July Class in DC-- Body-Motion-Gesture

center for movement theatre actor preparation of the body the imagination and the art of collaboration www.thisisthecenter.com 202 462-5810 BODY · MOTION · GESTURE Taught by Dody DiSanto JULY 1 – 29 Tuesday nights 7 - 10pm 5 Weeks Tuition - $250 Class location: The Center 4321 Wisconsin Ave, NW METRO: redline Tenleytown This class will work from the roots of classical pantomime and progress to a fast-paced style of gestural language that develops both micro and macro image building. They will also investigate spatial dynamics through the use of a reduced playing area. Strong ensemble training. Dody DiSanto TRAINING: Diploma, teaching certificate, Laboratoire Etude de Movement from Ecole Jacques Lecoq, where she received a private pedagogic apprenticeship; Etienne Decroux: corporal mime; Ecole Nationale du Cirque: wire, juggling, acrobatics, tap under the direction of Annie Fratellini; George Washington University: Fine Arts, Dance; Corcoran College of Art and Design. Nationally Certified for Massage Therapy and Bodywork. TEACHING: Faculty at The Academy for Classical Acting for The Shakespeare Theatre at The George Washington University, The Yale School of Drama, The Catholic University of America and at The Center for Movement Theatre in Washington DC; Corcoran College of Art and Design: Dynamic Studies in Space, Gesture and Structure; Theatre of Creation Festival: assistant to Jacques Lecoq; Ringling Clown College and many years of residencies, workshops and coaching in various settings from academia to the curb of life. PERFORMANCE: Off-Broadway at LaMaMa E.T.C., Lincoln Center Serious Fun Festival, Theatre for the New City, the Avignon Festival and for television and film. Founder and artistic director of Membrane Theatre Ensemble, and a member of several ensembles, including Chantier Theatre, Present Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre and Barking Rooster Theatre. Dody also created, owned and managed internationally acclaimed music venue, Nightclub 9:30 in Washington DC from 1980-87. INFORMATION – REGISTRATION – WWW.ThisIsTheCenter.com

Didier Danthois

Didier Danthois is a clown and clown teacher based in London, England. Didier first trained in Clowning and Circus skills 24 years ago at the Fratellini Circus School(Paris). He studied Expressionist Dance, Clowning, and then, Indian Raga singing with an Indian master. He is the founder of the Fool at Heart School of Sacred Clowning and teaches, performs, & directs internationally. The school offers Mime Clown & Musical Clown trainings with a focus on bringing out the healing potential of the fool and the clown for today’s world. Didier is also the spiritual director of ClownCare & Co., an organisation bringing Sacred Clowning into healthcare. Didier describes Sacred Clowning as follows: The clown is allowing himself to be vulnerable, to become truly naked to the present, to become empty. Then openness, an unstained perception can manifest, a veil is lifted to the realm of innocence and wonder. A sense of gratitude and a reverence for all things and all people emerge. Love and compassion fill the heart, carrying him, he feels held, as by an infinitively loving mother, holding her child. In that sacred space, everything is alive, and becomes a source of creativity. A dull face in the audience, a balloon exploding, a light-shadow on the floor, dust flying in the air, a bald head shining…Everything around him starts to tell a story, taking him on a journey into the unknown... A forgotten microphone stand takes over the stage. He feels left out, laughter in the audience calls him, he waves his hand, the stand is now looking at him severe and grave, and he shrinks under its power… A story unfolds, where every object speaks, where everybody contributes, where there is an invisible link between all things and all people. Enchanted, he becomes an instrument being played, in service of the unseen. This is Magic. This is Sacred Art. This is the Sacred Clown. Didier has been inspired by the teachings of the Buddha for the last thirteen years. He works towards creating an art which celebrates the beauty of authenticity, compassion & the interdependence of all things and all people. His dedication is to encourage a greater understanding of the Wisdom of the Child. His present work explores the field of emotional and spiritual resonance through the Fool at Heart in mime - dance - music & play, and also through Indian Raga singing, for both adults & children. To find out more about Didier's work, including workshops with him. visit his website listed below: http://www.sacred-clown-as-healer.co.uk

Last week for Bill Irwin in Philadelphia

Bill Irwin's show The Happiness Lecture has been extended for one week in Philadelphia. If you have the opportunity, you should see it! I drove down from NY on Saturday to see it. Overall it was great (Hey, it's Bill Irwin!) And a company of 9 very talented Philadelphia area artists. (including a friend from Dell'arte, puppeteer and performer Aaron Cromie. He actually won't be in the extended week (he had other commitments) Instead, another Dell'arte friend Dawn Falato will take over as the swing.) I have some thoughts about the show, if you care to read them.... Like most of Bill's original shows, the play is a meditation on his work in the theatre, and a dialogue between tricks, fear of failure (and success), and the utility of worry. If people over time begin to resemble their dogs, it's even more true with their shows, direct reflections of what they are thinking about as artists. It's very true with this show-- in some ways it is a direct continuation, extension of Regard of Flight. Regard was newer to me of course, and Bill was even more agile then than he is now (which seems hard to believe), and there are a lot of similar elements to this show, but there are also lots of twists that will have Bill Irwin watchers riveted. I'm not as fond of the writing and directing of the show as I am of the performance of the show, which (especially for Bill) borders on the virtuosic. His use of his body is fantastic, whether it's a remote control podium gone awry, creation of two cavemen (well, let's not call them that-- let's call them early men) that illustrate a sort of Darwinian Happiness Theory, or performing a beautiful Mr. Noodle piece, Bill is always as precise as a Swiss watch. It's a pleasure to watch him work, although work is the wrong word. He glides fluidly from routine to routine, and that's his genius. An amazing piece of theatrical genius is in the staging. The use of puppets of Bill Irwin and the creation of multiple focused prosceniums of different sizes and scales borders on the fantastic. The stage shifts several times in scale, and each time does so with precision and ease- it reminded me that the most effective techniques are often the simplest. And it brings home the constant argument that Bill's shows seems to always have- I've got the clown thing going, but what does it all mean? I'm not 100% sure that there's an answer to that question-- there is a kind of constant narrative about narrative throughout the piece, and a use of theatrical conventions (the pre-show speech, the usher, the audience member placed in peril) that is always pleasant to watch but is not really linear or conducive to the "well-made play." At the end of the show, I heard a grandmother asking her two teenaged grand-children what they thought of the show. GRANDMOTHER: Wasn't that marvelous and fun? What did you think? GRAND-DAUGHTER: I liked it, but it was a little weird. I didn't quite get it. GRAND-SON: Yeah, it was cool, but I didn't really get it. It was weird. It wasn't their typical play, but they liked it. If you'd like to see the show, visit the Philadelphia Theatre Company's Website listed below: http://www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org/2008/lecture.html On a related topic-- Cirque du Soleil was just ending a run of Kooza (directed by Irwin collaborator David Shiner) down the block from the theatre. If I had known, I would have tried to have gotten tickets for both. Kooza's next stop is Chicago, then Boston, then Washington DC.

FUNAMBOLIKA 2008 (Italy July 5-8)

Funambolika 2008 is the 2nd edition of the summer circus arts festival particularly focused on clowns, and conceived by Italian clown and director Raffaele De Ritis. It takes places in Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy, in the open-air Teatro D’Annunzio on the Adriatic beach. This is the same 2000-seats arena where Pescara Jazz, one of the oldest and most prestigious jazz festivals in the world takes place (www.pescarajazz.com). Funambolika is organized by the same company Last year's festival featured Jango Edwards and David Larible. This year's festival will have three evenings of entertainment: July 5 DUEL (Paul Staicu, piano – Laurent Cirade, cello) The comedy musical revelation of last year’s Edimburgh and Avignon Festival July 7 PETER SHUB The legendary clown with his solo theatre show “Nice Night for an Evening” July 8 GRAN GALA DU CIRQUE Guest star: Andrei Jigalov An evening of international circus acts (from Monte Carlo Festival, Kiev School, Moscow Circus, Cirque du Soleil appearances) including among others juggler Boul, acrobat Maxim Popazov, contorsionist-swimmer Aqua and others, around a special guest star: clown ANDREI JIGALOV, the king of contemporary russian laughmakers. Pescara is a ten minute drive from Aereoporto d’Abruzzo (www.abruzzo-airport.it ), and is easily connected to via many major cities. For all other destinations, the Rome Fiumicino airport is 2 hours drive. For more information visit the following websites: Funambolika blog: www.funambolika.blogspot.com General program: www.entemanifestazionipescaresi.it Myspace: www.myspace.com/funambolika Tickets: (39) 085-6920057 – (39) 085-4221463 Organization: (39) 085-693093 • (39) 085-4503036 Email: info@entemanifestazionipescaresi.it Artistic direction: rderitis@hotmail.com

Slapsticon- Virginia (July 17-20)

SLAPSTICON is a four-day, international film festival dedicated to classic motion picture comedy! This year, the sixth annual festival will be held from Thursday July 17, through Sunday July 20, at Arlington county's spacious Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. The 6th Annual SLAPSTICON will start off with a triple slap when "The 3 Stooges Rarities Show", begins on Thursday July 17 at 7:00pm. This never-before-seen compendium of home movies, TV clips and other Stooge ephemera (with a few classics thrown in) is not to be missed. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: W.C. Fields' first starring feature, Sally of the Sawdust (1925), directed by D.W. Griffith from Fields' Broadway hit, Poppy (Thursday, July 17 at 9:00 p.m.) Buster Keaton's rarely screened The Silent Partner made for TV in 1955 and The Scribe (1966), a Canadian industrial film in which 70-year-old Buster walks on construction girders on a windy autumn day just months before his death. (Saturday July 19 at 2:00 p.m.). Ladies Night in a Turkish Bath (1928) shows how silents could sizzle even before the talkies. Forgotten comedienne Dorothy Mackaill is ripe for a modern-day rediscovery, with Laurel & Hardy foil James ("Doh!") Finlayson in support. (Saturday July 19 at 8:00 p.m.). The venue, Rosslyn Spectrum was originally built as a movie house in the early 1960's. The newly-renovated theater now has 387 cushioned theater seats - each with folding tables for note-taking critics, or for refreshments (which are allowed inside the theatre)!! All silent films shown at SLAPSTICON feature LIVE MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT by accomplished musicians, Dr. Philip Carli, Ben Model and Andrew Simpson. Each utilize different styles and both have many years of experience in the art of silent film accompaniment. SLAPSTICON Screenings will occur: Thursday, July 17, 1:00 p.m. - 12:00 mid. Friday, July 18 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 mid. Sat., July 19, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 mid. Sunday, July 20, 10:00am - 5:00pm. COST: $99 for the full four-day festival; $30 per day; $16 half-day. For more information about Slapstickon 2008 (including a registration form), visit www.slapsticon.org. You may also e-mail info@slapsticon.org or call 703-228-1841.

Commedia Workshops in L.A.

[via]Corpora & John Achorn Announce Ongoing Worksessions in Commedia dell’Arte Stage II – A six week intermediate/advanced class exploring character, selected lazzi, & scenarios ~ exploring how to apply commedia to the 21st Century Monday evenings 7:00~10:00pm @ [via]Corpora Studio Beginning Monday, June 16 ~ thru July 28 Stage I – A six week introduction to the essential elements of the commedia style: mask, mime, improvisation, character, physical routines, ensemble. Saturdays 10:00am – 1:00pm @ [via]Corpora Studio Saturday, June 28 ~ thru August 2 Cost: $210 ~ Early Registration Discount (before June 9th): $180 Payment information at www.viacorpora.com Contact: 310-396-3314 or jachorn@yahoo.com [via]Corpora: 6575 Santa Monica Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90038 John Achorn is a master teacher in commedia dell’Arte, having studied with Carlo Mazzone-Clementi; he was an original member of the Dell-Arte Company and was instrumental in the founding of the renowned Dell’Arte School in Blue Lake CA. Mr. Achorn has taught workshops and classes for over 35 years at such institutions as UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, University of Redlands, UC San Diego, USC, The Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, ARTEL and the Antaeus Company here in Los Angeles. He is an actor, director and writer.

Dell'arte MFA program in SF June 13-15

Although this deals with tragedy, and not circus/clowning per se-- the way that Dell'arte trains and deals with tragedy/melodrama is related enough to clown for me to include it here. If you can see the show, check it out and report back! Between Two Winters Created by the MFA Ensemble of the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre Catherine Tuttle, the accomplished and commanding mayor of Kalispell, MT, and her daughter, Naomi, travel to the deserts of Kuwait to honor a hero who was instrumental in extinguishing fires after the war in the Persian Gulf. During the course of the tribute, Catherine and this man recognize one another and now must reconcile a past they both have spent their lives running from. Between Two Winters is the culminating performance of the second year masters students in their study of the Tragic form. Tragedy is a form that, at its root, pits the rational and ordered world against the world of terror and chaos. It deals with the human drive to step out of the chorus to stand for and proceed into the hero's journey, unwilling to be passive anymore in a world that defies logic and reason. This sets the tragic hero onto an irreversible collision course with the unrelenting forces of fate that result in a crash of cosmic proportions. Fri, Jun. 13 - 8:00P Sat, Jun. 14 - 2:30P Sat, Jun. 14 - 8:00P Sun, June 15 - 2:30P At The Magic Theatre For directions to The Magic Theatre, go to: http://www.magictheatre.org/pages/location.shtml Call 707-668-5663 to inquire about student, educator and group discounts For more information, go to: http://dellarte.com/

Laugh Out Loud Festival (NY)-3 more days

Emerging Artists Theatre and Paul Adams, Artistic Director, has been presenting a festival entitled LAUGH OUT LOUD at the Roy Arias Theatre Center, Off-Off Broadway Theatre (300 West 43rd St, 5th floor, NYC). The festival is curated by EAT member. Jenny Lee Mitchell and co-curated by Honey Goodenough and Carol Lee Sirugo. Performances began Tuesday, May 27, 2008, and run through Sunday, June 1, 2008. Here's what's going on for the next three days. Friday May 30th, 8pm Host: Deenie Nast - Lucky you-Deenie Nast, Oscar Winner, 2 time Tony winner and international performance artist will grace the LaughOutLoud Festival with her presence, performing a song-filled tribute to herself. with: All Kinds of Shifty Villains - directed by Rachel Klein - carnival noir, blending elements of circus with crime fiction Mika - diabolo artist and juggler Carol Lee Sirugo - Gwendolyn Rosa Lee is on a mission: to pay homage to her favorite musical, Gypsy. She wishes she could be Gypsy Rose Lee. She can't. But where talent fails, guts prevail! The Marriage Of Reason - puppetry by Sean Keohane - "The Marriage of Reason": Originally written for children in 1860s Paris, Polichinelle's battle of the sexes with a content bachelorette isn't only Politically Incorrect, it's just wrong! Naughty, bawdy puppets, religious mysticism, and totally unnecessary slapstick violence. Film Noir Clowns - Jeff Seal and Chris Manley . Two clowns attempt to recreate a classic film noir tale on stage. Saturday May 31st, 8pm Host: The Maestrosities - The Coolest Band Ever! Or so they think!!! with: Kendall Cornell as The Torch Singer - The Torch Singer laments love in a comically grand style. Kendall Cornell's Soon-To-Be-World-Famous Women's Clown Troupe kick up their heels with an assortment of comic song and dance numbers." Mika - diabolo artist and juggler Carol Lee Sirugo as Gwendolyn Rosa Lee Rob Lok Sunday June 1st, 5pm Host: Dierdre with: Logic Limited Ltd - clown troupe A Wrinkle in Starch - puppetry by Leslie Strongwater and David Michael Friend Phillip Guerette as Phildo The Clown Emergency Use Only - puppetry by Erica Mclaughlin Four droning strangers are stuck in a subway tunnel when inspiration strikes: they put their personal effects together an a puppet eager to dance emerges to breathe life into an otherwise hapless situation. Miron Gusso - storytelling and clowning LAUGH OUT LOUD plays the following regular schedule through Saturday, June 1, 2008: Tuesday at 7:30 pm Wednesday at 7:30 pm Thursday at 7:30 pm Friday at 8:00 pm Saturday at 8:00 pm Sunday at 5:00 pm Tickets are $10. Advanced tickets are recommended (only 55 tickets available per show). For reservations, please visit www.eatheatre.org, or call 866-811-4111. Tickets may also be purchased in person half-hour prior to the performance at Roy Arias Theatre Center (300 West 43rd St, 5th floor). * Running Time: 60 minutes * All performances include an open Talkback Session with the performer and staff after the show. Emerging Artists Theatre's mission is to provide a dynamic home for emerging writers and artists, providing the unique opportunity for playwrights to collaborate with directors, actors, and designers throughout the development process--from idea through fully realized production. EAT's supportive environment continues to nurture a close-knit group of artists working toward the common goal of creating dynamic theatre, and its commitment to the development of new works is integral to the cultural enrichment of New York City. To find out more about Emerging Artists, please visit their website listed below: http://www.eatheatre.org/

Authentic Dynamics Workshop: Momentum & Change (NY)

Authentic Dynamics: momentum and change for actors and clowns Join Under the Table's Matt Chapman on Saturday, July 5 in Brooklyn for a unique physical investigation of the dynamics of the performer This world works on certain undeniable dynamics. To perform with authenticity, the actor must have the ability to identify and navigate them. In this workshop, a few fundamentals of the stage will be explored, including johakyu ( beginning/middle/end, or how things grow, break, and resolve), minimum-to-maximum, evolution, and the rhythms of comedy. W This workshop is appropriate for actors, clowns, and directors of all levels. Learn to see human action and comedy onstage more clearly. Dress to move and bring water. When: Saturday, July 5, 2008. 1-6:30 pm Where: Triskelion Arts: 118 N. 11th St, 3rd Floor. (L to Bedford, Williamsburg, Brooklyn) Cost: $75 (Limited scholarships are available) To register, reply by email. Payment holds your slot. us@underthetabletheatre.org Note: Class size is limited. If it gets filled up, they'll add a repeat section on Sunday the 6th, so if you're interested in that, let Matt know quickly. __________________________________________________________ Matt Chapman is a performer, director, and teacher of physical theatre and clown. He is Artistic Director of Brooklyn's Under the Table, a physical theatre ensemble. He also tours as an actor with Dell'Arte International (California). In the US, Matt has taught Clown and Improvisation as adjunct faculty at Marymount Manhattan College and Manhattanville College in New York, and has taught workshops at New York University, Vassar College, Sarah Lawrence College, Towson University, Luther College, the University of Iowa, the University of North Dakota, the New York Fringe Festival, and the Carolinian Shakespeare Festival, as well as working in public schools and with the mentally ill in New York care facilities. He has served as an assistant to Ronlin Foreman, Clown master and Director of Pedagogy at Dell'Arte International. Matt teaches abroad as well; his workshops in the last year have included South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England. This past winter and spring, Matt directed "Circus Life," a contemporary circus work about HIV/AIDS in Durban, South Africa, toured the US teaching workshops for Dell'Arte International through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and taught Clown workshops in Denmark with the other members of Under the Table while on tour there. He attended the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas. To find out more about Matt's work, please visit the websites listed below: http://www.underthetabletheatre.org http://www.clownnosefactory.com

Edith Tankus

Edith Tankus is an actor, theatre artist and clown living in Canada. An alumnus of L'Ecole Jacques Lecoq and L'Ecole Philippe Gaulier. She is an award-winning actress and clown who has toured North America garnering rave reviews with her one woman show "Not Yet, At All", a lyrical and humorous piece of storytelling and aerial work. Edith also has a solo clown show for young audiences, "Hurricane Gerty". She is currently touring across Canada playing in schools and Theatre Festivals and charming audiences with her superbly comic performances. A brilliant blend of physical comedy, clown and audience engagement "Hurricane Gerty" is achingly funny and filled with wit and soul. Edith has worked as Artist in Residence in theatres across Canada where she has performed and led workshops in clown and physical theatre. She is co-founder and co-artistic director of Magpye Theatre and, as part of the Artist in Education Program of the Ontario Arts Council, has taught in numerous elementary and high schools. She has collaborated with internationally acclaimed touring company Kneehigh Theatre of Cornwall, England and award–winning vaudevillian Tomas Kubinek . Their last collaboration resulted in the Gemini-nominated feature film "Tucked into Bedlam" based on his stage play "Bed", which premiered on CBC's Opening Night. Currently she is on board with an International Arts Organization, Circus Remedy, whose mandate is to bring acclaimed theatre and circus artists to perform their shows in hospitals and poverty stricken communities all over the world. She also tours with theatres, and has recently appeared in London with the KneeHigh Theatre's "Rapunzel" . To find out more about Edith's work, please visit her website listed below: www.edithtankus.com

Bill Irwin/ Aaron Cromie podcast

Fascinating hour of conversation about clowning and clowns with Bill Irwin and Aaron Cromie regarding the Happiness Lectures. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/052208_110630.mp3 Definitely listen to it!

Laura Herts

Laura Herts is a France based American performer, whose training began years ago at the The Baltimore School for the Arts where she studied Dance and Visual Arts. Upon graduating, she began a world tour, which has now been extended into a lifetime experience. Through her travels she rediscovered a childhood passion; mime. From that moment on, she performed wherever possible, beginning with street performing and teaching mime in Israel in 1985. As her passion for the art of mime, improvisation, and comedy performance grew, she decided to continue her quest for experience and knowledge by travelling to and throughout Europe; participating in Theatre festivals and attending workshops and Schools based on the Physical Theater. Laura, studied under Lassaad Saidi, Jacques Lecoq, Philippe Gaulier, Daniel Stein, Stanislav Borgeofski, and Zigmund Mollic, while continuing to earn a living performing. Slowly and surely, Laura developed her original style of theater creating a world of clown, comedy, and social satire. She has created a number of one woman shows, including "The Last Tangle In Paradise," "Electric Lazy Land," and "Won Woman Show," as well as various cabaret numbers. Performing interactively with her audiences, she has played in theatres, cabarets, circuses, and many festivals throughout Europe, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Israel, and Madagascar, as well as teaching workshops in mime and clowning. To find out more about Laura's work, please visit her website listed below: www.lauraherts.com

Toy Theater Festival opens Friday (in Dumbo NY)

TOY THEATER MUSEUM SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAMS AND PERFORMANCES BENEFIT CONCERT TTF '08 CREDITS To order tickets for specific Programs, use the BUY TICKETS! links in the Program & Performances listings below. Individual programs $20; additional programs $15; kids' tickets half-price. To order a Festival Pass, click here! You will be taken to the St. Ann's Warehouse site. Festival Pass: $50! Includes admission to all shows, workshops & benefit concert not included. For assistance, or to order tickets by phone, call: 866-811-4111 or 718-254-8779. St. Ann's Warehouse 38 Water St., DUMBO, Brooklyn (Map) Getting here: A or C to High St.; F to York St.; 1, 2, or 3 to Clark St. 23FRI 5:00pm Toy Theater Museum Opening Reception 7:30pm Program 1 10:00pm Program 2 24SAT 1:00pm Public Workshop 5:00pm Symposium I 7:30pm Program 2 10:00pm Program 1 26MON 7:30pm Program 3 27TUE 7:30pm Program 4 28WED 7:30pm Program 4 9:30pm Toy Theater Festival Benefit Concert and Reception Parvathy Baul 29THU 7:30pm Program 5 10:00pm Film Screening: Dante's Inferno 30FRI 7:30pm Program 5 10:00pm Program 6 31SAT 1:00pm Public Workshop 5:00pm Symposium II 7:30pm Program 6 10:00pm Cabaret Mounted throughout the Warehouse, the finest examples of historical and contemporary toy theaters, representing 100 artists and collectors. Opening Reception: Friday May 23rd from 5:00 to 7:00pm; FREE! The exhibit will be open (and free) to the public and ticketholders one hour before showtimes and starting at 2:00pm on May 29 and 30. TEMPORARY TOY THEATER MUSEUM PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Jason Adams • Emily Anderson • Morgan FP Andrews • Germán List Arzubide • Danielle Ash • Daniel Baker • Jon Bankert • Alejandro Benítez • Michelle Beshaw • Eric Bernard • Ramón Alva de la Canal • David Hyde Costello • Jonathan Cross • Pablo Cueto • Marsian DeLellis • Trish Denton • Andrea Dezsö • Drama of Works • Morgan Eckert • Eric Edelman • Joel Egger • Beth Elkins • El Puente Academy Students & El Puente Leadership Center • Sally Fisher • Sean-Michael Fleming • Jane Freeman • Elvira Gascón • Janie Geiser • Alexandra Gray • Chris Green • Ayesha Hameed • Patrick Harrop • Sarah Hauser • Louise Harter • Serra Hirsch • Island Academy (Rikers Island) • Frances Jetter • Rebecca Kelly • Tine Kindermann • Kieran Kinsella  • Mayer Kirshenblatt • Kara Kovacev • Daniel Lang/Levitsky • Jamie Leo • Naima Lowe • P.J. McWhiskers • Johnnie Moore • Ann Neff • El Neto • Ken Nintzel • Judith O'Hare • Oiseaux Sisters (Carolyn Fellman & Susan Andrews) • Erin Orr • Lisa Pietersma • Fiona Pippa • Valeska Populoh & Cause Company • Julio Prieto • Helen Quinn • Kip Rathke • Maddy Rosenberg • Erik Ruin • AE Ryan • Harry Saffren • Toni Schlesinger • Beom Sik Shim • Annie Silverman • Lake Simons • Lydia Stein • Mark Sussman • KT Thomas • Edwin Torres • Amy Walsh • K Webster • Karen Werner • Paul Zaloom/Sean Meredith/Sandow Birk • Danijel Zezelj Above (l to r): From Alain Lecucq's A Robinson, Temporary ToyTheater Museum (2006), Great Small Works' Blue Skies FESTIVAL BENEFIT CONCERT: Parvathy Baul Join us for this special concert and reception with international artist Parvathy Baul, a gifted singer, painter and storyteller from West Bengal who has chosen the path of self-training in the Baul order. Parvathy is known for her electrifying voice and masterful solo performances in the ancient Baul style, dancing and singing while accompanying herself with use of traditional instruments (the duggie, ektara, and nupu). Wednesday, May 28 at 9:30pm Admission $30 BUY TICKETS! FILM SCREENING: Dante's Inferno A film which melds the seemingly disparate traditions of apocalyptic live-action graphic novel and charming Victoria-era toy theater, Dante's Inferno is a subversive, darkly satirical modern update of the original 14th-century literary classic. A collaboration between artist Sandow Birk, designer Elyse Pignolet, director/writer Sean Meredith, composer Mark McAdam, and writer/puppeteer Paul Zaloom. Thursday, May 29 at 10:00pm Admission: $10 BUY TICKETS! PUBLIC WORKSHOPS Learn about the history and construction of toy theater stages and puppets, then create your own story—in a box! All ages welcome. Saturdays May 24 & 31, 1:00 to 4:00pm Admission: $20 for adults, kids $10 Saturday May 24 BUY TICKETS! Saturdays May 31 BUY TICKETS! HIGH SCHOOL WORKSHOPS Students from Brooklyn's El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice will present an original toy theater work inspired by the 1992 Cuban film, "The Last Rhumba of Papa Montero," and the students' own reflections on rites of passage. The production stems from Great Small Works' Toy Theater-making workshops in NYC public high schools (including Island Academy on Riker's Island), and is a collaboration between El Puente Academy, El Puente Williamsburg Leadership Center, and Great Small Works teaching artists Jenny Romaine, Sam Wilson and Phillip Shung. Friday, May 30 Brooklyn location & Time TBA F R E E ! TOY THEATER SYMPOSIA SYMPOSIUM I: New Dramaturgies: Puppetry, Video, and the Miniature Moderated by Mark Sussman With panelists: Toni Dove, Sha Xin Wei, Grant Guy, and Susan Simpson. Saturday May 24, 5:00 -7:00pm. FREE! SYMPOSIUM II: Seriously Fake: The Compressed Powerof the Miniature (A discussion of possibilities for Toy Theater in the 21st Century) Moderated by John Bell With: Eileen Blumenthal, Claudia Orenstein, Ravi Gopalan Nair,and Frank Maugeri. Saturday, May 31, 5:00 - 7:00pm. FREE! Alejandro Benîtez (see Program 1) FAMILY PROGRAM Sunday 5/25 at 11:00am and 2:00pm LIZ JOYCE (Sag Harbor, New York) The Rooster's Gift Rooster is proud of his gift, crowing and making the sun rise until one morning, he oversleeps and the sun rises without him! A colorful, traditional Toy Theater puppet show for young children and chickens, written by Pam Conrad. JUDITH O'HARE, YOU & ME PUPPETS (Reading, MA) The Crocodile, The Boy, and The Good Deed A story from the plains of Africa which raises a universal question: "Does a good deed deserve a bad deed? PETER SCHAUERTE-LÜKE (Germany) Zeralda's Ogre Based on a well-known children's book by Tomi Ungerer. This ogre likes children very much - to eat. RON SOPYLA (NYC) Shadow Screens The ultimate in low tech shadow puppetry! Cardboard cut outs on a frame made of tinker toys lit by penlight flashlights. Still, they fill a wall with funny, exciting, and dreamlike images to accompany good, silly stories. Family Program Sunday 5/25 at 11am BUY TICKETS! Sunday 5/25 at 2pm BUY TICKETS! PROGRAM ONE Friday 5/23 at 7:30pm Saturday 5/24 at 10:00pm HANNE TIERNEY, GAUTAM DASGUPTA and JANE WANG (NYC) Das Triadische Ballett This Bauhaus toy theater features the rise and fall, from 1912 to 1923, of Oscar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet. The story chronicles the pitfalls of collaborations, and is performed by cut-outs of Schlemmer's costume designs. Jane Wang accompanies on the toy piano. SPICA WOBBE & PEI-YU SHIH (NYC & Taiwan) "So Close and Yet... So Far" A non-verbal poetic story created with shadows and light about a girl searching for a star which looks so close and yet… so far. Performed by Spica Wobbe and Morgan Eckert. Music by Yang Chen and Ming-chang Chen. LAURA HEIT (Los Angeles) The Matchbox Shows Miniature Raconteur and sequined pyromaniac performs teeny tiny puppet shows inside matchboxes. HUNTER KACZOROWSKI (NYC) Duncan, Part One -or- The Boy With a Bird in His Heart A dreamscape of the early life of Duncan Grant (1885-1978), one of the first Post-Impressionist painters in England and an enigmatic playboy of English bohemia. Performed with Dax Valdes, narrated by Charis Jones. Program One Friday 5/23 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! Saturday 5/24 at 10:00pm BUY TICKETS! PROGRAM TWO Friday 5/23 at 10:00pm Saturday 5/24 at 7:30pm CAITLIN LAINOFF (Los Angeles) Le Petite Macabre A puppet opera inspired by Gyorgy Ligeti, the story of an inept devil heralding the destruction of the world to make way for a cleaner, brighter century. Performed by Jesse Ayala, Danielle Ash, Beom-Sik Shim and Catherine Strecker, music by Daniel Corral--all current students or recent graduates of California Institute of the Arts. CLARE DOLAN, GABE LEVINE, and THE MUSEUM OF EVERYDAY LIFE (Vermont) The Road to Brody The story by Russian Jewish writer Isaac Babel succeeds to be more than just a lyrical anti-war tome. Turning his keen eye towards the everyday interactions of ordinary people, Babel deftly reveals greater truths about the generosity and avarice of human beings, and the sheer beauty of life, despite all of its brutality and disappointments. GREAT SMALL WORKS & CENTER FOR ADVANCED VISUAL STUDIES, MIT Definitely Maybe Based on a novel by Soviet science fiction writers Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, which questions the limits of scientific knowledge in the modern world from the perspective of a handful of 1970's Soviet scientists. A collaboration between John Bell, Larissa Harris and Jessica Rylan through MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies. RAVI GOPALAN NAIR & PARVATHY BAUL (Kerala, India) The Story of Radha and Krishna A singing story-telling performance with small hand-carved wotoden puppets, based on Indian concepts of Toy Theater. The story of Radha and Krishna has inspired men and women from all classes and religions for many centuries; its story of unconditional love brought revolution in human relationships with the freedom to remain unbounded. Program Two Friday 5/23 at 10:00pm BUY TICKETS! Saturday 5/24 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! PROGRAM THREE Sunday 5/25 at 7:30pm Monday 5/26 at 7:30pm VARIOUS ARTISTS Mini-Performances in The Museum Small, short, intimate performances take place simultaneously in the Temporary Toy Theater Museum. Peep shows, experiments with light and shadow, pop-ups, and pre-film technology. Janie Geiser (Los Angeles) The Reptile Under the Flowers Erin Orr with Sxip Shirey and Fabian Gonzalez (NYC) Armchair Naturalist Adhere & Deny (Winnipeg) The Prampolini Action Lake Simons (NYC) The Old Umbrella Man Daniel Lang-Levitsky (NYC) Excerpts from muqaddimah Chris Green (NYC) Sleepwalker's Waltz Great Small Works & Topological Media Lab (Montreal) Soil Desire People Dance Danielle Ash & Beom Sik Shim (Los Angeles) Light Cave and Light Surgery Alexandra Gray (NYC) From Ashes Ken Nintzel (NYC) Palindrome SUSAN SIMPSON (L.A.) Concrete Folk Variations A steely serial noir set in the cop-shops, lesbian bars and streetcars of McCarthy era Los Angeles, just before the rise of the modern gay rights movement. PETER SCHAUERTE-LÜKE (Germany) Jack the Giant Killer -and- The Giant's Tale Direct from the Burgtheater in a castle near Cologne, two stories about giants: the first a traditional English tale; the second based on a short story by Wolfgang Hildesheimer, whose stories mirror human behaviors with a fine black humor. ALEJANDRO BENiTEZ & ANA MARTiNEZ (Mexico City) Leyendas Based on two popular Mexican fables from colonial times, representing myths still alive in Mexico's memory: a beautiful sorcerer and a deserving ghost. Program Three Sunday 5/25 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! Monday 5/26 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! PROGRAM FOUR Tuesday 5/27 at 7:30pm Wednesday 5/28 at 7:30pm PUPPETEERS COOPERATIVE (NYC & Boston) Civility and the Sea Three women of Marblehead encounter cross-dressing, capitalism, and murder, while remaining perfectly respectable at all times. Performed by Sara Peattie, Theresa Linnahan and Michelle Beshaw, known for large-scale puppet parades, pageants and ceremonies of celebration and complaint. LITTLE BLUE MOON THEATRE (California) Nathalie -and- The Widow Little Blue Moon Theatre is known for its gently erotic and often hilarious toy theatre productions. In Nathalie a French street puppeteer takes off all of her clothes inside her booth puppet stage on a hot day.In The Widow a lamenting widow offers anything for a night of complete satisfaction with a man. Created and performed by Michael and Valerie Nelson (aka Magical Moonshine Theater). ALAIN LECUCQ, COMPAGNIE PAPIERTHEATRE (France) A Robinson Robinson Crusoe, alone-or almost alone--on his desert island, is one of the most famous characters in literature. He was seen on stages all over England and many paper theatres of the 19th century were dedicated to him. Texts from both Daniel Defoe's novel and historic toy theater adaptations. TORRY BEND (Los Angeles) Loser Adaptation of Aimee Bender's story of a boy who, after losing his parents, develops a supernatural relationship to objects. Narrator: Julia Paskin; Puppeteers: Brenda Gausch, Catherine Strecker, Caitlin Lainoff, Jesse Ayala; Musicians: Emily Corwin, Daniel Corral; artwork by Cristina Paulos. Program Four Tuesday 5/27 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! Wednesday 5/28 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! PROGRAM FIVE Thursday 5/29 at 7:30pm Friday 5/30 at 7:30pm COSMIC BICYCLE THEATRE (NYC) The Dong with the Luminous Nose A selection from the upcoming operetta, Mister Edward Lear's ABSURD-Ditties. Designed, directed and composed by J.E.Cross of The ClockWorks, Inc. SHODDY PUPPET COMPANY (Philadelphia) Soldiers and Chickens In this surreal story of loyalty and love, mythological images from the works of H.C. Anderson and Frank L. Baum unravel allegories of aviation, acrophobia, and antebellum race laws, all converging at a soiree in the belly of a fish. MEREDITH HOLCH (Vermont) Picture Perfect An animated video featuring cut-out pictures and kids' farm toys come to life. The result is an inventive and poignant look at development's effect on Vermont's landscape and its disappearing rural traditions. CHINESE THEATRE WORKS (NYC) Two Horses Combining Peking Opera techniques and Western paper theater to tell a story of cultural change and continuity: CTW founder Kuang-Yu Fong's journey towards becoming a Peking Opera artist in late-20th-century Taiwan. Created by Kuang-Yu Fong and Stephen Kaplin and performed by Ms. Fong, Mr. Kaplin, Yayun Teng and Jing Shan. ERICA HARRIS (NYC) The Big Ship An animated video. Program Five Thursday 5/29 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! Friday 5/30 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! PROGRAM SIX Friday 5/30 at 10:00pm Saturday 5/31 at 7:30pm FRANK MAUGERI & SETH BOCKLEY (Chicago) Laika's Coffin A miniature opera with miniature Soviet-inspired sets, based on the biography of the doomed first animal in space. Created and directed by Frank Maugeri of Redmoon Theater and Seth Bockley, with music by Kevin O'Donnell, puppets by Kass Copeland, and art direction by Angela Tillges. PETER SCHUMANN (Vermont) University of Majd: The Story of a Palestinian Youth With the help of a violin, a pair of cardboard wings and a pile of paper dolls, Bread and Puppet Theater's director tells the real story of a Palestinian youth in an Israeli prison. PAUL ZALOOM & LYNN JEFFRIES (Los Angeles) Abecedarium N to Z Puppeteer and political satirist Zaloom and renowned designer and nightclub puppeteer Jeffries pack a wallop in a series of rapid-fire vignettes. GREAT SMALL WORKS (NYC & Boston) Blue Skies Scenes of flood, tornado, wind and rain question the politics of weather disaster. Created and performed by Isaac Bell, Trudi Cohen, Ron Kelley, Cate Kelley and Jonathan Kelley. Program Six Friday 5/30 at 10:00pm BUY TICKETS! Saturday 5/31 at 7:30pm BUY TICKETS! TOY THEATER CABARET HOSTED BY GREAT SMALL WORKS Saturday 5/31 at 10:00pm- One Show Only BUY TICKETS! Be terrified! Be Amazed! Be Inspired! The Angel of History lords over a carnival of short toy theater wonders ranging from the low to high tech, from traditional to inventive, from political to personal to fantastic. BONNIE DUNCAN (Boston) Alva's Companion A tiny lamplit meditation on love and loss. Music by Valerie Opielski. HOWIE LEIFER (NYC) The Preacher and the Flood A cautionary tale based on a song by Rick Nestler. EMILY DeCOLA & JONATHAN FARMER ( NYC) Unearthed A photographer attempts to capture the soul of his beloved in the heart of his camera. KATE BREHM (NYC) Pig and Pepper Alice is followed down a toy theater video rabbit hole, using classical Alice in Wonderland illustrations as puppets, and a camera as an overhead projector. ISAAC BELL (Boston) & JONATHAN KELLEY (Vermont) Manifest Destiny A rotting lump of a post-apocolyptic world in the confines of a rather large wooden box. Inspiration from Dante's Inferno and Dawn of the Dead, with lyrics from Radiohead, a poem by Claire King and soundtrack by Ron Kelley, Jonathan Kelley, and Isaac Bell. JIM NAPOLITANO & TIM LAGASSE (CT) The Rag The latest in "Wayang Zerox," the form these two UConn Puppet Arts graduates invented in 1992, combining Victorian Toy theater, a video camera and the daily news. ALISSA HUNNICUTT (NYC) Knoxville: Summer of 1915 Based on a song by Samuel Barber with text from a James Agee prose poem depicting the sights and sounds of Knoxville, Tennessee. A story of childhood memories and love of family. Toy Theater Cabaret Saturday 5/31 at 10:00pm One Show Only BUY TICKETS! Great Small Works is: John Bell, Trudi Cohen, Stephen Kaplin, Jenny Romaine, Roberto Rossi (on leave), and Mark Sussman Toy Theatre Festival: Co-Designer Rob Ebeltoft • Museum Associate Emmy Bean • Program Associates Lake Simons, Erin Orr • Production Manager Meghan Williams • Lighting Design Jeanette Yew • Stage Managers Andrea Rideout, Gregory Corbino • Graphic & Website Design Sean-Michael Fleming Great Small Works wishes to thank the following for their generous support of the Eighth International Toy Theater Festival: National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Jim Henson Foundation, Scherman Foundation, Kornfeld Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Sonya Staff Foundation, Asian Cultural Council