Performers
Key to recommended audiences:
A adults | B ages 10 and older | C families, and children over 6 | D young children
Select an image to see the performers' gallery of photos.
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Gala Festival Opening
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A B
September 12
Join us for the opening of the festival and the world premiere of Ballad. The $36 ticket includes the performance and an array of sumptuous desserts after the show. Come celebrate with us while also supporting the festival! At New England Youth Theatre.
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Ballad
A B
Sandglass Theater
A world premiere, Ballad brings the globe-trotting Sandglass troupe back to its Vermont roots to join forces with local musician Nick Keil, composer Keith Murphy and director Rich Van Schouwen of Albuquerque, NM. In this ironically poignant piece about aging and a sense of place, Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass reflect on nearly 30 years of work together. With humor, stark imagery, and song, Ballad draws on Vermont traditions as metaphors for significant moments in our lives-times when we are stuck in the mud, or lost in the aroma of sweet harvest fruit as we chase a dream. Visit their Web site.
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Animals of Brazil
A B C D
Pia Fraus (Brazil)
From the steamy jungles of the Amazon comes Animals of Brazil, a dazzling musical spectacle without words by the Pia Fraus troupe. More than 50 puppets appear, including giant inflatable creatures representing an array of indigenous denizens of the Brazilian jungle. For the past 21 years, the award-winning troupe Pia Fraus has performed throughout South America and internationally. Animals will be presented outdoors at Living Memorial Park in Brattleboro and indoors at the historic Bellows Falls Opera House. Visit their Web site.
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Carnival of Taiwanese Hand Puppetry
A B C
The Happy Puppetry Company (Taiwan)
Family audiences will not want to miss Carnival of Taiwanese Hand Puppetry, performed by a family company encompassing three generations of puppeteers. The unique form of Taiwanese hand puppetry displays astonishing skill and speed of performance. The stage comes alive with puppets standing nearly a foot high, with delicately carved faces, wearing finely embroidered costumes and exquisite headdresses. Great epics, hilarious clowning, and stunning acrobatic and martial arts are all part of the repertoire of these extraordinary wooden actors. Note: Special performances for schools in Brattleboro and Bellows Falls are scheduled.
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Bizzarium: aquarium
A B C
Les Sages Fous (Québec)
Returning to the Festival, the company Les Sages Fous invites us to join the magical and wordless world they create at the Green Mountain Orchards in Putney. A magnificent exploration ship, the HMS Bizzarium, sails the seven seas to search for creatures of myth and lore. Two explorers dive into the depths of a mysterious oceanic aquarium, discovering creatures that lie beneath dreams. In this fantastic creation, the orchard’s buildings become canals and fjords containing washed-up relics and beached whales. It’s a must-see for the entire family! Visit their Web site.
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There’s a Rabbit in the Moon
C D
Vélo Théâtre (France)
France’s Vélo Théâtre returns to the Festival with There’s a Rabbit in the Moon, created especially for young children. One dark night, far, far away, Thomas Snout was born. Ever since, he has been collecting nights, capturing them with his bare hands. It is not an easy task, as obscurity is black and dirty and leaves traces. Over the years, Thomas Snout has collected 3,845 nights—big and little, with or without moonlight, starred and starless, nights of his own, nights of others, as well as a few that were only on loan. This visually imaginative company moved adult audiences with The Call of the Air at the festival in 2001. Now see them work their magic for young audiences. Visit their Web site.
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Monkey Business
C D
Dockteaterverkstan (Sweden)
Marionettes, hand puppets, and table puppets have a great kinship with monkeys as they perform the most amazing feats in Monkey Business. Anders and Cissi, creators of Sweden’s Dockteaterverkstan, craft a performance filled with acrobatics, pranks, jokes, tricks, and magic as they portray two circus directors who run a one-ring variety show but don’t always agree. And as monkeys do, their monkeys soon figure out just what they can get away with. Dockteaterverkstan, with this show especially suited for young audiences, returns to the festival where they delighted audiences with A Special Day in Larsson’s Storehouse in 2003. Visit their Web site.
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Daddy’s Always Right
A B
Credo Theatre (Bulgaria)
Credo brings us Daddy’s Always Right, based on a Hans Christian Andersen story. In this tale about the true value of the simple things in life, an old woman and an old man discover that a kiss is worth more than gold. A moving story for adults, it reminds us that only love makes things in life appear beautiful. Credo’s performances charm and delight as they create a magical world snuggled among drifts of dazzling snow in which even the lovers appear to be made of snow. As Credo showed us with its 1997 and 2001 festival performances of The Overcoat, there is always a happy end, but the road there is never straight.
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Collected Pieces
A
Grupo Contadores de Estórias (Brazil)
The Contadores de Estórias have performed all over the world as Brazil’s most venerated puppet cultural ambassadors. Here they present a program of their most beautiful scenes of Brazilian life. Images from all walks of life and all generations, from the village to the jungle, are depicted without words in this program created especially for adult audiences. Erotic, reflective, and with a touching realism, Collected Pieces transcends all national boundaries. Visit their Web site.
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Special Festival Events
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Puppet Cabaret
A B
Sandglass Theater and Friends
September 20
An after-hours Puppet Cabaret brings together many performers from Sandglass’s extended family of puppetry artists in an array of short pieces running the gamut from the philosophical to the ridiculous. Refreshments will be available at this less-than-formal late-evening entertainment at New England Youth Theatre. Tickets $10.
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When Images Speak Louder Than Words:
The Power of Visual TheaterA B
September 17
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center hosts a symposium featuring artists from the visiting companies. Join the international puppeteers in an open forum that delves into the essence of this unique art form. Moderated by Eric Bass. Sponsored by BMAC. Adults $4, seniors $3, students $2, BMAC members free.
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Festival Club
A
Sandglass Theater and Friends
September 17, 18, and 19
What do puppeteers do after the show? Share stories, make friends, drink, eat, and sing. Join this congenial and unrehearsed after-performance gathering at the Putney Inn. Instruments are welcome. Libations and snacks available. No cover charge.