The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company Presented by ArtsEmerson, American Repertory Theatre, Company One, the Institute of Contemporary Art, The City of Boston, and many others.
BOSTON, Mass. — On September 7, 2023 at 4 PM – 6 PM, Little Amal will begin her journey of 6,000 miles across the United States in Boston as part of the largest free public festival ever created bearing messages of compassion, empathy, and hope. She remains in Boston through September 9.
The “Walk with Amal” website says that Little Amal’s name means “hope” in Arabic. She is a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child.
Her urgent message is simple: “Don’t forget about us.”
Little Amal’s journeys across the world carry a message of hope for all displaced people and children separated from their families. She has traveled across 13 countries and met more than a million people.
The New England Theatre Geek believes that BIPOC Lives will continue to matter when it’s no longer popular to mass media or convenient to white people.
As the weeks go by, we will share resources as we are made aware of them to them. StageSource has a brilliant anti-racism list. Check it out HERE.
Resources for Anti-Racist Action May-June 2020 – “This list was sourced from countless activists and information sharers. We thank you. It was created to support action and organizing for white-identified folks within the artEquity alumni network, so some resources speak specifically to white folks. However, EVERYONE is welcomed to utilize and share anything that is useful to your actions and organizing.” (quoted from the document)
Front Porch Collective Black Composer Minature Challenge presented by Castle of our Skins Friday June 19 @ 12:00 PM | via Instagram Live Composer Shannon Shea will be presenting the world premiere of “Hannah Elias II” performed by Castle of our Skins Executive & Artistic Director and violaist Ashleigh Gordon on the COOS Facebook and Instagram at noon. Part of their weekly 30-second Black Composer Miniature Challenge, be sure to tune in on time…or you might miss it!
Juneteenth: A Community Celebration presented by BAMS Fest & Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Friday June 19 @ 4:00 – 7:00 PM | via Facebook Live & YouTube Join BAMS Fest for the MFA’s annual (virtual) Juneteenth celebration to honor the contributions of Black creatives, scholars, and artists to the City of Boston. We have curated two amazing artists, Debo Ray and DJ Where’s Nasty to to celebrate all things Black and joyful.
Fresh Ink Theatre — Presents a digital reading of MAIDEN VOYAGE. Written by Cayenne Douglass. Directed by Liz Fenstermaker Available online, June 8 – 14, 2020. REGISTER to view the performance In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, we will be donating 50% of the proceeds from the reading through June 14th to two organizations:Violence in BostonandBlack and Pink. Thank you for joining us in supporting these organizations, and for championing new work by local writers during this time of social distancing!
Liars & Believers — Macbeth Trailer by Liars & BelieversAmid isolation, dislocation, and digital absorbtion… desire and ethic, madness and reason tear each other apart. This is Shakespeare’s classic tragedy – TODAY. Using social distance and the tools at hand, we’ve reimagined theatre in Pandemia! We’ve broken this 5-act tragedy into short weekly episodes.
Luminarium Dance — This week’s TEN4TEN performance takes viewers back to Luminarium’s 2014 feature production The Sleeprunner, which transformed the Multicultural Arts Center space into a dynamic dream world for a two-week sold-out run. Sensical to quirky, humorous to dark, come engage in a full night’s journey told through dance, with gorgeous costumes designed by Sueann Leung.
Newton Theatre Company — All About Eve, written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Thursday, June 25th at 8 PM. $10.00 Directed by Melissa Bernstein Log on at 7:45 PM for piano entertainment by local musician Neil Miller Register for the Performance
Puppet Showplace Theater — Puppet Showplace Theater is excited to announce a new grant and virtual summer residency program for Black puppeteers and artists working in the field of puppetry. Inquiries from interested applicants across the U.S. are welcome. The deadline to apply is June 27th. APPLY 5 selected artists will receive $1,000 grants to support the research and development of original puppetry projects during summer 2020. Puppet Showplace Theater will facilitate community-building among members of the grantee cohort and will create opportunities for artists to support and learn from each other while sharing works in progress. The residency will conclude with an invited virtual public sharing of the work or work-in-progress.
SpeakEasy Stage Company and the Front Porch Arts Collective — They invite you to join SpeakEasy for a panel called “2020: Black and Male in America – A Conversation Continued,” on Tuesday, June 16 at 5:00pm. The panel will be available to watch live on SpeakEasy’s Facebook page. The panel will include:
Kadahj Bennett (Winner of the Elliot Norton Award for Best Actor for his Performance as Moses in Pass Over)
Thaddeus Miles (Director of Community Services, MassHousing)
Maurice Emmanuel Parent (Executive Director, The Front Porch Arts Collective)
Dr. Emmett G. Price III (Professor of Worship, Church & Culture, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)
Moderated by Gary Bailey (Assistant Dean of Community Engagement and Social Justice, Simmons College).
(Brookline) Someone has been murdering the blind/deaf students of the Helen Keller School of Music and Brick Foley, blind detective, is on the job to find out who. Was it the gentle and sweet teacher, Jane Allgood? Was it Chancellor Daniels or his nemesis Dr. Children? Could it even have been sexy vixen Bea Baxter? With his sidekick, Office Murphy, Detective Foley navigates the in’s and out’s of this puppet show/radio play and finds out who done it! (Brought to you by Price’s Powdered Ham.)
This short noir radio play cum puppetry show SHOULD NOT be missed! The Aurora Broadcasting Network has created an adult comedy that will melt the hearts of even the most cynical of theater goers. The troupe exudes a light jovial atmosphere that is founded on a sincere love of their craft. The 5 member team moves as one like a seemingly effortless machine. Although they do not use traditional puppets (a la Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood perhaps) their creative use of props and physical comedy leaves nothing to be desired. In fact, it’s a damn shame that the show isn’t longer than the allocated hour.
This show has it all: it’s a little naughty and is not appropriate for young children, the troupe employs character voices and perfected noir archetypes, minty fresh musical stylings begin and end the show, there’s a speedy and engaging plot and, best of all, the audience is encouraged to participate!
Please be advised that there is a 2 row splash zone. If flying meat products alarm you, it may be best to stand in the back.
There is an after-show with the ravishing Ruby Rose Fox, drinks and dancing.
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Elizabeth Hara has worked as a puppet builder for the Jim Henson Company, Sesame Street, and Avenue Q. She has also built costumes for The Lion King, Shrek the Musical, and most recently, Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark. She is a Vassar graduate, and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Puppeteers of America National Festival.
‘Senseless’ features the performing talents of Brendan Yi-Fu Tay (The Puppet Kitchen,) Sarah Lafferty (Castleton Opera Festival,) Katrina Denney (Fundamental Theatre Group), Emmy Award-winner Michael Schupbach (Sesame Street, Johnny and the Sprites) Eric Wright (The Puppet Kitchen, The Metropolitan Opera, The Public Theatre) and David Brown (poorbutsexydc.com, bit.ly/ufofactory)
As I was watching Wheelock’s production of The Secret Garden, I wished I was eight again (except for the horrible prospect of growing up again). Wheelock Family Theatre is a magical place where dreams come alive, and this is particularly evident in their production of The Secret Garden.
One can’t help but be enchanted by the scenery by Matthew T. Lazure. The garden wall rotates and reveals the inside of the garden, and Colin’s room appears from the walls of the seemingly impenetrable house. Another clever aspect is the “growth” of the flowers during intermission; I put my head down for one minute–I look up and see leaves; I put my head down for another moment, look up and see flowers in full bloom. Continue reading →
(left to right) Dale Place as Black Bird and Thomas Piper as Connor in afterlife: a ghost story. Photo by Andrew Brilliant/ Brilliant Pictures.
afterlife: a ghost story by Steve Yockey, New Repertory Theatre, 1/16/11-2/6/11, http://newrep.org/afterlife.php. Contains strong language.
Reviewed by Becca Kidwell
Steve Yockey’s afterlife: a ghost story should be subtitled an evening of one acts. While both acts of the play contain the same characters and themes, the familiarity ends there. Act I displays a realistic, yet mundane evening between a grieving couple; they are packing up the beach house where they used to live. They talk around the subject of their son’s death, but other than some yelling and “crying” they really remain stuck in one place until their house is washed away. Act II portrays a fantasy world (somewhere between heaven and hell) where the Danielle, Connor, and their son work out their grief. They receive the assistance of a postman, a proprietress, another ghost, and a bird puppet. afterlife: a ghost story has potential to transform into an interesting play if the first act removes ninety percent of its action and the second act has the chance to develop more fully. Continue reading →
