Kick off February with Shadows Around the World!

THIS WEEK AT PST

Wed & Thurs | Feb 1 & 2 | 10:30am
Sat & Sun | Feb 4 & 5 | 1pm & 3pm

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Get a diverse introduction to shadow puppets when Nappy's Puppets comes to PST!

About the show: For thousands of years, man has manipulated puppets for a variety of reasons: religion, education, and entertainment. One of the oldest and most wonderful forms of puppetry is shadow puppetry.

Shadows Around the World explores the history of shadow puppetry and its development throughout the world. The program focuses on world cultures and history, the oral tradition of storytelling, and the development of shadow puppetry as an art form.

Recommended for ages 4 & up.

About the performer: Nappy's Puppets is dedicated to presenting quality puppet theater to audiences of all ages. The goal of each performances is to entertain, inspire and educate the audience on the range and scope of puppetry as an art form.

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Puppetry comes to Arts Emerson in February!

FEBRUARY 07 - 12 AT ARTS EMERSON!

Can't get enough puppetry at PST? Go see Phantom Limb's 69˚S. at Arts Emerson! 69˚S. tells the true story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1949 treacherous trans-Antarctic expedition set against the current backdrop of our planet's changing environment and uncertain future.

Theatre, dance, puppetry, photography and film unite and take the audience on an artistic and emotional journey that explores the symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment.

Learn about Phantom Limb's world premiere production, background on the 1914 expedition, the puppetry, music and much more here, brought to you by The Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College.

Recommended for ages 10 & up. Use discount code PST69S5 to receive $5 off tickets! Restrictions apply; offer limited to 2 tickets per customer.

Learn more & order tickets here.

FREE PUPPETRY WORKSHOP BY PST'S OWN!
Curious to learn how the 69˚S. performers bring their puppets to life? Join Roxanna Myhrum, artistic director of PST after the Saturday matinee! This lively hour-long puppet performance workshop will cover puppetry basics including focus, breath and the physical vocabulary that transforms objects into characters.

SAT, FEB 11 after the 2PM performance of 69˚S., 3:30-4:30PM
The Jackie Liebergott Black Box (“The Jackie”) at the Paramount Center

FREE for all 69˚S. ticket holders; Registration required.

Journey to Japan with Cat Mountain

THIS WEEK AT PST
Cat Mountain from Behind the Mask

Wed & Thurs | Jan 25 & 26 | 10:30am
Sat & Sun | Jan 28 & 29 | 1pm & 3pm

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Join PST on a trip to Japan as we follow Behind the Mask's elegant and creative adaptation of the tale of Sho and her journey!

About the show: Cat Mountain tells the story of Sho, a young servant girl, who journeys to a strange and far-off mountain, where she hopes to find her freedom and her lost cat. But as the people she meets on the way tell her – “ No one has ever returned from Cat Mountain!” Puppetry, dance, masks, and Japanese theater-styles all combine in Behind The Mask's original adaptation of this magical folktale.

Recommended for ages 4 & up.

About the performer: Eric Bornstein is truly an international mask-maker. Aside from receiving a MLA in Fine Arts from Harvard University, he also studied with masters in Bali and Italy. His work has appeared all over Boston, from productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the Harvard Yiddish Players' Shulamis, in museums like the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, and with performing groups the Boston Lyric Opera and Boston Ballet. When he's not putting on exquisite shows, Eric keeps busy teaching classes on masks as well as offering residencies to schools in the state through Young Audiences of Massachusetts.

PST Presents: Puppet Showplace Slam!

SATURDAY AT PST

Puppet Showplace Slam

Sat | Jan 21st | 8:00pm

Puppets aren't just for kids. Join PST this Saturday from 8pm to 10pm for more mature shows that adult fans can enjoy.

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About the slam: PST has shows for teens and adults? That's right, puppet fans. Every other month we stay open late on Saturday night to bring you a raucous evening of PG-13 puppet entertainment. We call it a "slam" because it's your only chance to get smashed in the eyeballs by every style of puppetry you can imagine. This slam features live music, and a brand new puppet show instigated by Ronald Binion, as well as the amazing punch and judy antics of Liz Joyce and from Goat on a Boat Puppet Theater.

The Princess, The Frog, and the Pea from Goat on a Boat

THIS WEEKEND AT PST

The Princess, The Frog, and the Pea

by Goat on a Boat

Sat & Sun | Jan 21st & 22nd | 1pm & 3pm

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Goat on a Boat comes to Brookline all the way from Long Island, New York, to bring a fun new spin on classic fairytales!

About the show: Combining three well-loved stories, The Princess, The Frog, and The Pea delights audiences of all ages. A princess, a witch, an un-enchanted frog, a hoot owl and a neurotic pea who longs to be a hero are the stars of this mixed-up tale. Table top puppets.

Recommended for ages 3 & up.

About the performer: Liz Joyce is an accomplished performer whose puppets have entertained numerous audiences in the New England area. She has also appeared in festivals across the country, from New York to Chicago and even to Minnesota. Besides putting on shows, she serves as Regional Director for the Puppeteers of America and President of the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York.

Liz has also been in TV, appearing on long-running sitcom All My Children as Liz the Puppeteer. Recently she received an UNIMA Citation for her puppet operetta Sing a Song of Sixpence. The UNIMA Citation is the highest award in American puppetry.

The Monkey King at PST!

The Monkey King

by Galapagos Puppets
Wed & Thurs | Jan 18th & 19th

Celebrate Chinese New Year with the magical Monkey King! Watch as Monkey makes mischief in the Heavens, eating all of the Jade Emperor's peaches and Lao-tze's elixirs. This performance features traditional Chinese hand puppets, original music, and intricate, stylized martial arts.

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Three Billy Goats Gruff This MLK Weekend!

THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND AT PST

Three Billy Goats Gruff

by Pumpernickel Puppets

Sat & Sun | Jan 14th & 15th | 1pm & 3pm

Mon | Jan 16th | 10:30am & 1pm

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Local favorite performer, Pumpernickel Puppets of Worcester, MA. returns to our stage this holiday weekend with two performances each day!

About the show: Two classic tales make up this wonderful show. In The Three Billy Goats Gruff, the quick-witted billy goats outsmart the troll, but the troll isn’t really mean – he’s just green, has a snaggletooth, and lives under a bridge. In The Lion and the Mouse, two unlikely friends – one very big and one very small – learn to help each other to solve their problems.

Performed with colorful, friendly hand puppets.

Recommended for ages 3 and up.

About the performer: For over thirty five years the Pumpernickel Puppets have captivated audiences of all ages. John McDonough and his puppets present over two hundred fifty shows a year at schools, libraries and private parties throughout the New England area.

The Pumpernickel Puppets have had the honor of appearing at The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, The Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta, GA and the prestigious International Festival of Puppetry sponsored by the Jim Henson Foundation in New York.

Raccoon Tales by Brad Shur

THIS WEEK AT PST!

Raccoon Tales by Brad Shur

Wed & Thurs | Jan 11th & 12 | 10:30am

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PST Artist in Residence, Brad Shur is back on stage this month with Raccoon Tales!

About the show: The animals in the forest are always getting into trouble playing tricks on each other. Will they learn their lessons? Three humorous tales inspired by the Native American tales 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. Hand puppets.

Recommended for ages 4 and up.

About the performer:

In the Fall of 2009 the Puppet Showplace Theatre (PST) announced the arrival of Brad Shur as the theatre’s new Artist in Residence. Brad made his debut at PST’s Halloween Extravaganza with his premiere “Doctor Doohickey’s Monster Machine.”Brad Shur has been professionally involved in puppetry for over 10 years. He began as a performer with the Providence puppet and mask company Big Nazo while studying film and animation at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has worked in various capacities with Wood & Strings Theatre (Tennessee), and Vermont PuppetTree, and as a builder has designed and fabricated puppets for American Idol, Dollywood, and other theaters and performers from Austin, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts.

You can catch Brad at least once monthly at Puppet Showplace Theatre, performing any one of six shows in his repertoire: "Raccoon Tales," "Here Come the Clowns," "The Singing Turtle," "Dr. Doohickey's Monster Machine," "The Carrot Salesman," and his newest production "The Magic Soup and Other Tales."

Puppetry Class for Adults!

Body Puppetry and Bharatanatyam

A 2-week movement intensive in stylized storytelling, classical Indian dance-theatre, and the creation of new work.

Instructor: Veronica Barron
Four sessions, January 9 - 19.
Monday and Thursday nights, 6:30 to 9:30 pm
Cost: $145 (PST members save 10%!)

Register Online

About the class: Physical eloquence is a much sought-after skill across the performing arts. How might the highly stylized forms and storytelling structures of bharatanatyam, a classical dance-theater form from South India, enrich the work we do as puppeteers, theater artists, storytellers?

In this rigorous intensive, participants will work toward increased awareness, specificity, and control of their own movement while getting a taste of a performance philosophy that works from the outside in, using external physical shapes to generate internal emotional experiences for both audience and performer. In the first phase of the class, students will learn a traditional story-dance sequence, practicing eye exercises, mudras (hand shapes), and bhavas (emotional mask shapes). In the second phase, participants will deconstruct this dance sequence, identifying the body vocabulary and narrative tools used in order to use these new tools in conjunction with existing skills. Each participant will then create an original dance-theater composition based on a favorite story or myth. This intensive will leave artists armed with both improved physicality awareness and new tools for the creation of original work.

For ages 16 to Adult.

Travelin' Jack & Company by Applause Unlimited

THIS WEEK AT PST

Travelin' Jack & Company

by Applause Unlimited

Jan 4 & 5 at 10:30am | Jan 7 & 8 at 1pm & 3pm

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Happy 2012! Winter Puppet Adventures continues into the new year with Applause Unlimited's unique performance of american folk tales all week long. See you at the theatre!

About the show: An itinerant puppeteer with a hand puppet booth and a knack for tall tales entertains family audiences in this original show, much as puppeteers did in America's colonial days. Three American folk-tales are told with hand puppets by a single puppeteer who serves as both narrator and character in the show. Based on a Jack tale, a slave story-song, and a morality tale, these stories reflect the depth, scope, and humor of early American storytelling. The first story, "Foolish Jack", is a Jack tale about Jack's adventures when he first leaves home. The second story is the story of "Why Dogs Chase Cats". The final story is "A Bundle of Troubles" and, like most morality tales, teach us a valuable life lesson: count your blessings, not your troubles. As contemporary as it is classic, this show is a delight for the whole family.

Recommended for ages 3 & up.