A program teaser – not the scheduled sequence
ONLINE AFTERNOON
Bakster and Bird – A Puppet Film. Wendy Passmore of WP Puppet Theatre – Calgary. A puppet film about a bird named Bird, who has lost her song, and Bakster, a philosophical mouse who dreams of flying! The presentation will include film excerpts, behind the scenes stories and a demo of the interactive website.
Puppets for Sahar, a play-in-development about Afghanistan. Kathy & John / Rag and Bone – Ottawa. Clay sculpted heads and shadow puppets will animate iconic historical moments in this play, including the story Malalai, Afghanistan’s Joan of Arc. Characters representing various countries at war over Afghanistan are blocks of wood, with faces and costumes inspired by Punch magazine illustrations of the time.
AND STILL TO BE SCHEDULED FOR THE AFTERNOON
DiSCoVeR with Viktorija Kovak / Cosmic Fishing Theatre – Kitchener-Waterloo
And more to come…
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ONLINE EVENING
Excerpt from EPIDERMIS CIRCUS – Ingrid Hansen / Snafu Dance – BC. “Imagine lambchops puppeteer Shari Lewis’s soul got possessed by David Lynch. With dark, deadpan humour, Hansen employs video projection to provocative, cinematic effect, incorporating apocalyptic imagery, and the occasional erotic frisson. ★★★★★” – Winnipeg Free Press.
Carbon Copy Kid – A dark and dirty tale – Pire Espece – Montreal. Terryy cannot describe his family’s origins rationally. His idiosyncratic family is larger-than-life: How else could his mother have given birth to 57 children without any divine intervention? But above all, he is fed up with his vacuous, half-bovine father and seeks some explanation for such cruel and inhumane punishment. Terryy desperately needs to understand.
El fill de mar (The son of the sea). In the collaboration of the Catalan shadow theatre company Olveira Salcedo and Mallorcan musician and composer Jaume Tugores, the moving images of the shadow play illustrate the song and tale written by Tugores. The special feature of the film is that it was made with a single, uncut shot.
And more TBA….
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IN-PERSON AFTERNOON
Toy Theatre Delights: Two Old Librarians Revive the Art of Playing with Miniature Puppets on a Small Stage – Mariella Bertelli & Mary Anne Cree. Mariella and Mary Anne have developed a style of “storytelling in a box” using the 19th century tradition of Toy Theatre. They will share their approach to creating and performing a miniature show, focusing on the story. Join them as they deconstruct and reconstruct old tales for a new audience.
Pictures at an Exhibition – Jesse Wabegijig. Pictures at an Exhibition is an anti war story that follows a reimagined trickster by the name of Modest on his journey to Kyiv. He faces fairytale characters and conflict with joy and humour.
PUPPET SLAMS! What are they and why should you go to them? – Robin Polfuss. What is a Puppet Slam? Robin Polfuss has been participating in and organizing Puppet Slams for years, but not everyone is familiar with them. She’ll talk about what they are, and why you might want to go to one, maybe even why you might want to be IN one!
AND STILL TO BE SCHEDULED:
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IN-PERSON EVENING
Malachy and the Elephant – Kate Hemblen & Glyn Thomas / Strings Attached. An ageing Irish prisoner reminisces about his time “outside” the Don Jail, building the Riverdale Zoo. Princess Rita, an elephant he cared for there, drew crowds and revenue to the Zoo – yet lived a life of cruel isolation. Theirs is a linked story of incarceration, confinement and connection.
My Lovely Frenemy – Afsaneh Zamani. The napkins are expected to be ironed neatly and uniformly to look great and the iron is there to do its best! However, a small napkin resists ironing and… The show will be performed with objects on the ironing board.
Pin-Pin the Eggsplorer – Catherine Maleikova / Twisted Dog Theatre. An immersive and heartwarming theatrical adventure for kids aged 0-6, featuring talented actors, colourful shadow puppets, incredible music and original rhymes by Storyteller Sally Jaeger.
GARBAGE: the Entrée of the Ballet of the Otters – Honeyball Puppetry / Lindsay Lee, Maiko Taku and Robin Polfuss. A performance in development about how people are becoming desensitized towards the impending disaster if we don’t clean up what we do to our planet. This is a work in progress, opening scene, introducing a playful otter, in their beautiful environment, but something is amiss…
Wrens Recipes – Shawna Reiter & Ginette Mohr