Streaming Event: Jules Verne Adaption

HEAR YE, HEAR YE...

Each weekend, Saturday and Sunday only, you'll be able to see one of legendary productions of the famous marionette company Carlo Colla & Figli of Milan. This weekend, "From the Earth to the Moon", after the novel by Jules Verne, written in 1865, with music from Jacques Offenbach's operetta "Le Voyage dans la lune". Carlo Colla's first marionette production of this show was in 1898.

Only today Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May will be online "From Earth to the Moon", by the Fondazione Carlo Colla & Figli, which comes from Jules Verne's novel of 1865.

In 1875 composer Jacques Offenbach composed the operetta "Le Voyage dans la Moon" which the show was inspired.

In 1898 Charles II Colla put hand to the lyrics to create a version suitable for puppet representation. The Company worked on making puppets, hand scolding them and making their clothes. The sets were commissioned by Antonio Rovescalli, to be integrated by Ugo Bellio, Achilles Lualdi, scenographers of the Teatro alla Scala, in the early 900. s.

A work of artisan effort that led to the show "From Earth to the Moon", with puppets impersonating Terrestrials and Lunari, achieving a great success.

In 1993 a new version of the show was presented at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, last represented at Piccolo Teatro Grassi at the end of December 2019.

May Fayre Memories Documentary

For 45 years Maggie Pinhorn and Alternative Arts have organised the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival. In this video Punch and Judy professors, puppeteers, entertainers and puppet builders discuss what makes the day so magical, why people travel from across the globe to attend, and thank Maggie for her unparalleled contribution to British puppetry.

Beverley Puppet (Online) Festival: Back to Nature

The award-winning Beverley Puppet Festival usually fills the streets with excited onlookers. Giant creatures roam around Toll Gavel, Butcher Row and the Flemingate Centre; tiny, magical worlds are revealed to unsuspecting audiences in the Friary Gardens and indoor shows for all ages from 0-103 take place at The Friary, East Riding Theatre, Beverley Masonic Hall and Toll Gavel Church Hall.

The Covid-19 pandemic could have caused cancelling this year's festival; however, it was decided instead to go online. This is a new adventure for the festival team and one that now spans two months instead of just one weekend!

Anna Ingleby and Kerrin Tatman, Founder & Co-Artistic Director / Co-Artistic Director respectively, share:

"The emphasis is on what can be done at home, not on filming finished performances which we would prefer to see live. Three artists’ videos per week have been commissioned, to start appearing from May 18th – July 12th to inspire and invite people of all ages to participate in a diverse range of puppetry-related activities that can be completed at home."

This year's festival theme is BACK TO NATURE to which the  artists will each bring their own unique interpretation and audiences are encouraged to do the same. The original stimulus for this theme is the current climate change crisis. Unless nature is respected, important ecosystems which are needed to support human survival will collapse.

Sounds pretty exciting.  MORE innovative ONLINE solutions to physical world limitations...

Student Production: Shakespeare Film Adaptation

Anglia Ruskin University's Film & Television program students created this toy theatre trailer recently. They shared with me that, "...We are going to release a very different version very soon!"

I look forward to it!