, costume designer, and arts educator. She received her MA in Educational Theater from NYU in 2006. Her theatrical credits include Phantom Limb's "The Fortune Teller" at HERE Arts Space, Puppetworks, and The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater. Video credits include puppetry for "Clap your Hands" by Sia, and puppet costume construction for "IRL FILES," web ad for Collegehumor.com. You can also find her clowning around NYC hospitals for the Starlight Children's Foundation. She is very proud to consider Puppet Showplace a fellow sponsor of Puppet Pandemic and the NPC Alumni Scholarship. And yes, Honey Goodenough is her real name.

Elizabeth Hara is a costume and puppet builder who has worked for Parsons-Meares (Spiderman, The Lion King, and Shrek the Musical), The Jim Henson Company, Puppet Heap, and the Puppet Kitchen. Liz has lived in New york City for 3 years, but still goes home to Minnesota every year for the State Fair. She likes dirty jokes, candy, and dancing.

Alissa Hunnicutt is the resident puppeteer at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC. She is an alumnus of the O’Neill Puppetry Conference, has performed at Great Small Works’ International Toy Theater Festival and is a regular in both puppet theater and slams around the tri-state area. Alissa debuted her full-length cabaret show “The Kid Inside” in 2010 and was a featured performer at the Orlando Puppet Festival. www.alissahunnicutt.com

Bradley Kemp is a composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in NYC. He is a member of chamber-punk ensemble Anti-Social Music and creates electronic music under the name b-radius. Kemp is currently developing a puppet play with live music based around the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire centennial, which received a Jim Henson Foundation Seed Grant. www.catapultparlor.com

Jonathan Little has attended the National Puppetry Conference twice and is an award recipient of the Puppet Pandemic Alumni Scholarship. Jonathan graduated from the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston. He is an accomplished dancer as well as puppeteer having studied with Boston Ballet. Jonathan toured with Kaiju Big Battle performing as Giant Club Sandwiches to the furry super hero Slo Feng. He is currently the primary puppet builder for Little's Creatures and a skilled puppeteer with a wide range of characters.

Marta Mozelle MacRostie is an NYC-based puppeteer, puppet builder, theater educator, and jazz vocalist. Recent credits include Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead at Berkeley Repertory Theater in CA and Puss in Boots at the New Victory Theater dir. Moises Kaufman (Off-Broadway). Marta appears on an ongoing basis with the puppet company Chinese Theater Works in NYC. She has studied at Umass Amherst, UConn, and of course at O'Neill National Puppetry Conference.

Ian Sweetman is a three-time veteran of the O'Neill National Puppetry Conference. In addition to the NPC, Ian's puppet work has been seen all along the Atlantic coast with productions in Florida, Maryland, New York and Connecticut. Recently, Ian completed a run with Phantom Limb Company's "The Fortune Teller" at the HERE Arts Center in New York City.

Monday, January 17, 2011

More about… “The Carrot Salesman” by Brad Shur

Wednesday and Thursday | January 19 & 20 | 10:30AM
Saturday and Sunday | January 22 & 23 | 1PM & 3PM

About the show: The Carrot Salesman is the original story of a door-to-door carrot salesrabbit who is not very good at his job. But through his unsuccessful efforts to sell carrots to elephants, jellyfish, moles, and robots, he discovers a way to help all of the animals.

Performed with colorful two-dimensional table-top puppets and fun audience interaction. This show is recommended for ages 3 and up.


About Brad Shur: Brad has been professionally involved in puppetry for nearly 10 years. He first began as a performer with the Providence puppet and mask company Big Nazo while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design and has toured nationally with Wood & Strings Theatre, a marionette company out of Tennessee. Brad recently finished working with the Vermont PuppetTree as a freelance puppet designer and performer.

He has experience teaching workshops and classes for students of all ages and hopes to be known in the future as an Arts Educator. Brad has a passion for performance and describes his style as “carnival barker” driven by interactive audience dialogue.

He is thrilled perform at the Puppet Showplace Theatre as its Artist in Residence!

BUY TICKETS

Thursday, January 13, 2011

More about… “Anansi, Spiderman of Africa” by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre

Saturday, Sunday & Monday | January 15, 16 & 17 | Sat/Sun: 1PM & 3PM | Mon: 10:30AM & 1PM

About the show: A side-splitting selection of famous African folktales starring Anansi the Spider, whose appetite always overrules his intellect. Anansi loves to eat and hates to work, so he tries to trick other animals out of their food. But it’s not free lunch for Anansi—all of his schemes leave him hungrier than ever! These hilarious stories are brought to life by the award-winning Crabgrass Puppet Theatre, with a dynamic blend of traditional African design, infectious music and fabulous puppetry.

Performed with rod puppets. This show is recommended for ages 4 and up.

About Crabgrass Puppet Theatre: Crabgrass Puppet Theatre is an award-winning touring puppet theatre founded in 1982 by Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall. Their shows have featured a variety of innovative and unusual puppets both large and small, including a seven-foot crocodile, a smoke-breathing dragon, and an animated garbage heap!

Crabgrass Puppet Theatre has twice been awarded the prestigious Citation of Excellence from the American Center of the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA-USA), the highest honor in American puppetry, in 2001 and again in 2005. In 2008, Bonny Hall received a Commendation for Design in the Puppet Theatre from the Arlyn Award Foundation.

Crabgrass Puppet Theatre [official site]
BUY TICKETS

Puppet Showplace is Open! Two shows today, Thursday, January 13th!

Good morning Puppet Showplace Fans!

Join us today for TWO performances of "The Reluctant Dragon" by Lionheart Puppet Company. Shows will be at 10:30 and 1:00 today. Spread the word to friends and family who need something to do now that school has been canceled!

Roxie

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

SHOW CANCELLED Wednesday, January 12th

Due to the town-wide street parking ban throughout Brookline, in effect from 6AM Wednesday January 12th until further notice, and the forecasted inclement weather, our scheduled show at 10:30AM has been cancelled.

Ticket sales for this performance have been suspended. If you have purchased a ticket for this performance, you will be issued a raincheck.

Should the street parking ban be lifted for Thursday, we will proceed with two performances of "The Reluctant Dragon" by Lionheart Puppet Company - 10:30AM and 1PM. More information and tickets for these shows can be found here.

You must contact the Box Office prior to attending a show with a raincheck.

Call: 617-731-6400

Sunday, January 9, 2011

More about… “The Reluctant Dragon” by Lionheart Puppet Company


Wednesday and Thursday | January 12 & 13 | 10:30AM

About the show:
What happens when Harold, a young village boy, discovers a dragon in the mountains? Can he convince the villagers that the dragon just wants to be friends? Based on the story by Kenneth Grahame, The Reluctant Dragon is a great way to introduce children to literary adaptations, as well as themes of friendship and loyalty.

Performed with hand puppets. This show is recommended for ages 4 & up.


About Lionheart Puppet Company:
Drawing from a rich history of classic stories and fairy tales, the Lionheart Puppet Company has been performing for audiences of all ages since 2001.

The company is owned and operated by Matthew K. Leonard, who received his BFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in puppetry. Matthew lives in Connecticut with his wife, daughter, and two cats. He is an active member of both the Connecticut Guild of Puppetry and Puppeteers of America.

Lionheart Puppet Company [official site]

BUY TICKETS


Sunday, January 2, 2011

More about… “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Applause Unlimited


Wednesday and Thursday | January 5 & 6 | 10:30AM

Saturday and Sunday | January 8 & 9 | 1PM & 3PM


About the show: Margery Williams’ classic tale of how toys become real is told with hand puppets, storytelling and song. This story about friendship and magic is told with gentle humor and warmth. For children and their parents, youngsters learning to read and anyone who ever had a favorite stuffed toy. Performed with hand puppets. This show is recommended for ages 4 & up.


About Applause Unlimited: Applause Unlimited cofounder Christopher Hudert is a versatile artist whose skills include script writing, sculpting, set and puppet construction, puppetry, clowning, stilt walking, juggling and much more.


A 9-year veteran of Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus, Christopher was Boss Clown for Ringling Bros. before leaving the show to join Master Puppeteer Terry Snyder in the creation of Applause Unlimited.


He has returned to Clown College as an instructor and has given lectures and workshops on both clowning and puppetry throughout the country. Christopher is the Stage Consultant and the Youth Services Coordinator for Puppeteers of America and serves on the Board of The National Puppetry Guild.


Applause Unlimited [official site]

BUY TICKETS