Sun
Sopris Carbondale’s
weekly, non-profit newspaper
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Volume 2, Number 51 | February 10, 2011
New theatre troupe comes to life with puppets and masks By Trina Ortega Special to The Sopris Sun
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Out of the Mud Elijah Sweeterman (left) and Rowan McAlpin, both 9 years old, will play scavengers in the upcoming production, "A Song for Each Cup," from the new Out of the Mud Theatre company. The performance takes place Feb. 12. Photo by Jane Bachrach
hey’re made of papier-mâché, wood, wire and fabric, but they’ll get a breath of life on Saturday, Feb. 12, when Out of the Mud Theatre makes its public debut with an original puppet and mask performance, “A Song for Each Cup.” Inspired by a Zulu tale of African wisdom, “A Song for Each Cup” is about a man and his journey through the feasts and famines of life. This original performance explores themes of human kindness, joy, cultivation, the value of abundance and living your passion, no matter the consequences, according to Out of the Mud Theatre’s artistic director, Soozie Lindbloom. Out of the Mud Theatre, or OM Theatre, is a new venture, created by Lindbloom and funded through CCAH. The name was inspired by the idea that “all life grows from the mud,” Lindbloom said. Made from every-day, natural materials – clay, water, corn starch, fabric, recycled paper – she believes the puppets will one day go back into the mud. A puppet theater has been a longtime dream for Lindbloom. She notes how Peter Schumann’s “larger-than-life” puppets of the 1960s stood as a voice against violence, and she loved seeing that concept come back to life in the Bread and Puppet Resurrection Circus in Vermont. Why Lindbloom, whose talents vary from singing to sun science and teaching, chose puppets as her latest artistic expression is reflected in her mission statement for OM Theatre: “Puppets are immediate and authentic. Hewn from mud, scraps of cloth, paper and clay, they allow us to create beauty from the banal, enabling us to explore the song of everyday life with handmade splendor and wit.” About six years ago, she collaborated with community members Terril Scott and Skye Laurel-Riggs who had similar visions of changing the world through puppets. They poured their skill, handicraft and vision into the 15-foot-tall puppets that now flow down Main Street for the Dandelion Day parade and keep the beat at the Carbondale Mountain Fair drum circle. “It’s been my dream since I was 19. I’m 36 now,”Lindbloom explained, as she soaked a piece of brown paper sack in slimy cornstarch solution to craft a giant hand roughly 5 feet tall. “I finally decided to get serious.” PUPPETS page 13
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Kudos to the chief
Portraits of India
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