PAST MARIONETTE PLAYS
With Marionettes Rod puppets and Shadows
MEESES PEECES
March 21, 2010
We adapted and performed a version of Of Mice & Men from the Steinbeck novel in collaboration with hand-puppet company, Mudeye Puppets, with Bruce Orr.
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The name comes from that is was originally designed to be performed in 15 minutes as part of an anthology show, and it was a condensed version of the story. Our major innovation was depicting two entirely different aesthetics representing the vastly different viewpoints of Lennie & George.
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We built two casts of puppets and two versions of each set to rapidly slide in and out of the proscenium as circumstances changed for our main duo.
THE CURIOUS CHRONICLES OF DANIEL CANDLEWICK
October, 2005. reprised: March / April, 2014
The first play in a trilogy about the strange Dr. Hadrian and his disquieting mechanical mansion in a small New England town; Daniel comes to work as an apprentice and ends up on a surreal journey.
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This was our most elaborate play in the relaunched production, featuring sliding sets, quick-changing costumes, shadow puppets, mechanical transformations and haunting characters. Exquisitely detailed moody settings looming with mystery and foreboding figures. It remains the high-water mark for the company.
THE MADNESS AT MOORGATE PRISON
June 19, 2004
This was the first play under the newly formed banner of The CastIron Carousel Marionette Troupe, which I founded with Adam Bolivar in 2004.
A jet-black comedy about an Upstate New York Prison run by a Chaplain and Warden who were actually centuries-old energy vampires using a haunted book and liberal use of the electric chair to extract the life-force from prisoners and extend their own immortality.
The absolutely gleeful depravity and horrifying executions, capped off by the darkest ending of any play we have ever done, caused some consternation among audiences at the time.
We hope to relaunch some of these productions in the future as film projects to preserve these ephemeral performances which were enjoyed only by small groups in intimate audiences at the time.