I created a collection of five wooden rod puppets (The Larryville Hipster Collection), for a group show at my friend Moshe Sherman’s new project space, Percolate, in Wilkinsburg, PA. The show opened in December of 2013. The closing reception is tonight.
Bluu and Ragu were stitched together just in time for their debut appearance at the 2013 Carnegie International Family Day on January 20th. The two made appearances in the Wade Guyton coat room installation, the Hall of Architecture and the Heinz Galleries at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Filed under Puppets
Hugo Ball & Emmy Hennings traverse the battlefields of the Great War.
On January 16th, I presented a new show with collaborator Michael Cuccaro at the Carnegie Museum of Art, as part of their Culture Club programming for the 2013 Carnegie International. The fifteen-minute, Dada-inspired show was performed toy theatre-style in the Museum Café with a cast of newly crafted puppet characters including Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, Tristan Tzara and a drone. Sets for the production included a battlefield scene, the interior of the Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich, Switzerland, 1916 and Hugo Ball’s bedroom. The Carnegie Café was transformed into an installation for the International, making it an interesting venue for the event. Also performed that evening was Museum Piece: For Margo Lovelace, a puppetry performance by Paulina Olowska, performed by Kristen Barca and Joann Kielar.
Emmy Hennings performing a dance at the Cabaret Voltaire.
In the fall of 2012, I met Polish artist Paulina Olowska. She was visiting to plan her 2013 Carnegie International installation for the Carnegie Café. We talked about the beginnings of the Dada movement at the Cabaret Voltaire and her plans to transform the museum café into a cabaret atmosphere. When Olowska later invited me to work on the performance piece for her project (and exhibit a collection of my puppets), I began thinking about creating a show about the ideals of early Dada artists.
Dada founders Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball at the Cabaret Voltaire.
It’s difficult to think about the trauma experienced by European artists living during World War I. What were artists to do at a time when humanity was pushed to the edge? The reality of war and suffering permeated everyday life. New, more efficient weapons, tanks and gasses were implemented. What were artists to do in this time of trauma? The Cabaret Voltaire was an outlet for artists and intellectuals to express their disgust, their needs and their aim to redefine art.
Tristan Tzara delivering his Dada Manifesto at the Cabaret Voltaire.
Today, wars are often managed by drones controlled from locations far from the battlefield. We watch football, go to the movies and get into arguments at the supermarket as wars are being waged halfway around the world. In developing this new puppet show, I thought about the iconic figure Hugo Ball, dressed in a shiny cone-shaped bishop’s outfit. I wondered what Ball, his wife Emmy Hennings and other Zurich Dadaists of 1916 would think about the world and warfare today.
Bedroom scene, as Ball is about to be visited by an errant drone from 2016.
The puppet show, Flight Out of Time (after Ball’s diaries), recreates the scene of The Cabaret Voltaire. A fantastical ending suggests a prophetic element in Ball’s prose. The show includes an adaptation of Tristan Tzara’s Dada Manifesto as well as a reenactment of Hugo Ball’s sound poetry.
A drone “flies out of time” from 2016.
A collection of thirty puppets and puppet show props that I made and used in performance from 1997 though 2013 is currently on display as part of Paulina Olowska’s cabaret installation Puppetry in America in Truly a Lonely Craft in the 2013 Carnegie International. I met Olowska and co-curator Daniel Baumann in November of 2013, when the artist visited the Carnegie Museum of Art to plan the transformation of the museum’s Carnegie Cafe into a cabaret installation inspired by puppetry and the legendary Pittsburgh puppeteer Margo Lovelace. I shared my collection of puppets, props and posters, and was later invited to participate in the project.
Aside from the collection, I also organized a performance for the opening day of the International with Pittsburgh puppeteers Kristen Barca and Joann Kielar. Based on Olowska’s cabaret concept, the performance titled Museum Piece: For Margo Lovelace involved Barca and Kielar manipulating marionettes on a sculptural stage to a piano and accordion score. The piece, which is now on view as a video recording, played to a packed crowd on opening day.
Yawny
Puppets made from fabric, wood, paint, hardware and found objects.
Monster Burger looks out at diners in the Carnegie Cafe.
I’m working with Mike Cuccaro on a puppet show performance of the ancient Greek comedy Peace. We played a few scenes of the show at Modern Formations Gallery on April 12th and at the Carnegie Museum of Art on April 27th. We hope to have a complete production ready by the end of the year.
Tom Sarver and Mike Cuccaro performing in the Hall of Architecture at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Photo by Stacy Hoffman.
Trygaeus flying on his beetle in the Hall of Architecture at The Carnegie.
On March 3rd, Puppet Happening celebrated one year of activity and its third big production, Luck of the Puppets. The event took Puppet Happening in a new direction, breaking away from the familiar sit-down puppet cabaret show. After a January brainstorming session, a new path was set, something close to the historic “art happening.” Puppeteers agreed on a more interactive show, an event that invited guests – and their puppets – to become active participants. A Vegas-themed, carnival-style festival was in the works.
Luck of the Puppets at Future Tenant Art Space. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
The hands-on approach began with a puppet making area run by Rose Clancy called Make Your Mate. Rose, along with artists Kara Skylling and Brandi Welle, assisted guests in creating approximately sixty puppets out of craft supplies and repurposed materials. Puppet creators were encouraged to complete profiles for their puppets. The spectator-turned-puppeteer experiment made for a lively evening. Some participants later took to the stage, taking part in Puppet Dating Game and Puppet Weddings.
Mike Cuccaro hosting the "Puppet Dating Game."
Visitors with their puppet creations. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
A guest works her new puppet. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
Aside from the participatory, the happening had plenty of purely experiential performances and moments of spectacle. Performance artists Scott Andrew and Erin Womack presented Liquid Escort 5000, a futuristic spin on the sex industry. Over a five-minute performance, Andrew danced in elaborate costume while Womack canvassed his movements with psychedelic projections using overhead projectors and an array of colored liquids (Think Matthew Barney + Gaga + mad scientist).
Scott Andrew performing "Liquid Escort 5000." Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
Body Language: A Puppet Seduction explored themes of fantasy and desire. The performance happened twice during the evening featuring a cast of Megan Morrison, Jeremy Frazier, Brittany Thurman, with set work by Sophie Hood. Gabe Felice brought his portable studio to the happening. Throughout the course of the night, guests lined up for his psychic noisemakers and paintings.
"Body Language: A Puppet Seduction." Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
Gabe Felice. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
One of the highlights of the night was Mime Share by Kristen Barca. Guests were encouraged to sign up for “time with the mime.” Located in a 4-foot by six-foot square and dramatically framed by floor to ceiling black velvet, visitors could step into the world of the mime to experience a number of intricate routines. Kristen stayed in character throughout the night, refusing to speak a word.
Kristen Barca performing "Mime Share." Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
On the opposite side of the gallery, near the entrance was Puppet Peep Show, a project performed by Kate Mickere & Megan Morrison. As visitors entered a ten-foot by ten-foot black curtained room, they were asked to choose a show. I only got to see one peep show. It was pretty hilarious. It involved a dancing bottle of Thousand Island salad dressing and its affair with a Reuben sandwich.
Operating close to the peep show was another performance duo, Murphi Cook and Zach Dorn with the debut performance of Puppet Photo Booth. A project of The Society for the Advancement of Miniature Curiosa, the duo performed an epic adventure (Honey I Shrunk Las Vegas) thirty times during the evening. The photo booth was pretty close to the real thing (aside from the fog machine, water feature and human operators). I don’t want to spoil the show. It is due to tour Pittsburgh over the next year.
Late in the evening, Dave English and Paul O’Brien announced the winner of Big N’ Scratchy, an enormous lottery scratch-off ticket. Puppeteer Cheryl Capezzuti picked the winning ticket and was awarded the task of scratching, and scratching, and scratching with a giant quarter.
Cheryl tries her luck on the big ticket. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
A late-night puppet wedding. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
Rounding out the night were performances by Mr. & Mr$. Funky Vegas performing The Puppetmaster of Vegas and Mike Cuccaro with puppet dating game. I joined up with Mike for a hand puppet show and I ended the night performing puppet weddings for all interested participants. Luck of the Puppets was the produced as part of the Trespass performance residency series at Future Tenant Art Space. Drinks were provided by Straub and Woodchuck Cider.
Mr. Funky added some lively keyboard tunes to the evening. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
Tom Sarver & Mike Cuccaro perform a Vegas puppet satire. Image Copyright Larry Rippel.
The Lascaux to Garfield event at Irma Freeman Center for Imagination was a huge success. Hundreds of visitors stopped in for the gallery show and we had a capacity crowd for the Puppet Cabaret. Thank you to everyone who stopped out. A special thanks goes out to all of the participating artists, the performers, those who donated food & drink for the reception, Brett & Sheila at IFC and everyone who purchased art!
Proceeds from the event will go towards the next Puppet Happening event, scheduled for the first weekend of March, 2012 at Future Tenant Gallery, Downtown Pittsburgh. I’m looking for volunteers and performers for that event. Please contact me if you are interested. tomsarver@gmail.com
For Immediate Release!
BREAD and PUPPET THEATER to perform at The Brew House
Bread & Puppet Theater presents The Decapitalization Cabaret
Where: Brew House Space 101 Gallery, 2100 Mary Street, Pittsburgh PA 15203
When: Saturday, April 23rd, 7:00 PM
How Much: “Pay what you wish.”
Puppets are on a roll in Pittsburgh this year. Two shows in as many months! On Saturday, April 23rd, internationally-recognized puppetry activists Bread & Puppet Theater (Glover, Vermont) will be making a stop on their Mid-Atlantic tour on the South Side for a show at the newly re-opened Brew House Space 101 Gallery. This latest edition of Bread & Puppet Theater’s cabaret series features the Kaspars’ interpretation of justice, an operatic argument about farms vs. jails, instructions on how to nab that alien, the can cans (and can’t can’ts) of universal health care, and much more. The Decapitalization Orchestra will provide soothing sounds for winter weary nerves.
Several organizations including the Brew House, ArtUp, Puppet Happening, Schmutz Co. and “Joy Toujours & The Toys Du Jours” partnered to make this show possible. The event will be open seating and “pay what you wish.” The troupe will pass a hat at the end of the cabaret.
As with all Bread & Puppet shows, a “Cheap Art” sale will follow the performance. This is a rare chance to pick up memorabilia, puppet how-to booklets and hand-pulled prints.
Founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann, Bread & Puppet Theater is an internationally renowned company that champions a visually rich, street-theater brand of performance art filled with music, dance and slapstick. Its shows are political and spectacular, with huge puppets made of paper maché and cardboard.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Puppetry Organization Offers “Open House Cabaret” at the Glass Lofts March 17th and 19th
Pittsburgh, PA – March 6, 2011 – For a city that has been missing an arts organization dedicated to puppetry performance for more than two years, good news is on the way. The Puppet Happening, a nascent collaboration featuring past organizers of the Black Sheep Puppet Festival, is rolling out plans to bring puppets to the city not just at an annual Fall festival, but all year long. As the new company is shaped, the organizers are staging two performances of local puppeteers to reconnect with the city’s diaspora of puppet artists and fans. The two cabaret evenings will feature work from organizers Tom Sarver, Flora Shepherd, and Mike Cuccaro, along with Pittsburgh newcomer and recent UConn Puppetry Arts graduate Zach Dorn. The performance dates are: Thursday, March 17 and Saturday, March 19 at 8pm at the Glass Lofts (2nd Floor Retail Space, 5485 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206). The performances are geared for a mature audience. Suggested donation is $10 but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Thanks to our community partner, Friendship Development Associates.
Long-time puppetry performer and organizer Tom Sarver (who will also serve as Puppet Happening’s Executive and Artistic Director) will perform Punchinello vs. the Schmoovaggios, a semi-traditional “Punch” hand-puppet show where the rascally and violence-prone Punchinello takes on his high-class neighbors in a fight to the death. Lewd and rude, Punchinello gains and loses body parts as he tangles with angry shih tzus, combative conductors, amorous ladies, and… unicorns?
New Orleans-native and lifelong puppeteer Flora Shepherd brings us In the Night, a one-woman puppet show. This dark, adult fairy tale features magic, hidden secrets, and a red accordion. A young girl is called forth to save one she loves from deep inside the forest. But first she must navigate menacing abstract shapes, unfamiliar sounds, and her own fears. Her journey is brought to life through a combination of string, table-top, hand, and rod puppetry techniques. Will she escape from the forest? or will its shadowy figures absorb her into their dark unknown?
Puppeteer Zach Dorn makes his Pittsburgh debut with Real Live Puppets! A collection of short puppet performances that employ the fashionable Victorian tradition of Toy Theater. Armed with paper dolls, a VCR, and a miniature stage, Dorn plans to entertain guests in attendance. Following the toy theater performance, Dorn will project moving, intricate paper cut-outs onto the wall of the loft space with overhead projectors from local Pittsburgh Elementary schools. Guests are encouraged to bring a pair of their finest field glasses in order to inspect the hand crafted quality of the moving objects in this theater of miniature.
While the Puppet Happening plans to make the October 13-15 festival (location tba soon) the official “launch” of the organization, there will be several more opportunities to showcase puppetry throughout the city before then. Keep an eye on puppethappening.com or search “Puppet Happening” on Facebook for updates. For press graphics, please visit: http://puppethappening.com/press.php
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Along with fellow puppeteers Mike Cuccaro and Flora Shepherd, I have begun developing a new Pittsburgh Puppet Festival. Puppet Happening is the name. We aim to establish a city-wide presence and to produce events throughout the year. With an intense amount of start-up activity, I have had little time for blogging.
Our promotional activities begin tomorrow night (March 4th, 2011) at the Unblurred first Friday gallery crawl in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh. We are occupying a studio at the Glass Lofts through March 19th and will have an open house at the Unblurred, followed by cabaret shows on March 17th and 19th. Check out our new web page for details.
Our temporary home at the Glass Lofts, Pittsburgh.
Puppet Happening crew.
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Tom Sarver 