This weekend, for the third year in a row now, I will say to my fellow Fringe Fanatics “You MUST check out the Orlando Puppet Festival“. This event is not for kids (there are some family-friendly shows), but intends to expose Orlando to high-art, cutting-edge expressive puppetry. I’ve seen dozens of different types of acts, some including human actors, others with minimalist puppets, and even puppets singing cabaret.
Headlining this year’s festival are Pennsylvania’s Cashore Marionettes with “Life in Motion” and “Simple Gifts”, and Vermont’s Sandglass Theatre with “Autumn Portraits” and “Isidor’s Cheek”. If you didn’t know this, New England has a thriving puppetry community, including a school in Connecticut with great puppetry programs. We have some of our own here in the South, most notably Atlanta, which is home to the Center for Puppetry Arts.
Another highlight of the festival is Friday night’s “late night” show, “Puppets from the Edge”, NOT to be missed. This is a bit of an open-mic night for puppets, with everyone from local artists to far-off visitors showing off shorter and more experimental pieces. I have some great video of last year’s event if I can ever get some time to edit it down.
A similar type of show is the screening of “Handmade Puppet Dreams” a shorts program of puppet films collected by Heather Henson, which has toured all over the world, from India to California and everywhere in between. Don’t miss the current show at the Gallery of Avalon Island (DMAC), which features puppets from the HMPD films.
Just two more events to plug: check out a live outdoor performance of Heather’s original piece, “Panther and Crane”, inspired by her life in Florida, 8PM Sunday at Hertiage Park in front of the History Center. This play also features our sweethearts Voci Dance. Finally, there will be an OPF wrap party at the Harp and Celt, the downtown bar and restaurant just two doors down from the Mad Cow.
Props to Jamie Donmoyer and Heather for making this great festival even better this year. Multiple venues, family-friendly events (check out the Cupcake Shows), outdoors, films, parties, and of course, some of the most amazing puppetry you will ever see in this town. Order your tickets in advance and get more information by visiting OrlandoPuppetFestival.com, and I hope to see you all there!
October 26, 27, 28 @ Mad Cow Theatre and 3 other venues closeby.
The week before the Orlando Puppet Festival’s third run, veteran Broadway performer and Tony nominee John Tartaglia, AKA Princeton and Rod from Avenue Q.
Press release for you:
AN EVENING WITH JOHN TARTAGLIA AND FRIENDS!
Don’t miss this Orlando Puppet Festival exclusive! Spend An Evening With John Tartaglia And Friends as this exuberant performer discusses his career and this “meet the artist” session becomes an evening of performance. Highlighting songs from his Broadway and television career, this performance features special guest (and former Central Floridian) Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, puppeteer of Sesame Street’s “Abby Cadabby” and Ginger from Johnny and the Sprites. The evening is loaded with surprises in an intimate setting and tickets are sure to go fast.
John Tartaglia is best known to adults as a Tony Award-nominee from the original cast of Avenue Q, and with families as Johnny and the executive producer of the Disney Channel’s Johnny and the Sprites. He recently finished a run on Broadway as Lumiere in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and is a 10-year veteran of Sesame Street. Tartaglia started at Sesame Street at the age of 16 and was one of the youngest puppeteers ever to perform on the show. His television puppetry credits also include Sesame English, Play with me Sesame, Bear in the Big Blue House, Jo Jo’s Circus, Animal Jam and many more!
An Evening With John Tartaglia and Friends will be held October 18, 2007 at 8:15pm and 10:15pm at the Mad Cow Theatre, 105 South Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando.
Opflogo_2 WHO: The Orlando Puppet Festival
Presented by IBEX and Mad Cow Theatre
WHAT: An Evening With John Tartaglia And Friends
WHEN: October 18, 2007
8:15 pm and 10:15pm, approx 90 min
WHERE: Mad Cow Theatre
105 South Magnolia Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
TICKETS: All tickets, $20
Tickets may be purchased here or by calling the Mad Cow Theatre box office at 407.297.8788.
Reservations recommended, there is limited seating.
Contains adult themes. Must be 8 or older to be admitted.
Can’t wait until October 26th?
Quench your puppetry thirst now, with these upcoming events as we Countdown to OPF 2007!
POTPOURRI OF PUPPETRY CABARET
WHERE THE AUDIENCE BECOMES THE PERFORMERS!
Join everyone’s favorite puppet host, Chupacabra and human host Tony Giordano as they kick off a hilarious evening of puppetry entertainment in a Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret!
In the tradition of puppetry festivals throughout the nation, The Orlando Puppet Festival provides a stage for those performers experimenting in the art of puppetry. Whether nurturing a piece that has been developed over time, or spontaneously taking the stage with a fresh idea, the Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret welcomes one and all.
Premiering in Central Florida in 2002, this evening of adult puppetry has featured a myriad of artists, experimenting with pieces before an eager audience. From laughter to tears, to sheer amazement, the audience is taken on a journey into each artist’s mind, as they present their short pieces in an open-mic format. Kick back, sip a complimentary beverage and enjoy an anything goes evening of puppetry entertainment: some planned, some inspired by the moment!
Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret will be held at 7:30 pm on September 15, 2007 at Mad Cow Theatre, 105 South Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando.
Want to be part of the act? Sign up ahead of time by contacting Jamie Donmoyer at 407.760.9290 or info@orlandopuppetfestival.com or just show up! Puppets will be provided for improvised acts!
WHO: The Orlando Puppet Festival Presented by IBEX and Mad Cow Theatre
WHAT: Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret
WHEN: September 15, 2007 7:30 pm, Approx. 120 min
WHERE: Mad Cow Theatre 105 South Magnolia (between Pine St. and Church St.) Orlando, FL 32801
TICKETS: $8 per person, includes a complimentary beverage!
Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 407.297.8788 or visiting www.madcowtheatre.com.
Reservations are recommended, must be 17 or older to be admitted.
Like everyone else who came to the Fringe Festival this year, I truly wanted to adore Heart of Coal. Anyone who I had met who was involved in the show, even people whose names appeared in the program that I knew – I really like all of them. And of course the fact that Heather Henson had created the show’s puppets was a huge selling point. I got to learn a little bit about the environmental issue at hand in the show and I agreed with it a great deal. I was really excited before sitting down in the Green Venue to see the show on Thursday night. I even brought a bunch of friends, Fringe virgins, to see it.
At the end of the production, I regretted that it had been my friends’ first Fringe exposure. They hated it. I didn’t have such strong feelings against it, but something about it had bothered me. The set was beautiful, and I even liked the story. Albeit simplistic and lacking the allegory to truly make it a fable, I loved the idea of a fantasy kingdom and the problem seen through the eyes of a little girl. I loved the whimsy of it. I loved the concept and I adored the look of it, its use of music, the video that opened the production.
But it’s taken me this long to figure out what bothered me about it. First of all, the show would have been immensely more satisfying had there been a small, squawky puppet character, as I have come to love so well in other Henson creations. Think of the rats in Muppets Take Manhattan.
In all seriousness, however, I think there is a fine line crossed when the message of artwork overtakes the artistic achievement of the product. I don’t listen to any particular music for its message. But I try care for the earth – I’ve been a vegetarian for years, I drive a compact car (until I can afford a hybrid), I love composting, I am a recycling maniac, and I voted for Dennis Kucinich in the 2004 primary. But I don’t listen to music for any political purpose. There is great political music – don’t get me wrong, but it’s also first and foremost beautiful music. Think Sergai Prokofiev and Bob Dylan. I don’t listen to third-rate fourth-wave punk music just because the bands making it espouse hatred for George W. Bush and love for tofu.
I don’t disagree with the message of the Heart of Coal in any way, shape or form. I doubt there are many people who attended the Fringe who do, although I saw a McCain sticker on a car in the Shakespeare Festival parking lot. But the show’s problem comes in that it needs more development than simply presenting an issue. The same problem is everything I take issue with in Christian rock. A great deal of extremely popular Top 40 or radio rock music is awful, and much Christian “rock” consists of slimy derivatives of that. Yuck. But people listen to it because they agree with its message.
And don’t get me wrong. Heart of Coal was not that. It was completely original (although the Evil King could have done without the eye-patch). And it came close to living up to its potential. But there’s a reason that Schindler’s List is a movie that high school students watch in classrooms all across America and Syriana never will be. Much of Hollywood needs to realize this, too. We as audiences don’t have to put a stamp on something and say it’s great just because it deals with an important issue. There is a decided difference between activism and art. As a piece of activism, Heart of Coal is stellar. As a work of art, it’s a good start. More than that, though, I would love to see the ideas in this play developed into something that pulls together more, possibly developing other characters, and playing around with dialogue more. The bottom line is that to me, the best art doesn’t tell me its important and then try and live up to that label. The best music, theatre, anything really, is that which compels me with a beautiful story, a wonderful structure, and has an artistic impact on me which changes my mind. I think that a work like Heart of Coal has the potential to be that – it just needs more time.
The 16th Annual Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival kicked off on May 17th with a series of parties, performances and a parade by the festival artists. Ryan Price from Blogging Fringe was there to meet some artists and watch things go down.
We should have continuing coverage throughout the week. Subscribe to our audio and video posts via iTunes, and keep checking Blogging Fringe for reviews, patron voicemails (321-441-3964) and more.
P.S. Clicking on the ad at the end of the video or making buttons and badges this week helps pay for our tent out on the green! We appreciate the support.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
Show: Songs of Mirth and Mayhem Company:Paul Mesner Puppets Venue: Mad Cow Theatre (corner of Pine St. and Magnolia Ave.) Show times: Thu Nov 2, 10:15 PM; Tickets: $15 Call: 407-297-8788 - info and tickets
When I spoke with Paul Mesner tonight, he told me that Songs of Mirth and Mayhem is a much younger program than Wiley and the Hairy Man (a few months compared to a few decades). Still, my 24-year-old self found this show to be even better than Hairy Man. In no way is this show intended for young people, covering several adult subjects including drugs, sex, and violence!
What do event bloggers do with our phtos and video? Do we make pretty slideshows? Add fancy graphics? Do any editing at all? Not when it’s almost 1:30 and we have 3 more posts to write!
Show: The Traveler Company:Dramaton Theater Venue: Mad Cow Theatre (corner of Pine St. and Magnolia Ave.) Show times: Thu Nov 2, 9:15 PM; Fri Nov 3, 7:45 PM; Tickets: $15 Call: 407-297-8788 - info and tickets
I didn’t know what to expect from The Traveler going in to the show. What I found was something very special. New York’s Dramaton Theater made themselves famous doing non-verbal theatre, but the Traveler is more straightforward. The play is a collection three short stories about people on literal different walks of life. The first two stories are adapted from previous works, namely Richard Midleton’s On the Brighton Road (1911) and William Yeats’ Purgatory (1922). The third story was written for Dramaton by Enma Ito of Fantoma Theater Company of Osaka, Japan. The stories really go together to make up a whole in this piece: hats off, kids.
Possibly the most notable part of the show are the puppets.
Once again I have no time to post, as Jack and the Beanstalk starts in 15 minutes. I might not make it!! Very quickly I wanted to point to a video by Blogging Fringe’s friend Mark Baratelli. He made a video about himself of all subjects, and he mentions that he will be performing in Sunday night’s show. Check it out:
After seeing The Traveler and Songs of Mirth and Mayhem today, I went to Club Pita with a friend, and we hung out a bit late. I need to get some sleep now, but I will post the reviews tomorrow afternoon, promise.
If you read Elizabeth Maupin’s blog today, you’ll see that she was having some trouble with her blog software. I suppose that is one reason for neglecting a post about Orlando Puppet Festival until 28 hours after it opened. I posted as soon as I got home from the first show, and at least I mentioned it in my post on Sunday. I don’t want to get braggy, but I do want to point out a lack of support for this event from the traditional media in town. There are plenty of puppet festivals around, but only one Orlando Puppet Festival. The Fringe gets insane amounts of coverage, and this event (and other events like the Orlando Film Festival should get similar fanfare. If the media are not willing to support Orlando Art, than who but the bloggers and blog readers can get the word out?
Also: Mayor Buddy was in attendance at the Orlando Film Fest, but what about this event? Does he know it’s happening? Does he have the time to attend the cocktail reception on Saturday? Also on the point of the traditional media: if the Mayor of Orlando attends an event, it sounds pretty newsworthy to me. Explain that one.
Show: Wiley and the Hairy Man Company:Paul Mesner Puppets Venue: Mad Cow Theatre (corner of Pine St. and Magnolia Ave.) Show times: Wed, Nov 1, 7:00 PM; Fri, Nov 3, 10:30 AM; Fri, Nov 3, 1:00 PM; Tickets: $15, $12 with Student ID Call: 407-297-8788 - info and tickets
Paul Mesner is clearly an accomplished puppet performer and builder. I know this because he performed the entire show on his own, live, doing all the voices AND running the tape machine! Paul has been performing Wiley for almost 20 years now, testified by the fact that some of the puppets are built from “Reagan Era Government Cheese Boxes”.
Uh-oh! Some of our first Non-Fringe content starts to leak in. The Orlando Puppet Festival opened today with a wine and cheese reception, followed by a screening of Handmade Puppet Dreams, a collection of shorts compiled by Heather Henson and Michelle Renee Bousquet. Following that was one of many presentations of Paul Mesner’s Wiley and the Hairy Man. I got a chance to talk to Heather once again and a few of the organizers assembled.
I’m sure I will be bringing in more reports and some interviews soon. Right now I have a million things to do before tomorrow, some of them to this site. Last week I added music players so you can listen to interviews without having to leave the page. Read AND listen! How cool is that? Let me know what you think.
Also, my plan for this year’s season is coming together bit by bit. Get your webmaster’s email out, because I will want to talk to him or her very soon.
A similar type of show is the screening of “Handmade Puppet Dreams” a shorts program of puppet films collected by Heather Henson, which has toured all over the world, from India to California and everywhere in between. Don’t miss the current show at the Gallery of Avalon Island (DMAC), which features puppets from the HMPD films.
In the tradition of puppetry festivals throughout the nation, The Orlando Puppet Festival provides a stage for those performers experimenting in the art of puppetry. Whether nurturing a piece that has been developed over time, or spontaneously taking the stage with a fresh idea, the Potpourri of Puppetry Cabaret welcomes one and all. 
