March Grab Bag

Posted on March 31, 2015 by ccbooks

A round up of articles, links and videos that we shared on Twitter this month.

See item #5.

1. We wish we could head out to LA this spring for the Skirball Puppet Festival. It sounds like a blast!

2. Continuing with the theme of cool puppet events that we’ll have to miss, this production of The Little Prince in NYC also looks amazing.

3. Closer to home, it’s your last week to catch Pointless Theatre Company’s production of Dr. Caligari, with puppets designed and constructed by our very own Genna Davidson.

4. We were also excited to get to see The Winter’s Tale, produced by Half-Mad Theatre here in DC, with a puppet Mamilius.

5. This article about US puppeteer Paul Mesner was a lovely and thought-provoking read. Take a look!

February Grab Bag

Posted on March 4, 2015 by ccbooks

A roundup of links, articles and generally cool stuff we highlighted on Twitter in February.

See item #4

1. Here’s a super cool stop-motion video with cardboard puppets.

2. This exhibit at the Hirshhorn museum includes a piece involving light and cast shadows.

3. The official trailer for Song of the Sea, an animated film based on the selkie legend which we incorporated into Malevolent Creatures.

4. The picture book The Rabbits, written by John Marsden and illustrated by our favorite Shuan Tan has been turned into an opera.

5. This show came to the Artisphere in Arlington and we were sad to miss it! Hopefully we can see this company another time.

SAUDADE Audio Clip

Posted on February 17, 2015 by ccbooks

Saudade was based on a series of interviews with immigrants to the DC area from all over the world. Among other questions, I asked everyone about moments when they felt ‘saudade’–the feeling of longing for a place or person you once had that is now gone. Here is a very short audio clip in Portuguese of one of the interviewees from Brazil talking about times when she feels saudade.

Shadow Puppets in Argentina

Posted on February 13, 2015 by ccbooks

I was lucky enough to take a workshop with shadow puppet artist Gabriel von Fernandez when I was in Argentina back in November. Based in Buenos Aires, Gabriel performs his own shadow puppet shows and teaches workshops to artists at all levels. Here is a page from my journal about my experience working with him.

January Grab Bag

Posted on January 29, 2015 by ccbooks

A round-up of videos, links and articles that we highlighted on Twitter this month.

# 2 Why don’t I live in Chicago?

1. These gorgeous shadow puppet photos, based on various mythologies that explain the Northern Lights, were created for Kinfolk magazine.

2. We have fantastic museums here in DC, but I’ve been wishing I could get to Chicago to see this exhibit of puppets at the Art Institute of Chicago.

3. Puppets can illustrate real world issues as well as ancient mythologies. One of our Twitter followers called our attention to this article about Ebola, illustrated with two-dimensional puppets.

4. The creator of the puppets for that article is Jons Mellgren, a director, illustrator and writer from Sweden. Here are photos of one of his stop-motion puppet films, called ‘Paperworld.’

5. Sometimes I think that I must have read every single article and interview with illustrator Shaun Tan. I don’t think I’ve shared this one though, which is a conversation with Neil Gaiman, one of my other favorite writers. It is quite delightful and I hope you enjoy it!

Postcard #10

Posted on January 13, 2015 by ccbooks

Cecilia is back from South America, but here is one last postcard, to wrap up her adventures and look ahead to the future. Thanks for following along–we hope you enjoyed this virtual look at far-off places!

Goodbye 2014…Hello 2015!

Posted on December 31, 2014 by ccbooks

We’re heading into a new year, with new projects and adventures on the horizon. Thank you for reading our blog this year, for coming to our shows, for commenting on Facebook or Twitter and cheering us on. The audience is an essential part of any performance work and we value every single one of you, either online or in real life. We hope to see you again soon!

Kismet hanging out in front of Casa Rosada, one of the most well-known buildings in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Kismet in La Boca, the neighborhood where the Grupo Teatro Catalinas Sur has their theater and puppet company.

Kismet in shadow, part of a workshop piece at the festival Titiriteros Juglares, near Cordoba, Argentina.

Postcard #9

Posted on December 8, 2014 by ccbooks

Wit’s End artistic director Cecilia Cackley is currently traveling in South America. While she is gone, Cecilia is keeping a visual journal of the places she visits and shows that she sees. She will be posting pages here occasionally as virtual postcards from her trip.