GSW9: Festival Report VI

Temporary Toy Theatre Museum

From, Tess Elliott - Toy Theatre Festival reporter-at-large, who says, "Here is my report on the Workshop and the Symposium..."

Saturday, June 12

Today was a long day! I went to the workshop hoping to see kids making toy theaters and only counted four children and three teenagers. The rest of us were a lot older! I threw myself into building. Half way through I was horrified to hear that we were expected to take them up to the stage and either perform or explain them. I am NOT a performer but they liked my theater. I saw a plastic apple and decided to do the Garden of Eden and called my theater Paradise, with an angry apple hanging on a big bare branch as the main character (someone else grabbed up all the leaves in the props box).

After the workshop, and there were some beauties, I went to the symposium. The Spanish lady with the collection of toy theaters was there, Professor Bell, two other performers and a professor in theater & puppetry at Hunter whose names I could not write down fast enough and will look up. It was interesting to hear them talk about the small scale of toy theater, though it was stretched to include the Bread and Puppet Theater (big sets and puppets) which kind of bursts out of the envelope so to speak. I for one felt it was appropriate for them to be represented, as the Bread and Puppet Theater gave birth to many of the toy theater professional performers working now on the East Coast. That will be part of my [next] report...

It is fun to hear the puppeteers talking about using this medium, though [some] did not like the video close-ups usually projected above. It isn't very attractive, for sure, but for people far back it makes sense of what they are seeing in a very tiny scale from the back rows. It is practically impossible, in a Festival type setting, to do toy theater in the way it was invented to be seen, with very small audiences. The more traditional theaters, being very small, are hard to see (the Little Blue Moon Theatre handed out little cheap opera glasses and I was glad to have them). I only suffered from having to sit in the front row (to hear better), which made me miss some of the lower movements on the smaller stages. I liked hearing that there are some, including Great Small Works who do performances in the schools. Kids seem to be so restless with electronics giving them short attention spans. Toy theater, especially when kids are involved in the shows, can help get those attention spans stretched out for the important things in life, like inventing or making something, building relationships, blissing out to a sunset, letting great art move you, finishing a whole novel...and perhaps making great art themselves.

Amen, Tess...Let's hope so!

GSW9: Festival Report V

This is a very special report, in my opinion, by Tess Elliott - our report-at-large at the Toy Theatre Festival. Why so special? Because she's reporting on some shows that take on some touchy subjects (not that some of the earlier ones didn't) and she shares some personal reactions. I appreciated that, and hope you do, also...

Friday, June 11th

We had to work as an audience for these shows.

Clare Dolan performed “Lingua Franca” with excellent music and sound by Ralph Denzer. The scene was a dark toy theater stage, painted in a primitive fashion with Mr. Denzer on the side, like the great old radio shows, surrounded by all his sound effects equipment and instruments. The stage is variously set with street scenes, torture rooms (the empty chair with a hard spotlight above), kids flipping around TV stations with the remote, and punctuated by a dance about torture by Dolan. She makes a point about how people react to even talk of torture, mixed in with bored kids, who would flip away from “that” channel, to every day life going on same as ever. I remember when government was run like government, and schools were run like schools; they are all run like corporations now, with the bottom line being their “lingua franca” and having downsized, fired all of their corporate ethics personnel first, and then all of their loyal middle aged, skilled workers next. It may seem heretical in a capitalist country to hate corporate values, but that kind of cold-blooded devotion to the bottom line is also the kind of thinking that leads a government that claims to care about people to accept torture as “playing the game.” I think Dolan makes a very good and dreadful point.

The Bread and Puppet Theatre did a show about the JFK assassination, with classical quotes interspersed in their usual ritualistic way, built around the chorus of “Hey, hey, hey” to the beat of bamboo sticks. The troupe is in and out of the set, doing dances about terrible things in this almost mystery play about the military and JFK's assassination. I know some people in the audience did not care for the troupe performing in front of the set without the puppets, but this company gave birth to many of our current puppeteer's careers today, particularly the ones who make political statements about the world's evils. I don't know who did it, in the end, though they clearly feel the military had a hand. I only know that I witnessed the first murder of my life when Oswald was killed on live television when I was a child and that is something I would appreciate a cleansing ritual for. I don't know about others people, but the hard realities of life that involve hunger, torture, oils spills, injustice all make me feel soiled and in need of a spiritual shower. It's not so much that I don't want to face those things, but they make one feel so small and helpless in the face of so much evil.

The next show I saw was Michael Sommers and Elise Langer [Open Eye Figure Theatre] performing “Amore! Que Fregatura!” by Maladetto Poetaccio. I knew something was up by reading the author's name which is basically Bad Poet, and means “love, go figure.” So the show starts with a funny song called the “Got No Pussy Blues” about how “She doesn't want to...” which got us laughing. It goes on through all sorts of strange objects, including the machine-like stage itself, and is mostly about sex, though gives lip service to romance and infatuation as Mr. Sommers and Ms. Langer keep up a frantic pace. The first puppet was actually genitalia, hopping about. It was as if they were performing a ritual live sex act with puppets that started late. The puppets pop up from hidden orifices around the stage, and then hang decorously from it, an artificial womb (a water balloon) get pierced by cupid's arrow. I think, when I was in school, I would rather have seen this show about sex than the very sad and boring scientific lecture with pictures given by a horribly embarrassed nun. Yes, it's scary, and fun, and a game we often can't resist. Yes, it's very confusing and bemusing, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more in the style of Open Eye Theatre. I think Mr. Sommers would be smiling if he knew that I sat there wondering what just happened to me.

The last show was very mysterious. It must have been my hearing, but I did not experience the show in a way that the program notes describe — that “B”, performed by Kyle Loven, has never met the man she writes to. He sits on the stage and reads air mail letters from “B” who becomes more enamored as the letters go along. I missed any reference here that they had not met, but in actuality it did not affect the experience of the show at all. After the letters, he picks up a box which is a projector, and in a mixture of video and shadow puppetry, shows a woman running here and there trying to find someone or something. Late into the show, he is pictured under an umbrella reading something and looking around. They are both lost, and do not find each other. I felt sad because often that's just how life works, trying to find love and not connecting. It's hard even to find the right kind of friends in life and I know too many women who have very few friends. Loven, a narrator and by proxy the love object, draws you into this confusing world with him and you could tell the audience was moved by the performance. I would have been just as happy without the video and just the shadow puppets, which are presented on a newspaper screen held by two hands which in itself is a statement all its own. I look forward to seeing more work from this young man but I also hope he does not try to be too clever with technology. Perhaps I am drawn to the live performances because it really is intimate, and like many it gets boring to “watch” the TV. This was a subject discussed at the symposium, and I find myself thinking about it more now.

I hear you, Tess. Television, even good television, only meets so much of our needs. There are some things that can't be done any other way than in person, with more interaction. You can't beat it!

The company listed above - Open Eye Figure Theatre - is from my neck-of-the-woods, up here in Minnesota - you never know where you'll find toy theatre!

GSW9: Festival Report IV

Our first post-crisis report from Tess Elliott, and a smashing one at that...!

Thursday, June 10th

Haus of Marsian Theater
"Growing up Linda"

The program notes say that it is about the troubled life of an ice cream heiress, and the truth about a lot of heiresses seems to be pretty strange; there are certainly some stories you think someone must have made up, but were true. The main character onstage is decked out in a white suit badly stuffed with padding, with a very oddly cut platinum blonde wig and accessories right out of the film noir genre. On the one hand, you wonder if this is the heiress, or is she merely the narrator? Most people were astonished that through the entire performance this actor, whose lips are covered with ice cream sprinkles, managed to narrate the entire performance without licking her/his lips (the voice sounded very masculine). There were two pop-up book stages, full of drawings (the artist in me loves seeing drawings as stagecraft because in toy theater you CAN) and an ice cream store attendant who moved around a tiny camera to show closeups of the drawings. It was a dark and troubling story dressed in white ice-cream-cone color with sprinkles on top.

Dan Hurlin and Dan Froot
“Who's Hungry—West Hollywood”

This was a triptych of three performances, each ending with a picture of a person, so that you can assume the story is about the real person. Story One is about a man who was very successful in design, but became addicted to drugs and alcohol, and then became HIV positive. It is actually a hopeful story about a man who crashes and burns, but manages to get drug free again. It is a story with hope and resourcefulness, which sets the tone for the three plays. Story two is about a woman who has nothing but her treasured little dog, and loses it. She is portrayed in a very imaginative way with ribbon, binoculars, a small leash, and tiny flip flops and through the efforts of one, two and sometimes three people becomes a living, moving person. I was very amused at how well this company works together, so that it takes a wee village of puppeteers to make such an entertaining character. This was without an old fashioned proscenium stage, but was just as effective as an animation made out of scribbles which works beautifully. The woman finds her dog again, even though someone has spent a lot of money taking care of it while the owner was trying to find it with fliers. Again, there is a message of hope and determination. The third story is about a man who recycles in his neighborhood and builds it into a kind of business that makes him a living. He doesn't want to be a mogul, likes things simple, and really just wants to enjoy life rather than be owned by a tax-paying, receipt-filing, by-the-book business job. It's a slice of life that tells you some of the problems they face, and how we are none of us all that different.

Concrete Temple Theatre
"Hudson to China"

It took me awhile to remember my history, that Hudson believed he could find a route to the Orient in the north of America. The Hudson River did get him far inland, and near the Great Lakes, but a route to the East was not to be. So they start with a song commemorating Henry Hudson, then fly ahead in time to Nixon's work in negotiating a relationship with China, which was the beginning of the Chinese taking over many areas of what was once American manufacturing. You see a perspective from an American and an immigrant's point of view. The large stage is used in an interesting way: it is a long shape rather like a pagoda, with scenery at top, with life size people popping up or large puppets, and openings on the lower front where people pop out. It was a more complex story that was a little harder to follow than the simpler narratives, but the accordion accompaniment and stagecraft still made it fun to watch.

"Please Stand By..."

I hate to say it, but right now our reporter-on-the-scene, Tess Elliott, is having technical problems, so is unable to send in reports from the toy theatre festival. Which is very ironic, since this is the climax of the festival, which ends tomorrow night.

As frustrating as that is, I hope Tess can still share her insights into these last few days once she can communicate again (which is unknown...) Until then, please be patient. I shall share what I can from other sources.

UPDATE: Tess is getting content through via comments; in turn, I will be transferring them to posts asap on Sunday - STAY TUNED!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Tess has SEVERAL posts coming all at once. I will be posting them as I get them done. I don't see any sense in parceling them out a day at a time or whatever. So when you see a new post, be sure to scan down the page, because they're might be more!

Exhibit: Worlds in Miniature - UPDATE

Since I last posted, the Museum of Performance & Design has put up a page about its upcoming exhibition, Toy Theater: Worlds in Miniature, opening July 13, 2010...

GSW9: Festival Report III (Part 2 of 2)

Tess shared more about the Cabaret lineup from Sunday night (June 6)...

SUNDAY Night (Continued)

So here is the cabaret lineup: The Dolly Wagglers, Quality Slippers Productions from Canada, Howie Leiffer's "Captain Jack and the Mermaid," Jamie Davis with "Sneak and Destroy," Alissa Hunnicutt's "Marry Me," Meredith Miller's "The Abduction" which I have already covered, and Great Small Work's "Toy Theatre of Terror as Usual."

The Dolly Wagglers are a couple I only know as Adam [Cook] and Lindsay [McCaw] who are terrific musicians as well as witty puppeteers. They were the ones who did "Bare Minimum Theatre" in the photos, and this stage was the same style. Their show was "The Woodcutters Opera," of the same style and equally funny. Adam sang out from behind the stage as the puppeteer while Lindsay accompanied him on the accordion. I always wondered where all the accordions went: they all joined toy theatre companies! I counted three in shows this week (I like the sound). It was a story about a woodcutter who got an idea (the idea imp had a gift in one hand and a knife in the other), who made the tired woodcutter think up a machine that would make toast, so that people wouldn't need fires to cook anymore. It was so popular that the King gave his daughter's hand in marriage to the woodcutter, and the people had time to take up hobbies and go look at Art. But no one knew where the toast came from. In some unexplained way, it came from the future, so that people and animals were starving. They send someone back to make the woodcutter see that you can't rob the future to have things easy today. The singing and the dialogue was both funny and charming and this duo were probably my favorites in the festival.

The Quality Slippers Productions was a trio of young women from Canada who performed "Being the Enthralling Story of Hercule Barbin, who was born a woman but died as a man." The three ladies performed "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," a number of times during the show with the middle one unable to remember her dance steps. In show biz we would have told her to go for a laugh but she just remained embarrassed. The story is about a girl who grows up in a quiet religious home in France, and discovers she is different. I could not hear the unmiked dialogue well, but the girl became attached to other females and at some point goes to a doctor and I am assuming finds out she is hermaphrodite or something like that. She takes on the role of a man but cannot live with the change (neighborly gossip and ostracism?) and in the end kills her/himself in the 1860's after writing down the life story. It was a cute production and in time I think they will learn how to go for the laugh. You cannot be dignified in toy theatre. Every single dignified performer in the mini shows could not keep an audience. A lot of these productions had adult subjects, and in a way it is satisfying to see these difficult subjects in unthreatening miniature theatricals. Maybe this is the new off-Broadway? There's no money in that, either!

Next was toy theater like it was invented: the theatrics are accompanied by a wonderful folk song played through the speakers about Captain Jack and the Mermaid by Meg Davis. Howie Leiffer, who could play the role of an old sea dog, manipulates his puppets to act out the story that is being sung in the song. It is a lovely way to prod your own imagination into giving life to these wee images on rods, seduced by the beautiful song. This is toy theatre at it's most basic and wonderful.

Jamie Davis's "Sneak and Destroy" is definitely a more modern theatrical: there is no speaking, but a gentle guitar accompaniment. The stage is an attractive, semi-abstract forest through which prance many deer. Then comes one hunter, two, and more. Then comes the woodcutters, and a wolf following them about on two legs (I could not see well from the side--I was trying to learn more about how the stages were used, but it lost me a perfect view of the story). A city springs up and at the end a wolf shows up in a business suit, drops a suitcase and leaves--and in the last scene there is just a picture of a bomb explosion. It was certainly a perfect visual lesson in nature fighting back. I think he didn't need to blow up the city to make his point, but it was a very lovely, low-key performance. The artistry of his set was extraordinary. I loved the ancient tradition that he fits right into: theater that does not require language to communicate.

Alissa Hunnicut's short, funny show was accompanied by a bluegrass band, and I could not hear their name. I found myself wishing there was a program with all the names in it. The band is in the back of the stage, and a wee toy theater in the center. She is at the side saying good night to her date, who gives her a shy peck and leaves quickly without the bag he was carrying. She sighs, and the music starts. In a moment she has whipped her coat off to show a white dress, flips on a bridal veil and in hilarious fashion sings "He's Gonna Marry Me" while acting it all out with her little rod puppets. It is frenetic and charming as she fantasizes blowing off his suspicious mother and having his kids. It ends abruptly when her date comes in without knocking to grab his bag. It was very entertaining.

I already saw Meredith Miller's show before, and of course you already have my bit on Great Small Works--which really was the topper for the night. Today, I plan to houseclean and catch up on business, and go frolicking out among the birds in Central Park. Our Riverside hawks lost all their babies when their nest was literally blown out of the tree in a windstorm, so I have been walking mostly in Central Park. Many of my favorite birds are nesting now and there will be little robins soon falling out of the bushes everywhere as they learn how to fly. I need the break! It is just perfect after a week of boiling in the hot sun! Lots to think about.

Amen, Tess - LOTS to think about. Great stuff - thanks for sharing with us! We look forward to your next report...

GSW9: Festival Report III (Part 1 of 2)

From our on-the-spot reporter Tess Elliott come these reports for Sunday at the ongoing 9th Annual International Toy Theatre Festival in New York...

SUNDAY

Tony Schlesinger as The Palace. She is not like a palace, she IS the Palace Theatre and she sits on the stage dressed as an older glam star "incognito" complete with sunglasses and scarf. It's a layered show. There is the actual miniature movie theatre, and a large screen for the projected images full size, and then the persona of the theater as a retired movie star. The persona and the mini theatre are surrounded by her court of staffers: the usher/butler, the candy girl, and the manager/director. She tells of her woes without whining: how she was once a palace of the greatest films, fell into disrepair, became a ratty porn house, and had a brief revival as an art film house. She, in truth, was the real show. There was a lovely way they had of showing just a close up of her elegantly stockinged legs on the big screen as she spoke, and as she tells the tale of disintegration, her stockings become more and more riddled with runs! There was a funny little bit where she talks about actually having therapy, and they trot out a little prop of an even tinier theater resting on a fainting couch! For some reason, I love imbuing inanimate objects with life, because like the astronomer John Dobson I feel like the entire universe is alive, and in truth, our fantasies are not interested in real life but in dreams. This grand dame doesn't know how anything works, or how the mysteries end, and doesn't really care.

I have to say that I grew up in movie houses because my father was a projectionist. He protested hopelessly against cable because he was sure he was going to lose yet another means of income. He actually died of a heart attack in the projection room after getting the movie running again once the power came back up after a thunderstorm! Those tarted up old film houses were made to seem grander than the most expensive mansion in the world, and they will always be full of mystery for me.

The next show was Meredith Miller, a tiny woman who wears a three tiered set of stages complete with plush red velvet curtains. She tells a tale of love that starts with romance in the head, progresses to love in the heart, and ends up with passion that plays itself out leaving her empty, (her heart having been consumed by her lover). She is desolate and inconsolable, and we as an audience felt sorry for her at the end. It was an interesting spectacle--simply done with a clear message.

She was followed on the same stage with Pop-up Theatre: John Mejias and another man (sorry I don't hear better) were in a box that looked like something cobbled from alley wood disgards. It was the kind of thing kids would build as a clubhouse, except for the collage of wood that stands for the city on top. They tell the stories in a disembodied voice coming through a speaker at the side, even though you know someone is in that box. The puppets remind me of German Expressionist woodcuts, very attractive and fierce, while the stories are rather odd events that take place at the school where he teaches. It's about parents who teach their children not to be victims by hitting back (with some becoming perpatrators as a result), lost dogs, and fire drills where neighborhood bullies throw eggs. Again, there seems to be this acceptance of the scary, the weird and the unfair as it comes and goes. It's that gigantic bored shrug called "whatever" that seems hopeless to me, but it is a very hard world graduating kids face now. Maybe it's a very necessary emotional distance.

The last show was by The Puppeteers' Coop of Boston & NYC with Sara Peattie & Theresa Linnihan and a young man who did their sound effects (he is from a separate company). It was a classic toy theatre performance, all about Coney Island--funny and sad at the same time. Someone really knew how to do Dwight Frye's mad laugh from the old Dracula which told me it was Coney Island as created by Dr. Frankenstein and Igor. I got a big kick out of it.

SUNDAY NIGHT (Cabaret)

...Hi! It's gotten cool again, though not inside the Festival Warehouse! Tonight was a little bit of everything. I can probably describe them but I want to look for pictures in the morning because some are not in the exhibit. It was a bit more adult but I got to actually see Great Small Works perform a newer piece--they did a satire on the Oil Spill and apparently this was a revamped version of an old one they performed before. You can really tell they have worked together for a long time. I can tell you, it REALLY makes the difference when the music and singing are quality. But that's tomorrow. Am going to really sleep tonight. But here are the pictures I promised. I could not get a great one of Torry Bend's odd theater that she wears. It's in a dark corner. I will try to do it with a flash to put on the DVD for you. Will also be uploading two shorter videos of walking through the exhibition.

They [Great Small Works] were the last act of the cabaret, and their theatre stage has to be fairly big. In truth they barely fit on the stage but they managed to crush in for their opening "stance" of shock and awe before they take up their stations around the stage (they each have their own frozen emotion, though they break it and either scream or laugh maniacally). I found myself wondering if they did that in response to the audience awaiting them. Everyone has their assigned task.They sang a sea chanty with lovely harmony about the "Red Rose going down" while an old style ship bobs in waves of gold, not blue. Here is a link with the words and a performance so you know what it sounded like: sea chantey The ship left and there came tea cups in saucers bobbing on the waters, and tea bags hovered over them like clouds (everyone loved that part) until a giant gas pump comes down to pour gas or oil into the cups. The cups float away and an oil derrick plunks down into the waves. The narrator talks about people saying "accidents happen" and then puppets act out repeating that like hysterical parrots, so the narrator says "sometimes it's just wickness." The sea chanty starts out again, and several BP logos, like colored clouds whisks across the sky (I thought of it as ball lightning, which bounces around and off things). The song is a haunting tune that seems appropriate for what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico. It got a rousing response from the audience. It was a pleasure to see them do their thing after years of reading about them.

More to come in Part 2...

GSW9: In the News

GSW9: Festival Report II

From Tess Elliot comes this news about Saturday at the festival...

The Symposium this afternoon though was a very nice experience. I ended up sitting next to Professor Bell and the participants were the three main artists of the Dutch Show (which was already sold out with a waiting list tonight, so I did not get in). They were lovely people [Pauline Kalker, her partner Herman Helle, and their sound man/composer Ruud van der Pluijm...] The woman had relatives who died at Auschwitz which was her interest in doing it; all three of the people had grown up on the stories. Her partner made a living doing models, and that gave her the idea to use models as a stage. The sound man talked about the problem of scale - what sounds made it real, and what needed to be left out. They talked about using the language of film-making a lot, in how they used their cameras. During the talk, I learned they also did film or animation about WWI, and then a bear 'porn show' where they used models of the bear torsos with genitalia having sex, topped off by Professor Bell claiming an animation they did about the World Trade Center attack was one of the most profound statements he ever saw about that event. Of course everyone is going to try and look it up now and I haven't been to their web site yet. I will have to look up their names because I couldn't hear the introductions at first - they had the whole side open to the street because it was so hot (St. Ann's really IS a warehouse)...and the street noise kills my ability to hear. Some kind soul brought in microphones. Their sound guy looked very much like a Northern Renaissance figure. I was so cooked that I never even thought about getting my camera out. If I find the picture tomorrow, I will scan it before I go back out there tomorrow. I will send the reviews on the kids shows before I go out, and maybe even get the other shows done in the morning, too.

They talked about how acting out the terrible things the Germans did in those camps made them feel conflicted, but of course I personally see it as a duty to keep the terrible truth alive out there so it can't ever happen again. It wasn't about just Jews in my world; I was friends in Indiana with a family whose parents were both camp survivors: they were Polish Catholics all rounded up into the camps along with the Jews and homosexuals. Stella, their mother, had been a dress designer, but nearly starved to death working at the camp. Typhoid broke out right before the liberation, and they thought she was dead and threw her in the pile of dead bodies. She laid there for three days. Her best friend knew she was alive and when the soldiers came, she begged and pleaded for someone to follow her to the pile of dead bodies. Someone translated that she was saying "my friend is not dead," and sure enough when they got Stella out she had a wisp of a pulse. Stella met her future husband in Switzerland (he had been in another camp), and they had their first child when their ship to Canada ran aground off the Irish shore. They ended up in Indiana where I knew her five kids. Stella has since passed away, but her story will stay with me forever.

So I am still not sure about how important it is to distinguish the role objects play in a theater piece, but I sure know how important the story is and what an emotional wallop that particular truth is. That sort of duty is not fun for an artist, but necessary to our world. I applaud their efforts.

Now that is one dedicated festival-goer. Tess, those of us not able to attend, reading about your experience here, greatly appreciate you sharing with us! It's almost as good as being there, and we're avoiding the heat!

GSW9: Festival Report I

Spanish Toy Theatre 1
Originally uploaded by Trishymouse

From Tess Elliot comes this first GSW9 Festival report...

Howdy! Well it was just delightful! The Finnish piece was unexpectedly mysterious and moving: the leader, told the story line in English and sang in Finnish--a lovely sounding language, I might add. They were very creative with lights, and even their costumes. They come out to the stage like fairies from under "the Earth" and perform, at some points even using their costumes as mini sets, projecting images onto the cloth. The first swamp song was about trying to find a mate, and the second about the end of childhood for a child in WWII, whose only family horse drowned in the swamps. It is hard for us to realize how devastating it is to be in a war and then lose your only work animal so that the plowing and hauling had to be done by hand. It was lovely.

The second was Little Blue Moon Theatre and they might have a video on YouTube (the festival did not want me to film during performances). I wish they had, just because it would draw people out to the festival--they were not sold out that I could tell and it's dicey getting home on the subway now with all the service cuts. The Mutiny on the Bounty is accompanied by the male part of the team (Michael Nelson) playing a ukelele, singing and some harmonica with their lyrics to the tunes of popular songs like Gilligan's Island and the Beach Boys. It was beautifully done--the sets were gorgeous and fun. I like not seeing the puppeteer (Valerie Nelson) because it's rather distracting, though she sang harmony and added some sound effects from behind the facade. We even started singing along. They were just wonderful.

The third performance was strange: the Devil (Blair Thomas) in black with a fake naked butt and pointy tail (which gets discarded at one point) tells the Biblical story of Jonah in a soapbox fashion. He wears music hall style makeup and speaks with a lovely Shakespearean voice which is at odds with the unfolding home-made set he carries and his very homemade Devil glove/hand. A fun surprise is that the characters are cut out sketches like scribbles--all black slashes of lines that were kind of arty and fun.

In addition, before the shows were mini shows in the exhibit area only there wasn't enough time to see all of them, let alone film any. I ended up a volunteer for the [Alphabet Arts] Toy Poets Theater show. Me and a gentleman stood on either side of the stage and played with boxing robots while the woman--I think she was Amber West--recited poetry. I won three out of four--she always stopped when one of us knocked the head up which is a win. It was odd but funny. I wanted to see Kate Brehm's piece but we got ushered out to see the main shows before I could get back there. All these performers were doing five minute shows...but they didn't start until 9:30. There were several very funny ones and one young man not on the program who did his own version of Shadow Puppetry which was stunning. I will find out who he was tomorrow, because I assume he made the stage, too.

Later, Tess sent this with more photos (see the above link which takes you to a slideshow of all her photos...)

Hey Trisha,

Here are pics of what I thought was the pre-show (sunset on the East River) and a few more of the toy theatres. It is really hard to get good pics as there isn't a lot of good lighting for the sets. I am wanting to invent little LED spotlights just to see the doggone stages. There were some places where I could brace my hands, but I can't use the low light setting because it flashes. It did better than my bigger SLR camera! Am thinking that the best small toy theatre performances were where the puppeteers actually were hidden (only Little Blue Moon did that), or the puppeteers were almost part of the show (the Bare Minimum Theatre). I am going to try to find them again and see if I can take their picture. It was hard to know who the people were. There was one show by Leslie Rogers and Zac Palladino that was attractive, though I found them both kind of distracting (he played guitar and she was the puppeteer who also spoke, wearing a little black dress). The story was about flying foxes who ate baby birds (real flying foxes are fruit eaters--I am a bat fan) so I felt rather confused about the story even though visually it was very pretty to watch. All in all it was mesmerizing, and Saturday I will be there ALL DAY! Am seeing the Family Program at 11, and the symposium at 1pm. If it rains, I will have to go home until the 10pm show and thank heavens that is the last late one. I don't like to be out and about after 1am!

It was supposed to be stormy last night but ended up beautiful so maybe I will luck out tomorrow. I couldn't get anyone to go with me, though I think Justyn may come tomorrow night. There just aren't a lot of people who imagine it being fun, but it was really delightful and funny--if also eccentric and odd.

It will take all afternoon to upload the video of walking through part of the exhibit.

Tess

GSW8 Spotlight

"The Little Mermaid" - Great Small Works 8th International Toy Theatre Festival from btay on Vimeo.

From last year, comes this video of a very unique, original toy theatre.

If you can make it to this year's festival (see more here) - it starts today and goes through June 13th!

Reader Shares: New Theatre & Production

Christian Nourdin's new toy theatre



Chris says about it:

The base of the theater is just a shoe box...I just I bought the metal corners for suitcases in a general store. I project to play an old french novel "La tour des hiboux" (Owl's tower) from Gustave Aimard.

Aimard was a colorful character who ended up dieing in an asylum - an interesting choice to adapt a work of such a writer for the toy theatre stage...

Chris sent this additional information on May 18, 2010:

More informations about my "shoe box" theater.

About Gustave Aimard - French popular novelist who wrote adventure stories about life on the American frontier and in Mexico. He was the main 19th-century French practitioner of the western novel.

At the age of 12 Aimard went to sea as a ship’s boy and subsequently witnessed local wars and conspiracies in Turkey, the Caucasus, and South America. After taking part in the Revolution of 1848 in Paris, he traveled to North America in 1854 as part of an unsuccessful armed expedition to Sonora, Mexico...

Here are pictures and commentary on its construction.

What's really cool is how Chris designed it to fold all away in the shoe box...here it is, ready to hit the road - a regular traveling roadshow! I'm hoping Chris might share with us a shot or two of a future performance in this theatre...stay tuned.

GSW Toy Theatre Festival

Talk about exciting!

Great Small Works' just announced the lineup for their ninth International Toy Theater Festival running May 30th to June 13th, once again being held at the magnificant St. Anne's Warehouse. The festival's subtitle is very appropriately called "A Colossal Event of Miniature Proportions!"

GSW has been slowly building one of the most world-class festivals anywhere, and it all centers around the wonderful world of toy theatre. I also appreciate that they allow for a wide interpretation within the genre, encouraging not only tradition but experimentation. There is room for both, in my humble opinion.

At front and center this year, is an installation called KAMP...

In Kamp, Holland's Hotel Modern attempts to imagine the unimaginable. An enormous scale model of Auschwitz fills the stage, brought to life by thousands of 3” tall handmade puppets enacting the greatest mass murder in history, committed in a purpose-built city. The actors move through the set like giant war reporters, filming the horrific events with miniature cameras; the audience becomes the witness.

Backstage Cat II

Images by Bill Reynolds
Whiskers is hanging out backstage again. He's very sleepy. He can't be bothered that it's time to change scenery...

For some reason I keep thinking of him as Godzilla Kitty when I see him against this miniature perspective!

Toy Theatre, Life-Sized

I love it! A traveling show that plays against a life-sized toy theatre!

Backstage Cat

This is Whiskers. He is a Maine Coon cat. His new favorite hangout is backstage in my toy theatre.

For some reason both the Wizard of Oz (who's behind the curtain?!) and Snagglepuss ("...exit, stage left!") pop into my head.

John Lennon and Toy Theatre

I've tried to find out more about this image, and what (if any) connection John Lennon had with toy theatre, but haven't been able to track anything down through research (yet...) But if you take a close look, he's got a lot of juvenile drama art on the walls around him. Intriguing...

Exhibit: Worlds in Miniature

A new toy theatre exhibit is coming up this July on the west coast of America...

Toy Theatres: Worlds in Miniature is an exhibit being presented by the Museum of Performance & Design in San Francisco. Right now the website only hints at the exhibition, but more details will be forthcoming in the near future. For now, it's being described as featuring "...21 rare models from seven countries, dating from the 18th century to the present."


April 19, 2010 ADDENDUM: I have found more images here of toy theatres presented by MPD...

Dramatis Personae Catalogue 97

The newest Dramatis Personae catalogue (the premiere source for all things vintage entertainment ephemera, in my humble opinion) is now out - see it here...

Curiouser and Curiouser

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" Alice in Wonderland

I got a missive from Louise, of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop today, who had this to say...

Pollock's has been hunting out nonsense for an Alice extravaganza - look online and come in the shop for our selection of toys for children and adult collectors. Pop-up Books, colouring books, sticker books, illustrated books - playing cards, miniatures and hand painted marionettes.

Lewis Carroll was a lover of the Victorian theatre, marionettes and juvenile drama and a Pollock's toy theatre has featured in dramatisations of his most famous story. Pop in and explore our curious world of nonsense. (Even Tim Burton's been in...)

Although I have never been able to visit (yet), I have seen glimpses of it online. Such places are magical and rare. Pollock's is not only a national treasure for England, but (in my humble opinion) an international treasure. Sounds like they're have quite a lot of fun surrounding the renewed interest in Alice due to the new film. Good for them!

The World is Flat

If you'll be in Chicago this weekend, be sure and check out The World is Flat! A Weekend of Toy Theatre...

Sighting: Lark Rise

Seen last week in S03E04 of LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD, this toy theatre was shown in the bedroom of the character of a small boy who was very ill...

Toy Theatre Adaptions

I discovered a blog whose creator has been EXTREMELY talented in creating adaptions of famous literary works, for the toy theatre...simply marvelous!

Panto

In the spirit of Christmas, I offer this link to a video of a 2002 production of Dick Whittington.

Now I fully admit as an American I was totally ignorant of this until recently, but was delighted to watch it. What fun!

Corsican Brothers DVD Reviews

During the recent Thanksgiving holidays in the States, I received the Corsican Brothers DVD in the post. I have finally found the time to view it, and I must say, it was a thrill for this toy theatre novice! It was one of the first toy theatre productions she has ever seen in full, and although nontraditional in presentation (not 'live', etc.), it was a real treat for me.

What are others saying about this particular production? Read on!

...just received my copy of the DVD and although I was concerned about it playing here in Texas, it did, and I might add beautifully. One should also note that this is the full toy theatre script not the cut down version put out by Pollock's in 1974. The extras are great. All together a great job Nigel and well worth the wait.

...If there is anyone in the group who has not seen Nigel Peever's DVD of The Corsican Brothers, run to eBay and buy your copy. I just bought a second one for a Xmas gift. It is that good! A must. Kudos to Nigel and to Peter Baldwin for the excellent intro.

...The Corsican Brothers DVD arrived yesterday. I have watched it tonight and must congratulate you on a very professional production. Walter Elias Disney would have been proud to put his name to such an exciting production. I cannot believe you have only sold eleven copies of this unique DVD; actually you have now sold twelve copies as I have just purchased my second copy. This DVD deserves to reach a much wider audience, not just Toy Theatre enthusiasts.

Short History of Toy Theatre

Aladdin Christmas Production

Louise from Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop in London has written to say that " our Christmas performance of Aladdin is being performed by Joe Gladwin."

Anyone who can get to London to see this performance, I highly encourage them to do so. If any reader makes it to there, I'd love to hear all about it!

Corsian Brothers DVD is Released!

The Corsican Brothers DVD is now out and available on EBay! Rejoice all toy theatre fans (especially those of us who have never seen a live performance and are starved for any kind of recording of one...well, this isn't exactly 'live', but it's the next best thing in my humble opinion.)

Nigel Peevers is the genius behind this production. Nigel is one talented fellow, who is an actor among other talents. Where he finds the time to do all this, I'll never know, but we are the beneficiaries of his toil. Bless you, Nigel...

NEW Dramatis Personae Catalogue!

There is a new Dramatis Personae catalogue out as of today. As per usual, the Dramatis Personae Booksellers have truly outdone themselves. I don't know what their secret is, but they are able to collect the most astounding array of Theatre/Entertainment ephemera I have ever seen, and present them to the world at large to buy and enjoy. I highly recommend you check them out!

Out of the Shadows: Janaki Ranpura

An amazing performer, check out this website about puppeteer Janaki Ranpura...

Little Blue Moon Theatre

I was doing an internet search for my friends, George and Ann Neff, and came across your blog on toy theatre, then followed to your Victorian Sex Machine blog. It seemed like you might be interested in our work, which kind of combines both (in some way.) We do erotic toy theatre. Our company, Little Blue Moon Theatre, began in an aphrodisiac factory 6 or so years ago. I have found that the static nature of toy theatre figures make them perfect candidates for bondage, something I didn't realize until a friend pointed out that most of our shows involve bondage...I realized that they don't move anyway, which makes it perfect for them.

Anyway, just thought you might enjoy looking at our site, since we don't ever seem to get to Fargo.

Best to you,

Michael & Valerie Nelson
Magical Moonshine Theatre

Paper Dolls

Ilisha Helfman from Hestia House wrote to share...

Hi Trish,

I wanted to let you know about my paper doll blog where I'm having great fun pretending to be a contestant on "Project Runway" using each week's "NY Times Magazine" cover as my challenge. I have twelve new paper dolls and have chosen one to be me, one to be my model and the rest to be other designers and audience members.

Pollock's Toyshop Website

The Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop website has been updated with a new and much improved look as well as new features. Be sure and check them out!

Stereographica Sale

Antique Photographica is having another of its periodic sales of all things photographic and optical, including some amazing optical toys such as the panorama above. Be sure and check the sale out - it's well worth it!

Swazzle Story

Recently I was contacted by Cindi Zuby about obtaining permission to use some photos I had taken of Luman Coad for posters of a festival taking place this next week in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

She had a fun story to share about when she was over in the UK and visiting with the Punch professor, Robert Styles...

I have to tell you a wonderful moment we had in London with Robert Styles (only true Punch people will get this...) He was telling us about his show that was his "audition" for being accepted as a Punchman. In the middle of the show, as he dropped Judy, he accidentally spit out his swazzle. He said there was a large amount of ad-libbing until he could reach down, pick up the now dirty and gritty swazzle and get it back in his mouth. His version is more hilarious than mine, but it made me wonder --- as all three of us were laughing hysterically in our beers --- who in the world would laugh at the phrase "...and I spit out my swazzle...", let alone know what the hell anyone was talking about!

For funny!

Corsican Brother's Update

So, you might ask, what's the latest on the Corsican Brothers production by Nigel Peever? Well wonder no more - here's a brief update from Nigel himself, via the Toy Theatre list:

I had a very pleasant afternoon with Peter Baldwin at his home yesterday recording the introduction for The Corsican Brothers, He's also very kindly recorded the judge's voice which is easy to replace in the film. Peter has also let me take photographs of the original stage productions poster to include and other goodies, like photocopying the ghost melody music etc so a cracking day.

He went on to explain he's been very busy professionally (he is an actor) so he's had to wedge in his labor of love when time permits. He has many fans (including myself) avidly awaiting the final results!

Zoya Holds Court

I posted here recently about some amazing puppets created by Brian Flavin, based on characters created by a friend of mine, Vanesa. Her ultimate goal was to recreate them all in life-size versions.

Well this week she added another life-size version to her growing collection, for the character of Zoya. As with the others, Zoya is rather special, having not just eyes and mouth, ears and hair, even hands and feet complete with nails, but also detailed (and functional) genitalia.¹

Full Credits

Conceptual Design: Vanesa Littlecrow Wojtanowicz and Gypsy-Maria Lorimer
Construction and Technical Design: Brian Flavin

The saga of their construction from the very beginning can be seen here.

¹ -I have no idea how or if that will enter into any performance, but I'd love to find out sometime...!

Dramatis Personae: Catalogue 101

A complete set, eight sheets, of “Hodgson’s Characters in the Infernal Secret.” [London]: Hodgson & Co., 1822. Original hand coloring; light toning to edges; nicks to corners and edges, away from images; bright. [$400] One of the less common sets of Hodgson figures, with four shrouded inquisitors and the three sheets of scenarios (a pair to each).

So goes the description on Item #76, in the current Dramatis Personae catalogue, just announced today...

Opera in 10 Minutes

Festival Review

A German review (translated here) of the recent toy theatre festival in the Netherlands...

Puppet Avant Garde

I spent this past week visiting an amazing friend in the wilderness of Minnesota. It's so far off the beaten path, that they are not on Google maps, and it's on purpose. They live in a dome house by their own design, he farms¹, she does...well, just about everything. She is a multidisciplinary artist. Trust me, this woman works hard. She's the hardest workin' woman in show business, at least that's my opinion. Anyways, she's damned talented, that's for sure.

I know those of you out there that come here for toy theatre are starting to think, what is this post about?! Well, it's about puppets, that's what. My friend among many, many other things is an comic and cartoon artist. She got it into her head awhile back to bring her creations to life, so to speak, and began a journey of recreating them off the page in puppet form. The photos here show their genesis, from small crude handmade versions, to less crude (but still - purposely - crude-but-improved) versions. Eventually, she made them into large, full-scale versions. Not only are they large scale, but they are detailed down to anatomically-correct genitalia. Yeah, you read right. Also, nipples, piercings, tattoos, fingernails, tongues, teeth, eyelashes...the details are mindboggling and impressive. And yeah, there are damned good reasons for this. If you take the time to not only check out, but delve further into the world of these characters, you'll see why they are made this way. My friend's stories are violent, sexual, disturbing. They are not cute in a Disney sense (although there can be cute moments of a type), but they are not supposed to be. To paraphrase her, she exorcises her demons through her art and writing in these characters and storylines. Those of us lucky enough to run across these stories are invited to come into her looking-glass world if we dare. I hope you do...I dare ya.

Their stories are at Rasputin Catamite, Polska Sucka, Killer Dyke, and Upir's Mark...

¹ - He is also an artist, in his spare time!

Toy Theatre Evolution

Change. It's a good thing.

At least that's my personal opinion. It makes life interesting, challenges us.

Toy theatre is currently undergoing a huge revival as well as evolution. One such recent example (albeit only one among many) was Sandow Birk's animated film adaption of Dante's Inferno.

Another is the currently-in-production of the classic The Corsican Brothers. The man behind it all is Nigel Peever, who among his many talents includes being an actor. How he finds the time for all this is beyond me, but we can be thankful he does, because I can tell it will be an amazing piece of entertainment when complete. I'm excited already just from seeing his trailer.

I'll definitely keep readers appraised. Stay tuned...

Three Days in May

Catch the highlights of the recent festival here...

Wow, there was even a toy theatre adaption of my all-time favorite comic saga, Krazy Kat & Ignatz Mouse!

A Follower Shares

One of the followers of this blog popped up to share her recent project incorporating elements of toy theatre. Quite colorful, creative, and fun!

Corsican Brothers Poster

This is the poster for the soon-to-be-released toy theatre production (on video) of the classic Corsican Brothers.

Produced by Nigel Peever, who is a veritable one-man production company using 21st century computer technology for an 18th century medium. But hey, I'm all for it. Anything that can spread the word about how amazing toy theatre can be (in its myriad of styles, this being just one) is a good thing in my book!

2nd International Toy Theatre Festival

It's just about here!

Heart of Beast May Day

A regional puppet group puts on an annual May Day event...

Trailer: The Corsican Brothers

An amazing trailer for a production of The Corsican Brothers, by Nigel Peever.

Nigel had this to say about making it...

For the last three months or more my two poor computers have been rendering night and day and I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. With twenty-seven and a half minutes "in the can" so far, most of the voices and sound effects all ready to go, and all manner of test edits made while I'm waiting for the darn thing to render, The Corsican Brothers- The Movie is almost complete, so I've knocked together a little trailer at youtube do please drop by and have a look and let me know what ya think.

It's a very 21st century toy theatre production but I've tried to be as faithful as was possible but also taking advantage of the fact that I don't have to use metal slides so the characters can roam freely around the stage (I managed to resist the temptation to make Boissec actually swing his axe) The camera too can be quite mobile.

Bravo!

Camera Obscura