The Nutcracker, A Puppet Presentation, Austin Public Library locations, December 5 - 18

From the Austin Public Library:

The Nutcracker is a classic favorite, a charming tale of holiday adventure that follows a little girl's journey through a fantasy world of fairies, princes, toy soldiers and an army of mice. Enhanced by Tchaikovsky's much-loved score, Literature Live! brings the story to life with puppets.

Clara journeys to the Land of Sweets with her Nutcracker Prince where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy, dancing candy canes and many other colorful characters. In the end, Clara is left to wonder whether it was all a dream.

The show is free and open to children ages 5 and older. For more information please call 512-974-7302 or visit www.cityofaustin.org/library.

Received December 5 from Ellen via the Austin Puppet Society:

Hello, all -- Devo and I have about 8 performances left of The Nutcracker and we would love for you to see what we are doing. It is a 30 minute traditional puppet show with hand puppets on a standing stage.

The puppets are an experiment in Super Sculpy, which is wonderful to work with, but not advised for hand puppets. I have already had to mend a broken head and neck, but they came out of surgery feeling fine.

These are all at Austin Public Library locations and can be searched on the APL website. We will also be participating in the First Night parade as the Bibliofiles with book carts!

12/5 @ 1:00 – Terrazas branch library
12/6 @ 2:00 – Central library
12/9 @ 10:30 – Cepeda branch library
12/10 @ 10:30 - Old Quarry branch library
12/15 @ 3:30 - Spicewood Springs branch library
12/16 @ 7:00pm – Howson branch library
12/17 @ 3:30 – Milwood branch library
12/18 @ 10:15 - Little Walnut branch library

Peace and hope to see you there.

Puppetry in Austin, Austin Statesman of October 25

from Austin Statesman of October 25:

THESE PUPPETS ARE NOT FOR KIDS, Y'ALL

Austin puppeteers are bringing the art form back to its original audience: adults

By Robyn Ross, SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Connor Hopkins, whose Trouble Puppet Theater Company opens an adaptation of "Frankenstein" on Thursday, is looking forward to a show with "video projection, live music, fire and lots of slime, blood and electricity."

This is the man whose first Austin project was a strip show starring transgender puppets that came back from the dead. . . .

Over the summer Ricki "Geppetto" Vincent and his Geppetto Dreams Puppet Company performed a puppet burlesque starring a sexy pig named "Miss Mimi." Like many of Vincent's characters, Miss Mimi is a bunraku-style puppet manipulated with rods held by three on-stage puppeteers. Geppetto Dreams is now staging its Halloween show, "Tales from the Nauseous Fairy," a puppet show for adults with Sunday matinees for kids.

Vincent's company has its own theater, quite a feat for the puppeteer who's been in Austin less than two years. Hopkins has planned a full season of puppetry ("mostly about grim moments in history"), and the Austin Puppet Society, which he started, has 40 members who trade ideas online. And First Night Austin, the all-ages New Year's Eve arts event, has become a showcase for enormous puppets that enchant young and old alike.

. . . for full article, Click here.