Eleven postage stamps were launched in the United States today, dedicated to Jim Henson and his Muppets. This morning before leaving for Boston, I was up bright and early in the Manhattan post office queue, waiting to purchase my commemorate stamps. Ten Muppet characters share the sheet of stamps with a single stamp for their creator, Jim Henson. The Muppets honoured include Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam the Eagle, Statler and Waldorf, Animal, Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker, Camilla the Chicken and Gonzo. Below the single Henson stamp is a larger photo in the sheet's selvage showing Henson in silhouette sitting on the floor, back to a wall, knees drawn up, and talking to Kermit. It's a wonderful sovenier reflecting a generous soul and his creative talent!On a sad note, Paul, my television student in Oz, has just informed me about the untimely passing this week of Muppet head writer, Jerry Juhl. He will be sadly missed by all Muppet fans!
Handspring Puppet Company's new West African puppet theatre production 'Tall Horse' is opening in New York's BAM festival in Brooklyn on 4 October. This intra-African collaboration between South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company and the Sogolon Puppet Troupe of Mali, Tall Horse is vibrant and evocative theater, drawing on the story’s complex political, social, and cultural implications. The production turns the historical tables to show the African “discovery” of Europe, examining both the past and present state of African-European relations. Wonderfully skilled performers manipulate and interact with the life-size (and larger) puppets, creating a powerful fusion of human acting and puppetry techniques amid a fantastic tableau of color and sound. It promises to be a visual treat, so don't miss it!
You can view a preview of this inspiring West African production by clicking Watch Tall Horse preview on screen right. Read the interview with Handspring puppeteer Adrian Kohler about Tall Horse here!
The Lion King, Melbourne production is looking for an experienced Victoria-based Puppet Technician to work on Masks and Puppets for the stage show. Experience in puppetry and prop making is required. Reply by email only here! Closing date for applications is 14 October 2005.
So who says life isn't exciting in the Big Apple? It's been a crazy time for me, which feels like 24 hours a day running in circles, trying to keep up. But it's been so worth it. Today I taught basic puppetry manipulation skills at an arts college in Brooklyn with a friend Ronnie, a keen NY puppet builder, teacher and collector of note. That's me with a fraction of her Chinese collection in the photo.Tomorrow I head up to Boston, where I'll be lecturing at Emerson, Brown and the Puppet Guild for the next week before I fly off to the United Kingdom. And so the journey continues...
Terrapin Puppet Theatre in Hobart, which is the capital of Tasmania (an island in South Australia) has officially announced that the 2006 National Puppetry Summit will take place in Hobart 9 to 12 June 2006 at the Salamanca Arts Centre. The last puppetry summit took place in Melbourne, Australia in 2002. This was a great inspiration to me being part of the local puppetry scene, having recently immigrated to Australia. It's a place to learn about the people and their culture through the eyes of the puppet. It offers an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in travelling to Tasmania, a vastly unexplored territory, even for Australians, to explore the microcosm of this fascinating art form so far south in the world. The summit will be a preview to our UNIMA World Puppetry Summit and Festival scheduled to take place in Perth, Western Australisa in 2008. Check out the website and hope to see you there!
Opening on 30 September around the United States is Jim Henson Productions' latest festure film, 'Mirror Mask'. The latest Henson fantasy film, on the other side of reason, takes the viewer on a journey into our deepest imagination. Following in the traditions of Jim Henson's early films, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, the Mirror Mask combines technology, visual effects and puppetry in a brand new journey into the realms of fantasy. The trailor looks fascinating, you can see it here! Also on 28 September, the US Postal Service will honour Jim Henson with a series 11 postage stamps - one feauting Jim and the others The Muppets. The new film sequel 'The Power of the Dark Crystal' is also in pre-production for 2007, so watch this space!
Even though puppet stars John Tartaglia, Rick Lyon and Jonathan Root have re-located to Las Vegas, the Avenue Q I saw tonight still shone bright. Original cast member Stephanie D'Abruzzo stole the show, with her outstanding vocal and puppetry skills performing Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut. The musical numbers were hillarious and the combination of actor - live puppeteer worked. It's amaising after all these years in the theatre, how my eyes still go straight to the puppet character when its well manipulated, almost ignoring completely the actor-puppeteer. After more than two years on Broadway, this show will certainly make its mark and contribute greatly to live puppetry being accepted into main stream theatre in the United States. At last ... good on you, Avenue Q!
Lucy the Slut in all her glory as she struts her stuff on Avenue Q on Broadway tonight. Read the report above!
Thanks to Jonathan Root in Las Vegas for the sensual pic
Gobbo Fraggle was there in style to entertain the kids. So was Cheryl Henson, who signed copies of her latest book 'Its not easy being Green' this afternoon at the Museum of Radio and Television in Manhattan, New York. I caught up with Cheryl Henson briefly this afternoon, before the wonderful muppet demo. Tyler Bunch, one of the Muppet performers who performed on Henson Productions, such as 'The Bear in the Big Blue House' and 'The Muppets' Wizard of Oz' gave the enthusiastic audience a glimse into the World of The Muppets. He put together two 'anything' muppets, to the amaisment of the captive audience and manipulated them for the camera. He then invited the children to come up and manipulate their 'paper bag' puppets, which they built in a workshop upstairs, before the demonstration began. It was a really fun afternoon, even though our late-Muppet mentor, Jim Henson is no longer with us. May Jim Henson Productions enjoy many more years of creating wonderful magic in our world! There's a great article in the Hollywood Reporter here!Don't miss Hensons' new feature film MIRRORMASK, being released on 30 September.
What a day! I am not criticising either the United States or Canada, Lord forbid, but its beaurocracy will be its downfall. Yesterday morning I left Marquette, after a wonderful lecture series at the Northern Michigan University, on a flight to Detroit and a further connection to Toronto. Both of which were delayed and turbulent to say the least. Thanks Rita! (Rita's the new TERRORIST threat in the United States this week - that's driving the US mad) Why I had to go back through Toronto to get to New York is all logistics, but I wouldn't have dreamt that I'd have to go through Canadian immigration once again, then check in and re-do American immigration just to get onto the New York flight! Haven't they heard of transit, up there? "
Have you got anything to declare? Well, I've only been in Canada for twelve minutes!"
But I survived all the baggage checks and twelve hours flying and finally made it back into Mantattan late last night ... alive! A crazy weekend starts now with the Jim Henson 50 years celebration at the Museum of Radio and Television, my cousin's wedding and Avenue Q on Saturday night. Stay tuned...
Strange witing Aussie news from New York, but here goes! Sticky Apple Legs editor, Noami Guss, has an interesting article about Arts Blogging on Australian ArtsHub today. Kate Wild is looking for Australian Puppeteers! Slightly Imperfect Theatre Company are auditioning to find 5 acts who will be the grand finalists in an adult puppet cabaret competition showing at Bar Me in Darlinghurst from 2-4 and 9-11 December 2005. Acts should be 5-10 minutes long and suitable for stage performance. ALL musical styles welcome, from country music to torch songs. Complete acts and puppets-with-concepts-in-development welcome to audition. Slightly Imperfect are also seeking two puppet judges – aka Statler and Waldorf of The Muppets. Auditions will be held in Surry Hills, Sydney on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th October. For enquiries or further details on audition times and location, contact Jessica Manuel: 0414 741 549 or Kate Wild: 0407 490 176
Sydney writer/director, Mr Ben Ferris,
who is also Director of the Sydney Film School,
won the Grand Prix for his short film 'The Kitchen' at the Akira Kurosawa Short Film Festival. A panel consisting of seven leading Japanese film industry personalities (including distributors, directors and producers) recently announced their decision after watching the 15 finalist short films, the screenings of which took place in downtown Tokyo on Sunday September 4. Check out the full article here!
The UNIMA Australia website reports today that US citizen - puppeteer and activist, Scott Parkin detained by the Australian Federal Police and immigration officials on the grounds that he constituted a threat to Australia's national security, has been deported. Australian officials refused to explain the basis on revoking the visa that they had allowed him to enter the country on six weeks earlier. In the absence of any explantion for the reasons for his arrest, some media wondered whether it was because Australian agencies had discovered something about protest activity he had been involved with in the U.S.
Greenpeace Australia's Campaigns Manager, Danny Kennedy said Parkin had been arrested for a minor offence at once at a protest at ExxonMobil while working for Greenpeace. "He once dressed as Tony the Tiger and ran around the Exxon Mobile headquarters in Texas along with 20 other Tony the Tigers. He wasn't charged with a violent crime," Mr Kennedy said.
"Scott has never advocated violence. He has only ever advocated non-violence and peaceful protest. And if Mr Ruddock knows better he needs to make it clear and transparent and explain it to Scott so that he can defend himself," Kennedy told the Sydney Morning Herald. In a statement released the day before he was deported Parkin expressed his incomprehension of what occurred. "I find this entire experience incomprehensible and am still baffled as to why my visa has been cancelled," he said.
"I am a student of mass social movements in the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jnr and I think that these movements have shown us the way to achieve positive social change," said Mr Parkin. Following the deportation of Parkin, former Office of National Assessments (ONA) analyst, Andrew Wilkie, dismissed claims that Parkin was a security threat.For further information, click here or listen to the interview on ABC Radio National 'The Deep End' (click 15 September)
It's raining non-stop here at the Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Had my first day of lectures here which went off really well! Talked about puppetry to three student groups today: nursing students studying public health, education and communication students. Tomorrow, among the classes is one for Public Law students, where I'll discuss puppetry and it's role in prison reform. The flights getting here yesterday were serious, first a small jet from Toronto to Minneapolis and then a small turbo-prop to Marquette. For those who haven't flown turbo-prop recently, it's a painful experience, both on the ears and the stomach! But it's really a great experience being in small town America, where the people are friendly and the Uni is cool! PS. I have tickets for Avenue Q on Broadway for Saturday night!
Another day, another country! Back to the airport this morning and back to the United States - first plane to Minneapolis and then another to Marquette, where the University of North Michigan is situated. But I have to finish later, cause Mark says we have to leave for the airport.. more later!
After two days in the peaceful village of Sutton, close to the USA border, near Montreal, with puppeteer friends, France and Jean, (see France's website). I fly back to Toronto later today to prepare for my next adventure - at the University of North Michigan. I'll be lecturing on Puppetry in Development, Education and its social applications. But first, I'm meeting with Louise Lapointe this afternoon, the UNIMA Canada cousellor and publisher of Casteliers, the Canadian puppetry journal.
Today my couzin Mark Madeisky from Toronto, took me to visit the Niagra Falls. Yes, it was a great tourist experience but I so wanted to swim! Tomorrow morning I'm flying to Montreal to visit an old friend from puppetry school in Charleville, France Chevrette and then on Sunday I'm flying off to Michigan... where I start lecturing on Monday - always on the move!
(An article published today in Artshub, Australia)
Are the arts taken seriously in Australia? This seems to be an eternal debate, that can only be judged by the quality of art that gets produced.
What local theatre have I seen recently? Nothing to rock your socks off, that's for sure! Occasionally I see something that inspires my desire to create, but the normal reaction is "'that was not great!'" The time has come to change this attitude.Read the full article here!
Summer in Toronto! Nan Melville, my talented camera operator from New York, and I flew in from West Palm Beach, Florida, where it was incredibly hot and humid, via Dallas in Texas. In West Palm we stayed with and interviewed Leo (Polda) Lowy, one of Hanus Hachenburg's friends from Terezin (for our documentary 'Looking for a Monster'). Hanus was murdered in Auschwitz, two days before his 15th bithday, in 1944. The filming is going really well and the interviews are completely inspring. Every day I'm learning more about this fascinating poet, Hanus and his talented friends, who were prisoners in Terezin, before their deportation to Auschwitz in 1943/4. I think we might have found the only surving photograph of Hanus! This is an unbelievable find, after working for over five years on this research. Both Leo and George Brady (in the middle on the photo) have confirmed this. Today we interview John Freund (on the right in the photo). It's our final day shooting in north America, before I wizz off to visit a friend in Montreal and then on to lecture at the University of North Michigan next week...
Just returned to New York City this evening, after two intense days of filming interviews with Polda Lowy in New Jersey. Polda was one of the close friends and room-mates of thirteen-year old Hanus Hachenburg, the writer of a political puppet play, "We are Looking for a Monster" in Terezin in 1943. That's the play I found in Jerusalem in 1999 and adapted for the stage in 2001. Well, for the past two years, Australian film producer, Rod Freedman and myself have been making a documentary film on the life of these children, who created the most incredible art, theatre, poetry and music in the Terezin Concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, before most of them were deported to Auschwitz and murdered. Hanus never survived, but a handfull of his friends did and are now scattered across the globe. We have been locating them and filming them over the past few years. We are flying first thing tomorrow morning to West Palm Beach, Florida to interview another surving friend of Hanus, Zdenek Taussig. So stay tuned!
Kermit reports that the Henson's 50th Anniversary event will take place in New York and Los Angeles simultaneously. The Museum of Television and Radio in New York is publicising the event for Saturday 24 September at 12h00. The programme will include a preview of the their new Henson's television series 'Frances'; a puppet making workshop and puppetry demos. The MT&R is on 25 West 52nd Street in New York. For bookings call: 212-621.6663 I just happen to be returning to New York on that weekend, so what can I say? See you there!
This morning I flew into New York from Chicago and was met at the airport by an old friend from Johannesburg, who now lives here. How this city has changed in the ten or so years since I was last visited. Tonight we went to find out about tickets to Avenue Q, but didn't find much information at TKTS on Times Square, so I think we'll have to go again when theý are open, cause it's Sunday and Labour Day tomorrow! So we have tomorrow to plan for our Looking for a Monster shoot. A busy week of filming ahead - New Jersey Tuesday and Wednesday, West Palm Beach Florida - Thursday and Friday, then we fly to Toronto for a week. More tomorrow!
It's very fortunate that I'm still in Chicago, not New Orleans, where my AfricanPuppet.com website is hosted. The site is temporarily down, due to the catastrophic hurricane Katerina that''s wiped out so much of that city. Sorry for the inconvenience, but my server in New Orleans will try restore the site as soon as possible! UPDATE: The website is now restored and up and running!
Eleven postage stamps were launched in the United States today, dedicated to Jim Henson and his Muppets. This morning before leaving for Boston, I was up bright and early in the Manhattan post office queue, waiting to purchase my commemorate stamps. Ten Muppet characters share the sheet of stamps with a single stamp for their creator, Jim Henson. The Muppets honoured include Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam the Eagle, Statler and Waldorf, Animal, Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker, Camilla the Chicken and Gonzo. Below the single Henson stamp is a larger photo in the sheet's selvage showing Henson in silhouette sitting on the floor, back to a wall, knees drawn up, and talking to Kermit. It's a wonderful sovenier reflecting a generous soul and his creative talent!
