In celebration of Under the Canopy, which opens tomorrow at the Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria, VA here are some rehearsal photos:
The anchor point for the titular canopy, in the center of the stage.
One of the three ladders that make up the set with leaves, flowers and vines.
Cast members Nora Achrati and Betsy Rosen work with the objects and puppets to bring the rainforest to life.
We’re in the midst of refurbishing old objects and building new ones for Under the Canopy, which Arts on the Horizon will produce in February. After a workshop production last summer, we learned a LOT about how babies respond to objects and what kinds of things capture their attention best. Here are a few photos of us at work as we build umbrella birds and caterpillars, ladder trees and butterflies.
Supplies waiting on the worktable.
Pieces for the umbrella bird, all cut out and waiting to be glued on.
All glued or sewn on, now waiting for bird tails.
Amy and Genna at the worktable.
Genna trying out placements for the bird tails.
Shaper (Jose Pineda) and Creator (Bob Sheire) bring animals to life in FABULAS MAYAS. Photo by Lonnie Dale Tague.
Just a quick note here on some changes around the website that you might want to take a look at! We have new video up on the Cabinets of Kismet page, so if you didn’t get to see the show, check that out for some highlights. If you didn’t get to see our show Fabulas Mayas, it now has its own page, with photos. We have some new additions to our Friends and Family page; people who have great work and cool projects that you can support. Finally, on our Education page there are new descriptions of the workshops we offer to schools and community groups. If you are interested in having us come to your school, please send us an email!
Kismet is over and so (almost) is the month of May! With all the work at the theater this month, there has been less time to spend online and out and about seeking new and exciting things. But here are a few:
1. FIGMENT DC has submission forms up! We participated in this fun, free arts event last year and had a blast. If you are creative and have an idea for some kind of interactive arts activity, you should sign up! And if you would rather participate in someone else’s imaginative idea, put it on your calendar and come out to Anacostia for a fun time.
Our friends at Blue Sky Puppets will be performing at Strathmore this summer!
2. Strathmore out in Maryland has a whole bunch of puppet theater on tap for the summer, including our good friend Michael Cotter of Blue Sky Puppet Theater. Our friends at Pointless Theatre should be up there too for the puppet slam on August 2, so head over and say hi to them!
3. These photos by Todd McLellan came up on my radar screen via several different sources. Every time I looked at them, I had to restrain myself from going out and finding some particular tiny piece of machinery that I was convinced could become part of a puppet. Mr. McLellan, if you’re looking to get rid of any scraps, we should talk.
4. The International Toy Theater Festival is being hosted by Great Small Works up at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn from June 14-23. If you’re in the NYC area, you should check out the amazing work being done at this colossal event of miniature proportions!
It’s a little counter-intuitive, but one of my absolute favorite things about live theater is that it ends. Each production exists in a certain span of time, no two performances are exactly alike and when a show is finished, that is it. Sets are broken apart, costumes put away, actors scattered to other places and projects. Ephemeral, if you will.
One of the cabinet units, now leading a second life as a useful part of the studio.
We are sad to say goodbye to Cabinets of Kismet which has been our main project for nearly two years now. Last Sunday was our final show and in just a couple of hours, the theater looked as though we had never been there. Risers are back in place, lights put away and speakers re-hung. Puppets are in boxes, cabinet units have been broken apart and are now housing gels and wood scraps, as well as shadow puppets.
Kismet paper puppets join some older friends, including Anansi, Granny and the Malachite Palace marionettes on a shelf in the studio.
It’s been a fantastic experience, thanks to the wonderful support from CulturalDC, our mentor Pete Miller, our collaborators from SCRAP DC and of course the incredible audience members who came to the show and stayed to share their thoughts and impressions. If you came to a performance, THANK YOU and if you missed it, we hope to see you at our next one! Check back here for more information about upcoming events soon!
Each performance of Cabinets of Kismet moves quickly and there is little time to stand still or relax. Everyone is constantly picking up puppets, shifting set pieces, prepping puppets or props or lights and getting into place. But I did manage to sneak my phone backstage last week and take a few snaps of the silliness that ensues in our idle seconds. Amie loves Text Monster, as you can see in these photos:
Amie making a face at paperfish.
Waiting with Widget behind a unit.
Waiting for the video sequence to finish, in the light of the projector.
Only one weekend left to see The Amazing and Marvelous Cabinets of Kismet! We recommend buying tickets online–we have a relatively small number of seats and would hate to have you miss out. I’m excited to be able to share some of our beautiful production photos today, taken by C. Stanley Photography!
Kismet, discovering that his world has been destroyed.
Puppeteer Amie Root, with Lightbulb Head.
Matt Reckeweg and Genna Davidson, with Kismet and Jellybird.
Puppeteers Amy Kellett, Cecilia Cackley and Genna Davidson, with Nurse, Zoom and King Lamp.
‘Twas the night before opening and all through the theater, not a puppet was stirring…
All those chairs are waiting for you to come to the show so our space can transform into this!
Photo by C. Stanley Photography
We have four weeks until The Amazing and Marvelous Cabinets of Kismet opens. Tickets are on sale now and we are excited about the story that is coming to life! Here are some recent pictures of rehearsals, all taken by Sarah Gingold.
Wit's End Puppets 