I’ve recently finished a small Frosty the Snowman puppet for The Fool Factory. Frosty will be joining Mini Milo and Milo the Clown in Milo the Clown’s Snow Show, playing at Thredbo’s Fun and Games Room from April 10th through 16th.
theatre
‘Arborio’ by Jigsaw Theatre Company
Arborio, a play by Jigsaw Theatre Company is being performed in schools this year, to coincide with the International Year of Rice. Written by Jonathan Lees and directed by Greg Lissaman, it is a comedy telling the story of Marco and Polo, two characters in an unknown place, holding their last grain of rice. While they play imaginary games, tell stories and squabble with each other about where and when they should plant it, they also tell of the importance of rice as a food, and the part it plays in the history and life of many cultures.
An international theme is reflected in the play. The characters, played by Chrissie Shaw and Bridget a’Beckett, assume different accents. This intregued the kids at the performance I saw. And the costumes, designed and made by Imogen Keen, are suggestive of a number of cultures without being able to be slotted into any one in particular. The clothing is imaginative, and beautifully coloured and patterned. Music adds a zest to the play too, with one character playing accordian, and the other a violin. John Shortis, known for his songwriting and performances that reflect ‘Australian history and politics in a way that is funny, satirical and informative’, is the composer.
The set for the play called for the making of a huge grain of rice, and a small cooking pot. I’ve just updated my site to include pictures of both.
A number of funny comments about the idea of such a big grain of rice were made to me when I was making it. I guess thats why I zeroed in on some stories about the world’s biggest seed, the Coco de Mer, which is produced by a palm tree found in the Seychelles. There are a number of these seeds being grown in conservartories around the world. One is in the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, and another in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.
Hiram Terrazzo’s Lounge of Leisure
Some new season’s dates for Hiram Terrazzo’s Lounge of Leisure, which features puppetry, magic, music, site acts and kooky acts:
New seasons dates : Fridays 19th March, 23rd April, 21st May, 18th June 2004
Where : Dante’s Fitzroy, cnr Gertrude and Napier, Fitzroy, Melbourne
Show starts : 8.30pm
Mention this poster for a smile and a wave at the door.
David Strassman’s Chuck Who? Tour 2004
Strassman is in town for only one night and I’ve missed my chance, its sold out. I would have liked to see Ted E. Bear, Chuck Wood and the other zany characters on stage. Meanwhile, scientists have been gaining some new understandings on how ventriloquism works.
Chiao Wan Jan Children Hand Puppet Troupe
In Canberra we have enjoyed the annual National Multicultural Festival over the last couple of weeks. For many people its an opportunity to relax in the late summer weather, sample a myriad of different foods from the stalls lining Garema Place, and see performances from other cultures. The Chiao Wan Jan Children Hand Puppet Troupe from Taiwan was visiting from the 11th – 13th, and I caught their last performance at Glebe Park last Sunday morning. The troupe was founded in 1988 in the Ping-Den Elementary School in Taiwan, and the puppeteers are children aged 9 to 11, who learn the traditional hand puppet theatre as an elective at the school.
Before the show I was able to meet some of the kids and their teachers, who were kind enough to show me their puppets, traditonal characters such as the Monkey King and the Dragon King of the Sea. I particularly liked the ones that held weapons or fans in one hand. They were attached inside with a spring to a rod, and when you turned the rod the puppet would swing the sword or stick. At the begining of the show, The Raiding of the Crystal Palace (from the Journey to the West) the musicians told us about their instruments, and the puppeteers showed us several tricks their puppets could do. This included running by swinging the weighted feet, and twirling, jumping and summersaulting from hand to hand! There were some great fight scenes in the play, with wild kicks and leaps; comedy; a lovely scene where a crane is grooming a dragon; and a great use of the various ‘windows’ in the booth theatre. If you get a chance to see Chiao Wan Jan Children Hand Puppet Troupe, don’t miss it!