Final Summer Puppet Adventure of the Season!

THIS WEEK AT PUPPET SHOWPLACE...

The most adventurous, beanstalk climbing story book character of them all closes out our Summer Puppet Adventures series this weekend- That's right, JACK IS BACK!

"Jack and the Beanstalk" 

by Dream Tale Puppets

ONE DAY ONLY!

Saturday, August 24 at 10:30am & 1pm

BUY TICKETS

About the show: "Jack and the Beanstalk" is a joyous, original adaptation of the classic tale about poor Jack who went to sell his cow for three magic beans and out-witted a boy-eating giant. Jack's daring adventure up the huge beanstalk helps him and his mother out of their difficult financial situation, even if his mother is a bit worried about the moral issues surrounding this unusual way to acquire wealth. Hand puppets, Table Top puppets, Marionettes, and Masks.

About the performer: Dream Tale Puppets is a continuation of the Story and Puppet Time project which began at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum in April 2003.  Jacek Zuzanski has a Master of Art degree from The State Puppetry Institute in Wrocław, Poland, and The Ministry for Art and Culture’s Stage Directing Certificate. Jacek currently teaches acting and puppetry at the Cape Cod Conservatory and at the Falmouth Academy.

Jacek also teaches puppetry at Puppet Showplace, and will be leading a week long performance technique summer camp for ages 7-12, August 26-30. LEARN MORE!

Jack and the Beanstalk: Giant-Sized Entertainment Comes to PST

THIS WEEK AT PST

The 2nd Annual
FALL FAIRYTALE FESTIVAL continues with...

Jack and the Beanstalk
by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre
Sat Sun & Mon | Sept 15 16 & 17 | 1pm & 3pm (Sat & Sun) 10:30am & 1pm (Mon)
BUY TICKETS

The saying goes, "Dreams can come true." This week at PST, Jack plants three magic beans, dreams of a magic beanstalk, and later that night, one grows in his backyard! See what happens when he gathers the courage to climb up the beanstalk and explore the world above...and the giants who live there!

About the show: Sent to the market to sell his old cow, Jack returns home with a measly handful of beans. Jack is devastated until... the beans become a beanstalk, the beanstalk leads to adventure, and Jack has a chance at fame and fortune. All he has to do is outwit a very hungry giant! Crabgrass Puppet Theatre's hilarious retelling of the tallest of tales is full of fun and loaded with laughs. Colorful scenery, exciting puppetry, and a delightful musical score combine to create a giant-sized entertainment for all ages.
Mixed styles, recommended for ages 3 & up

About the performer: The Crabgrass Puppet Theatre is an award-winning touring puppet theatre founded in 1982 by Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall. Jamie and Bonny met in 1979, while performing in Laughingstock!, a puppet-and-actor production at the University of Connecticut in which Bonny played Jamie's father. They have been working together ever since!

Behind the Scenes at PST: Jack & the Beanstalk

Crabgrass Puppet Theatre: Masters of Illusion.

Greetings, readers!  My name is Esra and every week we, the marketing team here at PST, are going to give you a special inside-look at how some of our shows come to life!

Adapting the Story

Colorful scenery, exciting puppetry, and a delightful musical score - you can see and hear it all in the Crabgrass Puppet Theatre's retelling of the tallest of tales, Jack and the Beanstalk, which is everything it should be: a fun, giant-sized adventure for all ages.

Now, some of you may be wondering: what are the "mechanics" of puppet theatre, especially with this particular show?  Well, we're glad you asked!

The Mechanics

Let's begin with the stage.  Rather than create two separate sets, the talented artsits at the Crabgrass Puppet Theatre combined Jack's home (bottom) with that of the Giants (top).  

The question is: why?  Simple.  Jack and the Beanstalk tells the story of  a young lad who exchanges the family cow for a handful of magic beans.  When he plants the beans, a beanstalk grows in his backyard and Jack, being ever-so curious, climbs it, only to find himself high above the clouds in the Giants' world.  

In order to create this illusion - the Giants living atop the human world on the beanstalk - the artists at the Crabgrass Puppet Theatre combined what could have been two separate sets into one.


Of course, we know you readers to be just as curious as good 'ol Jack, so you've probably got some more questions.  Perhaps one like, "How does the real Jack appear smaller next to the Giants if they're puppets?"  Good question!  If the real Jack stood next to the Giants - well, he would appear more giant than the Giants because he's an actual person and the Giants are puppets.  So, to solve this problem, the artists at Crabgrass Puppet Theatre created a puppet-sized Jack, thus making him appear smaller next to the Giants.

Remember, this show's about bringing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to life.  In order to do that, the artists at the Crabgrass Puppet Theatre had to make certain adjustments on stage.  By combining two sets - Jack's home with the Giants' home - into one, they were able to create the illusion of two worlds, one on the ground and one in the sky, atop the beanstalk.  And by creating a puppet-sized Jack, they were able to create the illusion of a tiny Jack, making the actually small puppet Giants seem giant-sized.

To see these wonderful "mechanics" at work, check out a preview of the show below: 

http://www.crabgrasspuppets.com/jackvideo.html

Then, attend one of the several performances at the Puppet Showplace Theatre between September 15th and 17th (BUY TICKETS). 

Thanks for reading!  Be sure to come back next week for another "Behind the Scenes at PST."  

Yours truly, Esra - Marketing Intern.


   

My New Favorite Thing: Dramaturgy

Hello Puppet Fans,

From Left: Phil Berman, the beautiful ME of coarse, and Brenda Huggins,  my puppeteer!

I have really enjoyed writing to all of you these last few weeks with my research and new things I have learned! I was talking with my friend Phil Berman who is a theatre artist and dramaturg, and I wanted to know what a dramaturg IS. He told me that a Dramaturg is someone who researches the background of a play, and the history of the different elements of the story, including performances of the play through out history.

Wait...I'm a dramaturg! I have been researching our shows at PST with all of you! That means we are all dramaturgs! As Puppet Showplace Theatre's Monster in Residence/Dramaturg, I have begun dramaturging our latest show, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Jack and the Beanstalk

by Crabgrass Theatre

August 15-August 18 | 10:30am & 1pm

Buy Tickets!

This premier performance of Jack and the Beanstalk starts tomorrow at PST by Crabgrass Theatre.

Trading his cow for a bag of magic beans, Jack takes a risk for adventure! On his journey he takes a chance on fame and fortune by battling a hungry giant.  This hungry giant is Jacks obstacle in the story and creates tension. Whether it's a film, book, animation or theatre every performance is unique and portrays the giant differently.

 Here are some of my favorite Giants:

In the first clip,  the giant is extra terrifying because he is after one of our favorite characters of all time (and personal hero) Kermit. We are also led to believe we are watching this live, so we fear for Kermit's life every second as if we are experiencing this with him. When the Giant does appear, his size is unexpected in comparison to Kermit! It is even more surprising that he is human and not a puppet. In the end. the giant says people often come to visit, but they never stay.  Therefore, we are left with the idea that the Giant might not have wanted to eat Kermit and just wanted company.

This next video is a clip from "Mickey and the Beanstalk" by Walt Disney in 1947. In this adaption of Jack and the Beanstalk it is actually Mickey, Donald and Goofy on the adventure instead of Jack. In this version, the Giant has magic powers! These magic powers give him another advantage besides his strength and size over Mickey, Donald and Goofy. However, he isn't smart enough to remember the magic words. Mickey and his friends have intelligence on there side! Brains always wins. 

 This children's musical of "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Celebration Iowa does the opposite of what the first video of Kermit. In this version, all the characters are humans and the Giant is a body puppet. The most villianous part about the character is his voice. This Giant has a deep, dark, booming loud voice to carry across the theatre. Since this is a musical, the use of sound was most important. 

This is an illustration from "Jack and the Beanstalk" from the page of a book. When you read, your imagination creates the scenes in your mind. Nothing is more powerful than the Giant we all dream up in our mind from reading the classic tale ourselves. Here is one representation of the Giant chasing after Jack as he tries to escape down the Beanstalk. To read this version by author Eric Braun and Illustrator Shawna J.C. Tenney go here.

P.S. I cant wait to see how Crabgrass Theatre portrays their giant character. I hope to see you there.

Love,

Bella Monster...PST Monster in Residence/Guest Blogger/Dramaturg! 

Fortune Favors The Brave In This New Show!

THIS WEEK AT PST

Jack and the Beanstalk PST PREMIERE!
by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre
Wed-Sat | Aug 15-18 | 10:30am, 1pm & 3pm  

Buy Tickets!

Follow your instincts with Jack as he embarks on his journey of fame and fortune by risking it all, and enjoy giant sized entertainment for the whole the whole family. Climb up the magic beanstalk with us this week at PST as we reach for our dreams! 

About the show: Sent to the market to sell his old cow, Jack returns home with a measly handful of beans. Jack is in disgrace until. . . the beans become a beanstalk, the beanstalk leads to adventure, and Jack has a chance at fame and fortune. All he has to do is outwit a very hungry giant! Crabgrass Puppet Theatre's hilarious retelling of the tallest of tales is full of fun and loaded with laughs. Colorful scenery, exciting puppetry and a delightful musical score combine to create a giant-sized entertainment for all ages.

About the Performer: The Crabgrass Puppet Theatre is an award-winning touring puppet theatre founded in 1982 by Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall. Jamie and Bonny met in 1979, while performing in Laughingstock!, a puppet-and-actor production at the University of Connecticut in which Bonny played Jamie's father. They have been working together ever since! Crabgrass Puppet Theatre has twice been awarded the prestigious Citation of Excellence from the American Center of the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA-USA), the highest honor in American puppetry, in 2001 and again in 2005.

In 2008, Bonny Hall received a Commendation for Design in the Puppet Theatre from the Arlyn Award Foundation. They have given many thousands of performances in schools, libraries, museums, and arts festivals, and have performed at over two dozen regional, national and international puppetry festivals. Crabgrass Puppet Theatre continues to perform more than 200 shows each year, reaching over 100,000 people throughout the US.

Post-Show Reception: Join us after the 10:30am show on Sat, Aug 18th for a post-show reception sponsored  by the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry to celebrate this exciting new production by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre! Enjoy refreshments and chat with the performers in the PST lobby after the show.

Happy Patriots Day and Marathon Monday

In observance of these two events, the Puppet Showplace Theatre will be closed on Monday. But don't let that stop you from having some puppet fun this week.

Because this is also vacation week we've got 12 performances of three fantastic shows. Tuesday and Wednesday is Romper Rhythm and Puppets' production of "Hungry Caterpillar and Forest Folktales." Thursday and Friday Nappy's Puppets bring the hilarious shadow puppet show "Father Goose's Tales." And the weekend features the classic "Jack and The Beanstalk" by Spring Valley Puppet Theatre. All shows are at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Buy Tickets soon, we're likely to sell out.

But that's not all... Saturday, April 24th is the official National Day of Puppetry and Massachusetts Day of Puppetry! In celebration, we will be presenting a special behind-the-scenes performance of Spring Valley Puppet Theatre's "Three Wishes" at 5:00pm. The curtain will be literally pulled away so that you can see the puppeteer at work. Tickets are only $6 ($4 for members).

And watch out for members of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry (BAGOP) on Saturday. They are taking puppets to the streets of Boston, with visits at the Children's Museum and the Frog Pond.