Children’s Stage Series Event Sunday, October 23, 2016 • 4PM Saturday–Sunday, October 29–30, 2016 2PM & 4PM Vanderhoef Studio Theatre SPONSORED BY
CASHORE MARIONETTES Simple Gifts
ABOUT CASHORE MARIONETTES Cashore Marionettes present their treasured Simple Gifts, a wonderful collection of marionette masterworks that are stunning in their beauty, creativity and humanity. Set to classical music by such composers as Beethoven, Vivaldi and Copland, Simple Gifts presents comic and poignant stories taking the audience on an imaginative journey exploring a range of themes and emotions. While the marionettes teach character-building with precise gestures and realistic props, their movements are so convincing, the illusion so powerful, that the result is an unforgettable theatrical experience.
LEARN MORE: cashoremarionettes.com
MARIONETTE A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using strings; a marionette’s puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar. The word marionette means “Little Mary.” In Europe about 1500 years ago, very few people could read or write, so puppet shows were used instead of books to teach people stories from the Bible. The stringed figure of Mary was called a “Little Mary” or, in French, “Marionette.” The name stuck and came to mean any puppet worked by strings. Source: wikipedia.org
At the age of 11, Joseph Cashore created his first marionette from clothespins, wood, string and a tin can. It was while playing with this puppet that he was startled by the sudden but momentary sensation that the puppet was alive. This illusion had nothing to do with the appearance of the marionette and everything to do with the quality of the movement. He has been designing and performing his remarkable marionettes for over 30 years.
THINK ABOUT IT ... ❶ Did you understand what was happening in each
story even when no one was speaking? How?
❷ How did the music contribute to each story?
What were some of the moods suggested by the music?
❸ What did you like best about the performance and why?
Was it what you expected?
MAKE YOUR OWN FOX MARIONETTE!
Make a small puppet or print out a larger version of the template here: http://static.kidspot.com.au/cm_assets/78991/fox-puppet-printable-pdf-20160118150153.pdf
What you need: • 1 x toilet paper roll • 1 x fox puppet printable template • 2 x plastic milk or juice carton lids • 1 x shoelace • 1 stick or rod, about 8 inches • string • glue • scissors • paint • hole punch
Paint the toilet paper roll and set it aside to dry.
FACE
Print the fox puppet template onto white cardstock and color or paint the fox’s face and tail. Cut out the face and tail. Cut your shoelace into four equal pieces to use as the arms and legs. Poke a hole through the center of each of the plastic bottle lids. These lids will be the feet. Thread a piece of the shoelace through each hole in each lid and tie a knot to keep it in place. Use a hole punch to make four holes in the toilet paper roll: two for the arms and two for the legs.
TAIL
Thread the other end of each lidded string through the holes you have created in the bottom of the toilet paper roll to create the legs. Tie a knot on the inside of the toilet paper roll to stop it slipping back through.
Now thread the arms (the other two pieces of shoelace) through the arm holes in the upper body. Tie a knot on the inside of the toilet paper roll to stop the arms slipping back through. Tie a knot in the other end of each arm to create paws. Use glue to stick on the head and the tail. Now get your rod. Attach three pieces of string to it with a good length dangling down for your puppet. You can tie the string onto the rod or use a hand drill to make small holes to thread the strings through. Now attach the other end of the center string to the front of the fox’s body (just behind the head/face) and the other two pieces will control either the arms or the feet, depending on how you want to move your puppet. Use the strings to move your puppet around.
A special thanks to Mondavi Center Arts Education for helping us welcome our youngest audience members.
mondaviarts.org