Upcoming: Riddley Walker, Trouble Puppet Theatre Company at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, September 29 - October 16

Received directly:

presents

Riddley Walker

September 29-October 16

shows at 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and at 6 p.m. on Sundays

Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Road (click for map)

Tickets: $10-$20 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/198032

Two thousand years after the collapse of civilization, in one of the last nomadic bands left in an increasingly settled land, a boy named Riddley Walker turns twelve years old and becomes a man of his people. They are outsiders in a culture where packs of wild dogs prowl the landscape, roving puppet shows propagate a historical dogma against technology and cleverness, and secretive sects work to rediscover ancient knowledge. With a very old puppet and a black dog for allies, Riddley escapes from the tragedy and authority of his culture and reintroduces comedy and anarchy to his world.

Riddley Walker is adapted for Trouble Puppet Theater Co. by Artistic Director Connor Hopkins, from the award-winning novel by Russell Hoban. Trouble Puppet Theater Co., recipient of such B. Iden Payne Awards as Outstanding Director of a Drama, Special Certificate for Puppetry, and Outstanding Original Script, is dedicated to the creation of outstanding works of puppet theater for grownups. This production employs tabletop puppetry inspired by the Bunraku tradition and supported by shadow puppetry, an original score by Justin Sherburn, and a layered sound and image design.

Group sales welcome! Director/cast talkbacks available for student groups. The show will also have American Sign Language interpretation at two performances. Those under 17 must be accompanied by adults. Not recommended for children under 11.

Tickets now available on-line

Trouble Puppet is a sponsored project of Salvage Vanguard Theater and is supported by the City of Austin Cultural Funding program, the Jim Henson Foundation, and individual donors. Special thanks to Sharon and James Reck for underwriting Riddley Walker!

Profile and Video: Trouble Puppet Company's workshop scenes from Riddley Walker, January 8 and 15

Connor Hopkins and the gang at Trouble Puppet Theatre Company invited their e-list followers over to the Salvage Vanguard Theatre studio on two Saturday nights, January 8 and 15, to get a look at scenes they've roughed out for the production of Riddley Walker scheduled for September - October of this year.

Hopkins himself served as a relaxed interlocutor. The 1980 novel by Russell Hoban (published, curiously enough, by the Indiana University Press) is set in a distant future. Civilization has reverted to a medieval existence of clans, poverty and myth making. Hopkins warned us that Hoban writes the tale in an imagined future jargon that initially may appear obscure. "Read it out loud," he suggested. "And after the first five pages or so, you'll have no trouble at all."

Isolated clans live in part by scavaging metal from the wreck of earlier civilizations. There is no written communication. Traveling puppet shows present versions of traditional stories. Each clan has a "teller" -- someone who interprets the meaning of the performances.

Using puppetry to tell a story including puppets is a challenge. The video below, recently posted by the company on YouTube, shows the company's approach. They establish the principal characters in "bunraku" style -- manipulated directly by visible puppeteers -- and do the puppets-within-the-story as hand puppets, Punch and Judy style.

(Your browser doesn't show the video? Click to go to YouTube!)

Upcoming: Riddley Walker workshop presentation, Trouble Puppet Theatre Company, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, January 8

Received directly from Jenny Larson at the Salvage Vanguard:

Riddley Walker
adapted by Trouble Puppet Theater

January 8th @ 8pm in the Studio, $5 admission

Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 E Manor Rd
www.salvagevanguard.org
purchase$5 tickets online here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/140859

Trouble Puppet will be experimenting with the format of their upcoming show, Riddley Walker, based on Russel Hoban's darkly poetic novel of the future. This adaptation combines puppetry, live actors, and music, in a ritualistic performance modeled on the roving puppet shows in the novel.

Trubba not, and no trubba back, or itwl be arga warga right a nuff.

Works Progress Austin (WPA), an annual development project, gives artists a playground to develop new works. Over the course of one week actors,
writers, directors, filmmakers, dramaturges, comedians, and musicians are given the opportunity to incubate and experiment. Come to the WPA and witness the construction of the future of American art!