Indian Culture Comes Alive at the Center for Puppetry Arts!

History and art come together in the Center for Puppetry Arts’ newest exhibit, Indian Puppets: The Great Stories and Dancing Dolls, opening November 14. The special exhibit will celebrate India’s cultural range by exploring the diversity of puppetry techniques and genres across the subcontinent along with the ways puppetry has been used as a storytelling tool in India for more than a thousand years.  “One of the main reasons we chose to highlight Indian puppetry is because, in addition to more historical puppetry traditions, India also has a thriving contemporary arts community with puppeteers creating engaging new work,” says Center for Puppetry Arts’ Museum Director Kelsey Fritz.  “Puppetry in India is incredibly diverse and each region of the country has performance traditions and stories specific to their area.  We hope that by learning about these different puppetry traditions, visitors will walk away with a better understanding of Indian culture and geography as a whole.” The exhibit is comprised of more than 40 puppets on display including both traditional and contemporary pieces, covering eight different puppetry styles.  The puppets will be displayed as if they were being used in a performance so visitors can get a sense for the mobility and personality of each piece.   This exhibit is sponsored in part by the Consulate General of India Atlanta and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and will be on display through July 15, 2018. The Center will be celebrating the run of the exhibit with a number of special events.  To kick off opening weekend, November 18-19, Museum hours will be extended until 7 p.m., and the weekend will include a special performance of Kalyana Sougandhikam by Natana Kairali of Kerala, India, at 5:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  The story is from the Mahabharata and is performed with traditional Indian glove puppetry. On Saturday, January 20, 2018, the Center presents Celebration of India Family Day!  The event will include special activities to celebrate Indian puppetry and culture, including a reading of “The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk” and book signing with author Sue Sehgal as well as puppet building, special gallery programs, and more! The Center presents a special movie night on Saturday, February 3, 2018.  In addition to the screening of Tomorrow We Disappear, a documentary about Kathputli, India’s colony of artists and puppeteers facing eviction, there will be a talkback with one of the film’s directors following the film at 8 pm. Finally, on March 26, 2018, Dr. Kathy Foley and Karen Smith, the curators of Indian Puppets: The Great Stories and Dancing Dolls, will visit the Center for an in-depth lecture about the puppetry of India, part of the Explore Puppetry Workshop Series from 7-9 p.m. Entrance to this special exhibit will be included with regular Museum admission, which is free for Members and $12.50 for nonmembers – plus sales tax and includes access to the entire Worlds of Puppetry Museum (with the largest collection of Jim Henson puppets and artifacts in the world as well as a Global Gallery.)  Admission to the special exhibit will also be included with all-inclusive tickets to Family Series and New Directions Series performances.   Tickets can be purchased online at www.puppet.org or by calling 404.873.3391.

Topthorn Comes to Atlanta - Center for Puppetry Arts!

Straight From the War Horse’s Mouth: Topthorn Comes to Atlanta

Center for Puppetry Arts’ newest acquisition will be unveiled during anniversary weekend celebration with Cheryl Henson Get ready for a larger-than-life anniversary celebration! Friday, November 11 - Sunday, November 13, the Center for Puppetry Arts will celebrate the first anniversary of its Worlds of Puppetry Museum with a weekend full of activities, including the opening weekend of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the premiere of the Center’s newest iconic museum acquisition, Topthorn from the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of War Horse. The weekend will also include a viewing of the documentary Making War Horse with an introduction by Cheryl Henson, daughter of Jim Henson and Center for Puppetry arts board member, as well as a discussion with performer, designer, and puppet artist Tom Lee, who performed in War Horse at Lincoln Center. Cheryl Henson recently acquired Topthorn at auction from the National Theatre in London and donated it to the Center’s museum.   Built by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, Topthorn was one of the two main characters in War Horse.  At 10 feet long, the figure is larger than a real horse. This is the first Handspring puppet in the Center for Puppetry Arts’ collection.  War Horse is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo.  The show opened at London’s National Royal Theatre in 2007 and has toured 11 countries. On Saturday, November 12, after patrons have had a chance to view the new Topthorn display, the Center will present a screening of the documentary Making War Horse with an introduction by Henson.  Following the screening, Lee will take questions and discuss his role in War Horse.  Lee has been on numerous stages in New York.  Other credits include his performance in Dan Hurlin’s Obie-award winning Hiroshima Maiden and Disfarmer, and Lee Breuer’s epic puppet opera La Divina Caricatura. To kick off the weekend’s celebration, Lee will lead an exciting master class on the evening of November 11 from 7:30 – 10 p.m.  Previous puppetry experience will be required to take part; space will be limited.  The cost of the class will be $40 and will include the ability to purchase a limited number of reduced price tickets to the next evening’s film event. Email education@puppet.org to be placed on the list to receive application information. In addition to unveiling Topthorn, the Center will be rotating items in the Worlds of Puppetry Museum throughout the month of November.  Twenty new pieces will debut in the Jim Henson Collection, including Fazoobs from The Muppet Show and new pieces from Fraggle Rock, Dog City, and The Song of Cloud Forest.  Guests can see the new additions and round out the weekend with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, after which they can make and take home a Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster™ Hand Puppet.  The holiday classic has become an Atlanta tradition! WHAT: Center for Puppetry Arts’ Star-Studded First Anniversary Celebration WHEN: Friday, November 11 – Sunday, November 13 Museum open regular hours all weekend Friday: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 10 and 11:45 a.m.; Tom Lee workshop 7:30-10 p.m. Saturday: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 12 and 2 p.m.; Making War Horse Film 8-10 p.m. featuring Cheryl Henson and Tom Lee on stage Sunday: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1 and 3 p.m. WHERE: Center for Puppetry Arts 1404 Spring Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309 HOW: All events include admission to the Topthorn display and Worlds of Puppetry Museum. Tickets for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer are $10.25 (Members) and $20.50 (Nonmembers) and include admission entrance to the Create-A-Puppet Workshop™, where guests can make and decorate their own Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster™ Hand Puppet and perform with it on our classroom stage. Friday night’s workshop is $40. Tickets for Saturday night’s movie showing are available for $10 (Members) and $15 (Non-members). Tickets can be purchased online at www.puppet.org or by calling 404.873.3391.

Center for Puppetry Arts Presents Xperimental Puppetry Theater!

Emerging and professional performers create original puppetry pieces for annual event!

WHAT:
The Xperimental Puppetry Theater (XPT), playing May 12-15 at the Center for Puppetry Arts continues its commitment to developing and showcasing new, innovative works in puppetry by established and emerging artists from a variety of disciplines. Artists experiment with a dazzling, myriad of puppetry styles–marionettes, masks, automata, object-theater, body puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets – and short films featuring stop-motion, claymation, live manipulation, collage, silhouette and other film styles. All of these styles and techniques communicate the power of puppet-theater to visually and metaphorically transcend the limitations of traditional actor-only storytelling.

The experimental mission of XPT results in work that is imaginative, bold, avant-garde and adult by nature. The stories can be personal, mythical, allegorical, fantastical and thought-provoking. The intention is to invite the audience to see their world through a lens of unlimited visual possibility. Some of the works in this year’s line-up include a worm’s eye view of Atlanta, stories from the ancient world to an alien world, a stop-motion film that combines the latest stop-motion technology with the art of origami and (of course) a piece of political satire.

This year’s film lineup is as follows:

• Akkadian Night Music – By Steve Morrison
  • The ancient hero, Gilgamesh, mourns his past and he searches for peace.
• Princess Cottongrass – By SCAD Atlanta Stop-Motion Club
  • A Swedish folktale told with downshoot 2.5D stop-motion and origami.
• Unicorn Princess – By Sara Gaare and Jessica Sanchez
  • The wacky adventures of a half human, half unicorn in search of her family.
• Tiny Traveler – By Dante DeStefano and Colin Wheeler
  • Experience the sights and sounds of Atlanta with the city’s smallest newspaper courier.

This year’s live performances are as follows:

• Puppet Politics 2016 – By Ian Custar
  • Hear four alternative candidates make their case for what’s important this year.

• Deep – By Matthew Siano
  • Separated from his vessel, a deep-sea diver encounters various sea creatures in the ocean’s depth.
• Fantagio di Fantastique – By Bean and Bear
  • A puppet works to perform magic tricks, if only his assistant doesn’t get in the way.
• Acts of Thecla – By Moira Bucciarelli
  • Thecla leaves a life of privilege to follow the teachings of Paul, but encounters gender barriers.
• Stretch – By Spencer Murrill
  • A variety of puppetry styles and theater techniques are used to tell stories of an alien world.

• I Loved a Broken Man – By Shari Bohnsack
  • The unique story of a romance gone awry.

For more than 30 years, XPT has allowed the Center for Puppetry Arts to invite theater newcomers and seasoned professionals alike to collaborate and showcase their talents by writing, directing, constructing and performing experimental works for the puppet stage. At its essence, XPT is a lab or incubator for new ideas and works for puppetry from artists of every artistic discipline, some of whom may never have worked in puppetry. Once the artist is chosen, he or she receives a small stipend. The real benefit for the artist is freedom to experiment and collaborate with fellow artists under the guidance of Center staff. This alchemy is what moves ideas from conception to execution. All accepted submissions will be archived in the Center’s puppet film library for guests to enjoy for years to come.

Recommended for ages 18 and older, XPT continues to prove that puppets are not just for kids. A beer and wine cash bar will be open before the show and during intermission.

WHEN:

May 12-15, 2016
Thursday – Saturday: 8 p.m.
Sunday: 5 p.m.

Talkback with the artists following every performance

WHERE:

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

HOW: 

Tickets are $10 (Members) and $15 (Nonmembers) and include the performance, as well as entry to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum. Tickets may be purchased online at www.puppet.org or by calling 404-873-3391. For more information, visit www.puppet.org/xpt16.