BREAKING NEWS: Halloween fun takes over Puppet Showplace!

Halloween Extravaganza! 

October 18 - November 3, 2013

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Puppet Showplace presents three exciting shows this Halloween season featuring silly spooks,

furry monsters, and seasonal sing-a-longs! Audience members are encouraged to attend performances in costume. First up in the the series is a festive marionette cabaret by Emmy Award Nominated Wayne Martin Puppets.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice ( and Halloween Hijinks!)" by Wayne Martin Puppets 

Friday Oct 18 @ 10:30 am

Saturday and Sunday October 19 &20 @ 1:00 and 3:00 pm

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About the show: Join the Wayne Martin Puppets for a seasonal sampling of Halloween-inspired fun! Get transported to the world of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," where a young wizard-in-training tries unsuccessfully to use magic to do his chores. This original adaptation, set to classical music, dances to life with a cast of enchanting hand, rod, and shadow puppets. Then, enjoy a selection of Wayne Martin's award-winning marionettes in a variety revue featuring scarecrows, witches, pumpkins, ghosts, and other Halloween friends!

All main stage shows at Puppet Showplace are recommended for ages 3 & up. Contact the Box Office at 617-731-6400 x 101 for more detailed recommendations!



About the performer: Martin began his interest in puppetry as a hobby at the tender age of three and a half. By age eight, he had formed his own company, The Wayne Martin Puppets and turned full-time professional.

At the top of his profession for nearly forty years now, Wayne’s credits include guest appearances with Symphony Orchestras and work as principal manipulator for industry greats, the Heiken Puppets, Sid and Marty Krofft Productions and Jim Henson’s Muppets, among others.

Martin has been featured in numerous award winning television programs and commercials. These include critically acclaimed educational and training films and his very own television series and specials that have earned him two Emmy Award nominations.

Wayne Martin’s first love remains live performance. He has toured Canada, Europe and Australia and presents his one-man variety revue hundreds of times each year across the United States. His unique style of showmanship has been instrumental in broadening the appeal of the puppet show in this country and it's acceptance as true theatre art enjoyed by adults and children alike. Having designed and built over two thousand puppets to date, Martin's act has appeared with such established artists as Bob Hope, Dolly Parton, The 5th Dimension and The Temptations.

Learn more about Wayne Martin Puppets HERE

Let's help the Prince save the beautiful sleeping Aurora...

THE LAST SHOW of the 3rd Annual Fall Fairy Tale Festival!

 

"Sleeping Beauty"

by National Marionette Theatre

Fri, Oct 11 @ 10:30 am

Sat & Sun, Oct 12 & 13 at 1:00 & 3:00 pm

Mon, Oct 14 @ 10:30 am & 1:00 pm (Columbus Day Weekend!)

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Spend your Columbus day weekend with a daring prince who defeats the dragon to save the princess! "Sleeping Beauty" by National Marionette Theatre of Brattleboro, VT is a traditional re-telling of this beautiful classic.

About the show: Get transported into a world of magic, castles, princes, and dragons in this stunningly beautiful production by National Marionette Theatre. The princess Aurora has been asleep for almost one hundred years when Prince Steffon, our hero, learns of her story. He resolves to find the sleeping princess and rescue her from the evil fairy Belladonna. Told from the prince's point of view, this elegant performance combines beautifully crafted marionettes, hand-painted scenery, and the timeless music of Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" ballet. A marionette demonstration follows each performance!

About the performer: National Marionette Theatre is one of the oldest continually-running marionette companies in the United States. Founded in 1967 by artistic director David A. Syrotiak, this award-winning company has been entertaining audiences around the world with their extraordinary productions for over forty years. NMT is currently run as a family business by brothers David J. Syrotiak and Peter Syrotiak. The company has been twice honored with the prestigious UNIMA award for excellence in puppetry; founder David A. Syrotiak also received the first Paul Vincent Davis Award for excellence, mentorship, and service to the field. 

Can beans make wishes come true?

UP NEXT: 3rd Annual Fall Fairy Tale Festival Continues...

"Jack and the Beanstalk" 

by Spring Valley Puppet Theater 

Fri, October 4 at 10:30 a.m.

Sat & Sun, October 5 & 6 at 1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.

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Bound up the beanstalk with Jack this week at Puppet Showplace! This exciting traditional retelling of the classic story is brought to life by Michael Graham of Spring Valley Puppet Theater from New Haven, CT. That's right, Michael is the magician behind the stage making the story come to life right before your eyes! How does he do it? Find out after the show when he brings out all of your favorite characters for a show and tell, question and answer demonstration.

About the show: Can beans make wishes come true? They can and do in "Jack and the Beanstalk," the award-winning puppet production of Michael Graham's Spring Valley Puppet Theater. When Jack trades the family cow for a few magic beans — which grow into a beanstalk overnight — he climbs it to find adventure and fortune. Along the way he meets a feisty and funny chicken, a magic singing harp, and one real rat of a giant. This popular classic features beautifully crafted hand and rod puppets, colorful scenic design, special effects, and an original script in which Jack, with the help of a clever chicken, saves the day!

About the performer: Michael Graham has performed with puppets since he was a young boy. He founded the Spring Valley Puppet Theater in 1977. Since then, he has performed throughout New England, primarily for schools and libraries. His work has been featured numerous times at regional and national festivals of the Puppeteers of America, and he is a recipient of the prestigious UNIMA citation of excellence. Michael designs and makes all of his puppets by hand, writes his own scripts, creates the scenery, and performs many of the voices.

He graduated from Western Connecticut State College with a degree in Elementary Education and Spanish, and has created many bilingual adaptations of folk tales. Michael has been a guest instructor at the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts program, the Institute of Professional Puppetry Arts (IPPA) at the O'Neill Theatre Center, and has presented casting and hand puppet construction workshops for puppetry guilds in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Learn more about Michael Graham and Spring Valley Puppet Theater: CLICK HERE

Ahoy Tharrrrr Land lovers!

UP NEXT: 3rd Annual Fall Fairy Tale Festival Continues...

"The Pirate, the Princess and the Pea" 

by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre
Sept 28 & 29 (Sat, Sun) at 1:00 & 3:00pm

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Our Fall Fairy Tale Festival continues this weekend with an exciting twist on a classic tale! You've heard of "The Princess and the Pea" before, right? Well, what if there was a PIRATE in the story? 

Find out what happens this weekend when a pirate and a princess look for buried treasure in this brand new swash-buckeling tale by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre of Vermont.

About the show:  In "The Pirate, The Princess, and the Pea," Crabgrass Puppet Theatre presents a thrilling voyage chock full of sea monsters, shipwrecks, and mistaken pirate/princess identities. A pirate and a princess are on a treasure hunt, searching for the same clues. The princess stays one step ahead by tricking the pirate at every turn. But when the princess is in danger from a giant octopus, she quickly discovers the benefit of having a loyal crew! Featuring colorful scenery, multiple styles of puppetry, and original pirate songs, you won't want to miss the boat on this fun adventure tale!

About the performer: Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall formed Crabgrass Puppet Theatre in San Francisco in 1982 and have delighted audiences across the nation with their whimsical humor and puppetry ever since. Their performing venues have included the Detroit Institute of Art, the Smithsonian, Paper Mill Playhouse, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They have been awarded two Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA, the highest puppetry award in the United States, and in 2009, Bonny Hall was awarded a Design Commendation from the Arlyn Award Foundation. 

Discover more about Crabgrass Puppet Theatre on their website: CLICK HERE

Hop-on-over to Puppet Showplace this weekend!

UP NEXT: 3rd Annual Fall Fairy Tale Festival Continues...

"The Frog Prince" 
by Pumpernickel Puppets 
Sat & Sun, Sept 14 & 15 at 1pm & 3pm

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About the show: Young Prince Tad has been caught teasing the forest creatures again! A magic tree turns him into a frog to teach him a lesson. Along the way, he meets a princess who could turn him back with a kiss. Will she do it? Yuck! All ends happily as the characters learn about being kind and keeping promises. "The Frog Prince" features a cast of colorful puppet characters, audience participation, live voices and sound effects, and fun behind-the-scenes puppet demonstrations.

Pumpernickel Puppets shows are a great introduction to live puppetry, and they work well for our youngest audiences. The characters are eye-catching, the storytelling is straightforward, and the performance has breaks built in between sections of the show for wiggly audience members. John McDonough has a gentle yet energetic personality that captivates audiences of all ages.

About the performer: The Pumpernickel Puppets are the creation of John McDonough of Worcester, Massachusetts. John was four years old when he saw his first puppet show, and he immediately knew that he wanted to be a puppeteer. By his teens, John was presenting shows all over the New England area. The Pumpernickel Puppets have had the honor of appearing at The Puppet Showplace Theatre, Boston Children’s Museum, The Institute of Professional Puppetry Arts at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., The Cultural Olympiad at The Center For Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, and the prestigious International Festival of Puppet Theatre sponsored by the Jim Henson Foundation at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York. For each production, John creates and performs all of his own puppets, which range from small hand puppets to larger-than-life figures.

Vacation week begins with Hansel & Gretel

THIS WEEK AT PST...

Hansel & Gretel
by National Marionette Theatre
Thur & Fri Dec 20 & 21 | 10:30 AM
Sat & Sun Dec 22 & 23 | 1 PM & 3 PM

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Cake and confectionary are the enemy here as an evil witch uses them to trick two siblings into having dinner with her...as the main course!

About the Show: The story of "Hansel and Gretel" has captured the imagination of audiences for generations. In their adaptation of this classic tale, two master puppeteers of the National Marionette Theatre bring the most famous of the Grimm Brother’s stories to life.  Featuring exquisitely crafted marionettes, scrolling scenery, and the beautiful music of Engelbert Humperdinck, "Hansel and Gretel" is sure to delight adults and children alike!
Marionettes, recommended ages 5 & up

About the Performer: National Marionette Theatre is one of the oldest continually running marionette theaters in the United States. Founded in 1967 by artistic director David A. Syrotiak, this award-winning company has been entertaining audiences around the world with their extraordinary productions for over forty years. Noted for their amazing manipulation technique and imaginative fully staged productions, National Marionette Theater is committed to bringing you the very best in family entertainment. The company has received critical acclaim both here in the United States and abroad and was the first American Marionette Theater to receive the prestigious UNIMA award for excellence in puppetry.  

David and Peter Syrotiak have been building and performing with the company since their teenage years. As the sons of artistic director David Syrotiak the two brothers have been around puppetry all their lives. Professionally they have over fifty years of combined performance experience between them. The two are dedicated to keeping the tradition of professional puppetry alive in the United States.

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)
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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!