Need a puppet fix?

Enjoy Big Bug Circus at Great Arizona Puppet Theater in May

It’s Theater Works meets Puppet Works in Peoria as Pinocchio takes to the stage. The company’s Youth Works presents “Pinocchio” March 9-25 at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, and children can enjoy a Pinocchio-theme puppet show every Saturday this month at either 10:30am or noon.

East Valley Children’s Theatre presents a series of puppet shows in coming months — each held on a Saturday at 11am at the EVCT rehearsal studio in Mesa. They’ll perform “Bird Brains” March 31, “Hoppy Hearts” April 28 and “Summer Smiles” May 26.  Their next theater production — “The Story of Hansel and Gretel” featuring book by Vera Morris, and music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur — runs June 14-24.

Puppetry is always plentiful at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater in Phoenix, which is featured in the “American Puppet Theaters 2012 Calendar” along with 11 other groups including Puppeteers of America, the Owl Glass Puppet Center, Melchior Marionettes, Puppetry Arts Institute and more.

The Three Little Pigs in Party Mode at Great Arizona Puppet Theater

Great Arizona Puppet Theater presents several works during March and April — including “Jack and the Beanstalk” (March 7-18), “Jack Rabbit & The Easter Basket” (March 21-April 8) and “The Metamorphisis of Karaghiozis” (May 2-6). The latter features “hilarious traditional Greek shadow puppets by guest artist Leonidas Kassapides.

The third Saturday in April is the “National Day of Puppetry” so GAPT plans a day full of puppet shows, activities and celebration on April 21. For grown-ups, GAPT offers several adult “puppet slams” each year featuring content too “edgy and quirky” for folks under 18.

Great Arizona Puppet Theater performs “Jack Rabbit and the Desert Tortoise” on April 28 at Higley Center for the Performing Arts. It’s one of more than ten desert theme shows they offer. Others include “Canyon Condor,” “Oh, Coyote!,” “Hotel Saguaro” and “Zoner & The Drip.”

Other GAPT shows suitable for younger audiences include “Big Bug Circus” (May 9-27), “Little Red Riding Hood” (May 30-June 17), “The Three Wishes” (June 20-July 1), “Goldilocks” (June 5-15), ” Old Macdonald” (Jul 18-Aug 5) and “The Princess, the Unicorn, and the Smelly Foot Troll” (Aug 8-26).

Characters from Jack Rabbit and the Desert Tortoise at Great Arizona Puppet Theater

Princess Harriet is having a “Unicorn Party” Aug 26, and young puppet lovers are invited to dress as a princess or troll to enjoy an afternoon of “themed activities, character appearances, and tasty cake.” You can also arrange to use “Peter’s Party Room” at GAPT when your child’s own birthday rolls around.

Upcoming fare at GAPT also includes “Baby Bear Goes to School” (Aug 29-Sept 16), “Hansel and Gretel” (Sept 19-Oct 7) and “Little Bunny’s Halloween” (Oct 10-28). While you’re there, check out their nifty gift shop complete with tabletop puppet theaters, finger puppets, marionettes, hand puppets and my personal favorite — Peepers!

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn how you can support GAPT by attending “Community Night Out With The Suns” on April 7

Coming up: Transformation tales

Fun with fairy tales

 

Robyn Bydalek (Portio), Trisha Hart Ditsworth (Joy) and Kathi Osborn (Stepmother) in Cinderella at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Mesa (Photo by Tim Trumble)

My oldest daughter, Jennifer, asked me an interesting question the other day — “I wonder if the adjective ‘grim’ came into use after the brothers Grimm wrote their stories?” We’d been discussing German fairy tales after I shared my discovery of some Grimm titles I’d never heard of before.

Adrienne Griffiths performs the role of Cinderella through August 6 at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre (Photo by Tim Trumble)

I was excited to discover fairy tales titled “Hans My Hedgehog” and “The Hare and the Hedgehog” in the 1812 publication — “Children and Household Tales” — by brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Jennifer has a thing for hedgehogs and was delighted to learn they fare well in Grimm tales. She worried they might “be made into soup.”

Some pretty scary things occurred in those original tales, which were later pared down to a more child-friendly collection of 50 stories. Today they live on in books, movies, songs and more. Several Valley theater companies are presenting fairy tales, most by the brothers Grimm, during the 2011-2012 season.

Adrienne Griffiths and Robert Legge perform in Cinderella at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Mesa (Photo by Tim Trumble)

For the little ones, Great Arizona Puppet Theater presents “Goldilocks” July 27-Aug 14 and “The Elves and the Shoemaker’ Nov 30-Dec 24. The famous folktale “The Little Red Hen,” likely of Russian origin, comes the GAPT in Phoenix Nov 9-27. It’s fun to pull this last one out when teens decide they want to have clean clothes and a full fridge without making friends with the washing machine or stove.

East Valley Children’s Theatre presents “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” a Grimm fairy tale originally titled “The Worn-out Dancing Shoes,” Sept 29-Oct 9 at the Mesa Arts Center. This adaptation was written by Claudia Haas.

Curtis Lunt is Pinocchio at Hale Theatre in Gilbert through Aug 20

Jennifer remembers a light blue-colored CD I bought the year she was home schooled. It contained fairy tale songs, including one about the twelve dancing princesses. Funny how our children remember these small details, especially when it seems at the time like they’re not paying all that much attention.

Some better known fairy tales are coming to Valley stages as well. “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” is being performed by Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Mesa through Aug 6, and by Greasepaint Youtheatre in Scottsdale next year (March 3-April 1).

The Blue Fairy in the Hale Theatre production of Pinocchio has an intriguing hat collection

The youth theater at Fountain Hills Community Theatre presents “The Elves & the Shoemaker” Dec 2-18. The youth theater at Theater Works in Peoria presents “Pinocchio” March 9-25, 2012. Their Puppet Works folks will perform “The Magical Adventures of Pinocchio” each Saturday in March.

Hale Children’s Theatre in Gilbert is performing “Pinocchio” every Saturday through Aug 20. The show makes a great birthday party option because “each birthday boy or girl is presented with a special gift from the Blue Fairy on stage.”

The Hale Theatre production of Pinocchio features several young actors

East Valley Children’s Theatre presents “The Story of Hansel and Gretel” at Mesa Arts Center June 14-24, 2012. It’s one of my personal favorites because I recall Jennifer performing in “Hansel and Gretel” with Greasepaint Youtheatre during elementary school.

She was an angel, a gingerbread cookie and a young girl. It was the year I went to our local pottery painting studio to make her a star-shaped jewelry box in gingerbread cookie colors — and spent countless hours painting glow in the dark halos and colorful gingerbread suit buttons. She also performed in Greasepaint’s “Pinocchio” that season.

We take these experiences for granted when our children are younger, and it’s not always possible to know in the moment whether the things we’re sharing with them have much staying power. But after talking fairy tales with Jennifer the other day, I know that both the fairy tales — and all those years of parenting — will be with her for a lifetime.

— Lynn

Coming up: Musings on Hans Christian Andersen, The fine art of hedgehogs, Culture meets comics, Cinderella tales

New works at Phoenix Theatre

The kiddies have plenty of theater options this summer — including “Pinocchio” at Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert (through Aug 20) and “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Mesa (through Aug 6).

But sometimes grown-ups need a bit of their own theater time, complete with fresh original works they haven’t read to anyone at bedtime or seen a hundred times in cartoon form.

Phoenix Theatre presents its 14th Annual “New Works Festival” July 11-24 on their downtown Phoenix campus. Folks who attend can see four new works in the development stage, following them from first table read to staged reading.

“Tropical Heat” by Rich Ofloff recounts the clash between a fire-and-brimstone preacher and a good-time party girl. “Reykjavik” by Phillip Dawkins is “a twisted romantic comedy about finding your other half while keeping a firm grasp on your whole.” “The Penis Eulogy” by Daniel Cahill imagines a man with prostate cancer who learns that sex is a thing of the past. And “Dinner on the Inside” by Christian Krauspe has a group of blue-blooded couples hosting dinner for a new Congressman and his wife.

So basically you’ve got religion, sex and politics — all the things we’re told never to discuss in public. I like it. Folks who get the “VIP Pass” can attend the first table reads for each work (with cast, playwright, dramaturge and director) — as well as their staged readings. They even get a nifty T-shirt and VIP lanyard.

The VIP pass also gets you into other festival events, which include a playwrights forum, a “24 hour theater project” performance of several short works developed from start to finish in 24 hours or less, an ASU centennial project featuring works with Arizona themes written by diverse playwrights — and a VIP party.

There are other ticket options, and students can enjoy special pricing on the VIP pass. All the fine print, including detailed information on each play and playwright, is spelled out in Phoenix Theatre’s “New Works Festival” blog. But frankly, they had me at “Eulogy.”

— Lynn

Note: Once the AZ Centennial Plays (directed by Dan Schay) are developed, they’ll be presented at ASU (ASU Studio 133, FAC) Oct 21-30. Click here to find more theater works for families.

Coming up: Dancing with words, Happy birthday Paris!

Puppetry meets Tony Awards®

Handspring Puppet Company will receive a special Tony Award on June 12 for puppets used in the Tony nominated play titled War Horse (Photo by Joan Marcus)

It’s tempting to associate puppetry with preschoolers, especially when you’re a Valley parent whose children first encountered the art form attending shows by the Great Arizona Puppet Theater in Phoenix.

Their production of “The Three Little Pigs,” recommended for ages “pre-K and up” runs through this Sunday, so folks with children who’ve yet to experience a live puppet show can check it out this weekend.

But the Great Arizona Puppet Theater knows that adults appreciate good puppetry too. Hence they offer monthly “Puppet Slams” — adults-only shows that they describe as “quirky” and “edgy.” (This month’s slams take place June 3 & 4.)

Cast members and puppets from the Phoenix Theatre production of Avenue Q

Puppets — and those who conceive, design, build and operate them — rarely get the credit they deserve. Creating puppets is an art form, and operating them a skilled blend of artistry and athleticism. Just ask the cast from Phoenix Theatre’s recent production of “Avenue Q.” I’m told even their fittest actors worked some body parts much harder than you might expect while venturing into puppet land.

Valley actress Manda Lee Blunt will soon be learning by doing in the puppetry department as she performs with (and without) a puppet in the upcoming Hale Children’s Theatre production of “Little Shop of Horrors” — being performed at the Gilbert venue this summer (and best, they tell me, for ages 12 & up).

I chatted Friday afternoon with producers assistant Cameron Tryon, who shared that they’ll be using four different puppets in the show. One of the show’s main characters is a plant that grows, and ultimately envelopes one of the show’s human characters. So the final puppet has to be substantial in size.

Puppetry in theater isn’t new, but it’s still rather rare. Broadway works incorporating puppets include not only “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Avenue Q” but also “The Sound of Music” and “The Lion King” — all musicals.

The Lion King, another Tony Award winner, features several types of animal puppets

But there’s a play on Broadway now that features life-size horse puppets. It’s called “War Horse” and it’s nominated for five Tony Awards® — for best play, best direction of a play, best scenic design of a play, best lighting design of a play and best sound design of a play.

The puppets used in “War Horse,” which is based on a novel of the same name, were created by master puppeteers at the Cape Town-based Handspring Puppet Company in South Africa. An article available on the Tony Awards® website notes that they’re crafted of cane, wire and fabric.

Handpsring Puppet Company will receive a Special Award at this year’s Tony Awards® — which will be broadcast on CBS on Sun, June 12. I’d love to catch the play when I’m in NYC helping Lizabeth get settled into college life, but have plenty of puppet-related theater to enjoy here in the Valley in the meantime.

Blakeley Slaybaugh as Pinocchio in the musical Shrek (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Though no puppetry will be used in the Hale Children’s Theatre production of “Pinocchio” opening Sat, June 11, I’m still eager to see the show. This tale of a wooden puppet who longs to become a real boy is one of my favorite works of children’s theater because it’s full of fascinating characters and lends itself to wonderfully imaginative sets, costumes and props.

My daughter Jennifer, now 20, performed in a Greasepaint Youtheatre production of “Pinocchio” more than ten years ago — so the show has sentimental appeal. It’s perfect for introducing children to live theater, and great fun to couple with frequent reading of the story about the little puppet with big dreams.

Theater Works in Peoria began adding “Puppet Works” shows just this season, so they’re another local resource for families who want to explore the live theater/puppetry mix.

Be ready to make your own puppets at home once you get back from seeing these shows. Theater inspires creativity long after the curtain closes, so stock up now on craft supplies like popsicle sticks, yarn, googly eyes, markers, construction paper and pom poms that you can turn into puppets or other characters.

War Horse is nominated for Best Play and four other Tony Awards (Photo by Joan Marcus)

And take a peek at the “War Horse” website. There’s more to puppetry than animating old white socks.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about a book titled “Handspring Puppet Company,” which explores their philosophy of puppetry and technical innovations. The book (at right) includes essays by theater professionals and writers who have collaborated with the company — and features numerous photos of the company’s work.

Coming up: Valley venue holds Tony Awards® contest

Jennifer’s marching orders

THE MUSIC MAN marches onto a Mesa Arts Center stage on May 27

If you’ve ever parented a teen, you know that some days feel like an endless parade of marching orders. And you’re not the one giving them. You’re the one getting them.

So it was last week when Jennifer announced I needed to cover a certain musical theater production in one of my posts. Marching orders from Jennifer are nothing new, though typically they involve instructions for cooking or teen taxi runs.

Jennifer is about as interested in musical theater as I am in plane geometry. But she’d run into someone at ASU who got to telling her about auditions for an upcoming production of “The Music Man” — and she offered to pitch a post on the topic.

Clearly, Jennifer did a masterful job of trumpeting this tale of music meets con man — because you’re reading about it now. It wasn’t such a hard sell, really, since the work is a classic in the pantheon of American musical theater.

It even features that most quaint of characters in the digital age — a librarian who helps people find and read books the old-fashioned way. There’s a whole other post in there somewhere, but I’ll save that for another day.

“The Music Man” is being presented by Mesa Encore Theatre May 27-June 12 at the Mesa Arts Center, but folks who purchase their tickets between May 9 and May 18 can see the show for just $10 (Use the promo code “RIVERCITY” when ordering online or through the MAC box office).

Mesa Encore Theatre recently announced its 2011-2012 season — which features an eclectic mix of shows, including “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” one of my all-time favorites.

Other Mesa Encore Theatre offerings for 2011-2012 include “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” “Proof,” “A Christmas Story,” “TBA,” “Ragtime,” and “Hairspray.” I love this line-up, which feels like an overflowing buffet of all my favorite comfort foods with some spicy new dishes thrown into the mix.

Resident companies of Mesa Arts Center also include East Valley Children’s Theatre — which presents “The Adventures of Pinocchio” June 16-26. And Actor’s Youth Theatre brings “Les Miserables School Edition” to the MAC stage June 28-July 2.

Mesa is also home to Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre — which performs “Smoke on the Mountain” through May 14 and opens “Seussical” on May 18. “Seussical” is an energetic bundle of charm that features favorite Dr. Seuss characters playfully proferring pearls of wisdom for all ages.

Mesa Arts Center welcomes several touring Broadway productions each year. Upcoming Theater League shows coming to MAC include “The Wizard of Oz” (Dec 6 &7), “The Rat Pack is Back” (Jan 10 & 11, 2012), “My Fair Lady” (Jan 31 & Feb 1, 2012) and “Rock of Ages” (April 10 & 11, 2012).

Jennifer will be thrilled that I’ve shared news of “The Music Man” and other Mesa happenings, mostly because I’m now free to fix her a bowl of pasta — just the way she likes it. Though Jennifer moved from teen to young adult with her birthday in April, she still likes giving marching orders in the kitchen. And I’m still happy to take them.

— Lynn

Coming up: “Stage Mom” picks for the 2011/2012 season, Spotlight on Desert Stages, Celebrating “International Museum Day”