OP

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Oz Puppetry Email Newsletter

March Part A

In this issue: What’s On: Puppetry at Adelaide FestivalCastlemaine, Stephane Georgis tour, Arts Centre Melbourne and School Holiday performancesNews of forthcoming events and puppeteers’ achievementsTerrapin’s Shadow DreamsPSS - Puppetry Scene Sydney by Kay Yasugi What’s On, News and photosFor Your Diary: Charleville Mezieres 2013

Issue Nø 33Part AMarch, 2013

MURDER Book Now

Erth (Australia)

Inspired by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' Murder Ballads Australian Premiere Seasoneeddddddddddr

Inspired by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' Murder Ballads, theatre magicians Erth meditate on the violence staining our world and delve into our culture’s obsession with murder. Bringing to life the band’s shadowy characters through puppetry, digital imagery, old carny tricks and a razor-sharp, mind-blowing performance, this is a wickedly clever and savagely funny show. Lust for life as a sinister, yet compelling, figure conjures a dark world of love, sex and death.

There is so much happening this month that we are producing 2 issues: Part A (What’s On and News); and Part B (with a focus on Puppetry in Canberra to celebrate Canberra’s centenary, articles about workshops and other opportunities). Front cover image: Kay Yasugi’s Koala Puppet, ‘Sam’, which she was commissioned to make for Tourism Australia. More below on Page 9,

Whatʼs On - March

Book Now

KAMPHotel Modern Australian Premiere / Exclusive to Adelaide

The Netherlands“A PERFORMANCE SO GRIPPING THAT WHEN IT ENDS THE AUDIENCE IS UNSURE WHETHER TO CLAP OR LEAVE THE THEATRE SILENTLY.”Noordhollands Dagblad

An attempt to imagine the unimaginable: thousands of eight centimetre tall puppets spring to life amid a scale model based on Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is war correspondence Hotel Modern style, depicting the greatest mass murder in history. Actors weave through scenes in overcrowded barracks, railway tracks and the Arbeit Macht Frei gateway, filming the horrific events with miniature cameras in an almost impossibly powerful theatrical experience.

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WULAMANAYUWI AND THE SEVEN PAMANUIFri 15 March, Sat 16 March , Sun 17 March Phee Broadway Theatre, Mechanics Lane. Castlemaine

PUPPETRY SLAM NOIR: HOW I WISH ! ! THE WISH I WISH BLACK HOLE THEATREDesire, love and heartbreak, disillusionment and hope — all these and more are captured in the timeless songs of Jacques Brel, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. Now these songs will form the basis of performances by international and local artists, brought together by Black Hole Theatre and Castlemaine State Festival in this Slam Noir event How I Wish The Wish I Wish.

Sat 23 March Castlemaine Market Building,44 Market Street. Castlemaine Book: http://castlemainefestival.com.au

TRANSPLANTby Such As They AreA surreal and humorous emergency room drama

CASTLEMAINE STATE FESTIVAL PRESENTS

VENUEThe Cube Rear, Castlemaine Continuing Education, 30 Templeton Street, Castlemaine

DATES & TIMESSaturday 23 March 12am to 2pm & 3pm to 4pmSunday 24 March 12am to 2pm & 3pm to 4pm

DURATION30 minutes (multiple shows per time slot)

ADMISSION $10 Limited to 9 people per performance

ACCESS Adults and children aged 6 years and above

Arts Centre Melbourne presents Puppet State Theatre Company’sThe Man Who Planted Trees“IT IS VERY, very rare to find something that appeals as effortlessly to children and adults as this magical show …” -Scotsman, 5 Stars

Direct from Scotland

Part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this multi-sensory theatrical adaptation of Jean Giono’s environmental classic tells the inspiring story of a shepherd who plants a forest, acorn by acorn, transforming a barren wasteland.

A touching tale and hilarious puppet show, The Man Who Planted Trees shows us the difference one man (and his dog!) can make.

Presented in partnership with Sydney Opera House and Castlemaine State Festival.

Adapted and performed by Richard Medrington and Rick Conte. Set and puppet design by Ailie Cohen.

When: 10 - 14 April, 2013Where: Fairfax Studio, Melbourne Arts CentrePrices: $16 - 18Bookings

Dream Puppets’ Dreamer in the Deep (April School Holidays)

Stonnington Library Tuesday April 2 Bookings: (03) 8290 8000

Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood East Thursday 4 April - 10am & 12 noon Bookings: Phone: (03) 9879 2933 The Age Library Mon. Apr. 8 2pm Broadmeadows (03) 9356 6900 Sunbury Library Tues. Apr. 9 2pm (03) 9356 6970 Tullamarine Library Wed. Apr. 10 11am (03) 93566966 Craigieburn Library Wed. Apr. 10 at 3pm (03) 9356 6980

IN ASSOCIATION WITH COMPAGNIE CHEMINS DE TERRE, BELGIUM AND BLACK HOLE THEATRE INC

Stephane Georis is touring Australia in March and April.

Performances in Brisbane, Melbourne, Castlemaine and Canberra. www.blackholetheatre.com.au

NEWS

The Tarrengower Puppetfest, which was a sell-out success last March, has been renamed: THE MALDON PUPPET CARNIVAL

It is scheduled to take place in the September Holidays, 2013, but is yet to be confirmed. More news in forthcoming issues of O.P.E.N.

THE MALDON PUPPET CARNIVAL

! ! ! Congratulations - a 5 star review! Richard Hart of Dream Puppets recently undertook a short 10 day tour in South Australia, organised by Keith Preston of Puppet Palace. The tour included the Goolwa Boat Festival, libraries, schools and 3 performances for the Adelaide

Fringe. Richard received a 5 star review in the Adelaide Theatre Guide for his Fringe performances.

Read review *****

Jhess Knight is busy working to save for her trip to the UK to commence her intensive diploma course at the London

School of Puppetry. She was recently commissioned to build puppets for Sids and Kids and will also be performing for the

program and is making props for a comedian at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Gary Friedman will be launching three brand new puppetry courses in Melbourne in late-May, has an upcoming European Workshop & Performance Tour in April - May and an exotic two-week

workshop on the island of Gökçeada, Turkey in August www.puppetrynews.com

Purple Capsicum Puppets ( Beth McMahon and Michael Bevitt) have moved back to Melbourne (from Tasmania) They are working on a new show, The Little Bad Wolf, which will have its premiere in

April/May. They will also be performing in the Puppetry Slam Noir in Castlemaine.

Terrapin Puppet Theatre and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra In association with Ten Days on the Island present.

Shadow Dreams By Finegan Kruckemeyer,

directed by Frank Newman.

Tasmania’s Terrapin Puppet Theatre and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra are combining to produce a magic realist, digital puppetry world first during Ten Days on the Island in March.

Shadow Dreams is a truly unique and inspiring performance by Tasmania’s two leading arts companies that takes place simultaneously in two cities, linked by high-speed broadband.

The story, written by Finegan Kruckemeyer and directed by Frank Newman, centres on two boys: Dale, a Tasmanian Aboriginal boy, has one life, living on a hill in the bush. Pete has another, living on a hill in the city. Two boys, in two different parts of Tassie, go to bed one night and accidentally have each other’s dreams.

The show is being performed for children aged 5+ with their families and classmates. Audiences will be amazed and inspired as the orchestra and performers in Hobart interact live with musicians and performers in Launceston, and then Burnie. Filmed images, puppets and music will interweave between the spaces in this highly original story of mystery and friendship.

The play includes traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal stories and is proudly supported by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Elders Council. Fiona Hamilton, a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman, is the production’s Aboriginal Story Consultant.

The cast features three Tasmanian Aboriginal performers: Elliott Maynard, Merinda Sainty and Nathan Maynard, alongside regular Terrapin performers Kirsty Grierson, Mel King and Kai Raisbeck. Members of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra will be playing Graeme Koehne’s stunning original score.

More information and bookings available at www.tendaysontheisland.com

Greetings from Sydney! Here is information about some puppetry that has been happening in Sydney in February/March, and what is coming up next month.

The Loutky Teahouse is Moving!

Wez Champion from the Loutky Teahouse recently gave some bitter-sweet news that as of March 17 2013, the Loutky Teahouse will no longer be at the Epping site. This is due to many reasons, but the most prominent being that Wez and his team have decided to take the Loutky brand to a new location in the Parramatta CBD (Connection Arcade). Not only will this be a new site, but it will be a new "arm" of Loutky - focusing primarily on custom wooden puppet building & art puppets. The new site will be set up as a cross between a workshop and a gallery - where puppets can be purchased, ordered or designed & built.

The performance side of the Loutky Teahouse will still exist, but the focus will be on fewer-larger, main event style shows scattered throughout the year.

Along with the move comes a new name for the new shopfront: "Loutky Puppets" and it will be where puppets are crafted with care and treasured for ever. Loutky Puppets will hopefully be opened in early April 2013.

In a recent email to Loutky fans and followers, Wez wrote:"It has been a truly amazing experience at Epping, and I can't wait for you all to experience the new site and activity in Parramatta...One of the great things for me has been to see the community get behind our vision for sharing the world of puppetry and traditional art forms in engaging new ways. For this, I thank you for your support, laughs and continued connection!"For more information, check out the Loutky Teahouse Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/TheLoutkyTeahouse

Puppets from the Loutky Teahouse

NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS

Puppet Scene SydneyPuppetry news from Sydney, compiled by Kay Yasugi (Pupperoos)

Koala puppet goes global! Teaming up with Tourism AustraliaTourism Australia has just launched their fantastic new campaign that is sure to draw young people from around the world. The commercial for “The Best Jobs in the World” competition also stars a little furry koala named Sam, which was designed and constructed by Digital Seagull puppeteer and puppet maker Kay Yasugi.

The journey to make Sam was full of unique experiences, which included having extended conversations with a taxidermist, roaming around the Melbourne Museum, spending hours at a Koala sanctuary sketching sleeping koalas and even visiting a puppy parlour. However, the journey did not end there.

Once Sam was completed, Kay travelled with the puppet to shoot part of the commercial on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The location was the stunningly picturesque Seal Bay, where Kay operated the puppet right on the beach - which was lined with sleeping seals! The film shoot also involved visiting Pardana Wildlife Park, where the crew was surrounded by a big group of very friendly and curious kangaroos.

The commercial is presented by Ben Southall, who is the winner of Tourism Queensland's 2009 ‘Best Job in the World’ competition.

So, if you want one of the Best Jobs in the World, check out the video to learn how you could be in the running!

See the video here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcCXPO68_CUNote: This competition is only for people outside of Australia

For more information about the campaign, visit www.australia.com/bestjobsCheck out Digital Seagull for more photos of Sam: www.digitalseagull.com

Sam the Koala puppet (Photos by Kay Yasugi)

Umbrella Theatre: Save MeApril 5, Pine Street Creative Arts Centre, 6.30-9.30pm

Umbrella Theatre brings you ‘Save Me’, a choose your own adventure puppet tragedy, as part of the smart ARTS mini-fest Launch. Smart ARTS mini-fest is a youth arts & cultural festival showcasing the creative talents and initiatives of young people in the areas of visual arts, film, performance arts and music. This festival is held during National Youth Week (5 - 14 April 2013) and will feature a cutting edge art exhibition, launch party & a series of FREE workshops. The 2013 launch party will feature live music, live art, film, projections & interactive installation projects. All events are FREE! http://pinestreet.com.au/YouthProgram/smartArts.html

Macondo's ClotheslineApril 11-14, 18-21, Venue 505, Surry Hills

An ensemble devised story inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'El drama del Desencantado'Imagine you are falling from a tall building. What do you see? Close your eyes - you're here: Welcome to Macondo.Get tangled in a clothesline on your way down.Marquez Laundry Theatre Co. presents a voyeur's dream of a disillusioned man who threw himself out of a window. Devised with a Gabriel Marquez story as inspiration, this love letter to spaghetti explores memory, domestic tragedies and clandestine bliss with found-object puppetry, live music and mad acting skillz. Created by: Alicia Gonzalez, Naomi Livingstone & Natalia LadykoTickets: $20/15 +bf

http://venue505.com/theatre

Snuff Puppets: Human Body PartsMarch 29- April 1 (Easter long weekend), Darling Harbour Hoopla Festival (FREE!)

Swing from the trapeze and teeter on the tightrope for an awe-inspiring weekend of circus and street theatre magic at Darling Harbour Hoopla!

With a line-up of supreme national and international circus talent, including Ireland's Tumble Circus, Melbourne's Snuff Puppets and NSW's Solid State Circus, Hoopla will ignite the imagination of young and old alike.

Over four days you'll experience entertainment like you've never seen before with free outdoor performances by the bay and a host of hot ticket shows inside the Big Top, Tiny Top and Castello. From tightly-coiled high energy stunts to sublime acrobatics, laugh out loud hi-jinks, splendidly silly slapstick, hilarious characters and wondrous large-scale puppetry, Hoopla promises to transform Darling Harbour into an extraordinary world you'll never want to leave.

http://www.darlingharbour.com/sydney-Things_To_Do-Hoopla_Festival.htm

About Snuff Puppets Roving 'Human Body Parts': Whisper your secrets to a giant wiggling ear, chew the fat with a huge mouth, high five with a moving hand, or tickle some toes on an enormous wandering foot! Snuff Puppets giant roaming puppet performances challenge and thrill unsuspecting audiences and transform the use of public space with surreal and mesmerising interventions in everyday life.The giant roaming Human Body Parts playfully explore the human form and invite audience interaction. Adults and children alike go crazy for the weirdness of these disembodied body parts floating down the street.Three of the Human Body Parts will be roaming each day at Hoopla. www.snuffpuppets.com

Puppet State Theatre Company: The Man Who Planted TreesApril 6-7, Sydney Opera House

Returning to Sydney Opera House after a sell-out season in 2010, The Man Who Planted Trees is a captivating adaptation of Jean Giono’s classic environmental tale. This is the story of a shepherd, his dog, and their mission to transform a barren land into a beautiful forest, acorn by acorn.

Hear the wind, feel the rain and smell the lavender in this multi-sensory theatrical delight. An engaging mix of storytelling, comedy and puppetry, The Man Who Planted Trees is an inspiring production, showing us the difference one man (and his dog!) can truly make.

For ages 7 +Tickets $24-$30http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/kath13_the_man_who_planted_trees.aspx

Joy House Productions: The Wong Side of LifeMarch 25, Chatswood Concourse

An Australian drama-comedy musical premiere, set in the future – 2101. “The Wong Side of Life,” has puppets and actors playing alongside each other in this beautiful love story. It has a futuristic theme. Gone are the days where people used to travel by buses, cars, trains and planes as people now travel by supersonic jet packs!

This love story is about two people, Lin Wong and Reece Hart, who hail from two very different worlds. Lin lives in Sunnyside, your average working-class suburb whereas Reece comes from a showbiz family and is a comedian! He and his mother, Marie Manchester, live in the exclusive suburb of Moonside. Reece’s mother is totally against their relationship as Lin comes from the “wrong side.” It is not until Lin’s father, Dr Wong, moves their family to China, due to his work that Marie’s perception on life changes, as she is diagnosed with cancer. She realises that the only time we should ever look down on a person, is to hold out our hand to help them up and that she had been wrong about life.

A play about resilience, covering issues such as bullying, racism, social inequalities and cancer.

Aimed at 8 + to adultsTickets $22.50 - $32.50http://www.theconcourse.com.au/event/wong-side-life

If you are a Sydney Puppeteer, puppet maker (or puppetry enthusiast) and have an event coming up (or know if things happening is Sydney/NSW), please do let Kay know as she'd love to hear from you! info@pupperoos.com

www.festival-marionnette.com See program here

For your diary:

About O.P.E.N (Oz Puppetry Email Newsletter)

O.P.E.N. is a free and voluntarily produced newsletter and is open to all. You can contact us ondreampuppets@netspace.net.au . Past issues of O.P.E.N. can also be accessed on our website:

www.dreampuppets.com

! ! ! This is Part A of a 2 part March edition produced by puppeteers, Julia Davis, Richard Hart and Kay Yasugi.

March, 2013