Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Our summer tour of Pulcinella il Cameriere kicks off tomorrow, Saturday May 26, at the Made in Dundas festival at the Dundas Museum & Archives, and then scoots around southern Ontario to Ancaster, back to Dundas, and then over to Greensville before winding up in North Bay for The Davidi Club Family Picnic.
Inspired by the Commedia dell'arte style of puppetry, and the annual Festitalia celebration in Hamilton, Ontario, Pulcinella, il Cameriere is a fast paced comedy in the traditional style of hand puppets held overhead with the puppeteers unseen. Pulcinella, Pantalone, Angelina and the DemonDog are fashioned in the Guarettelle style, carried on through the centuries in Italy. Another character, Zanni, shows up to comment on the action and facilitate the understanding of the style for Canadian audiences. There are chases, songs and the requisite hitting with sticks, all told in a light-hearted manner that belies the 'violence' of these zany puppets.
This lively comedy, inspired by the Italian Commedia dell'Arte style of puppetry, is performed on a vintage set of pedigreed provenance.
In the late 60's and into the 70's, The Perth County Conspiracy (does not exist) was the quintessential Canadian rural collective band, performing nightly at the Black Swan Coffee House in Stratford, and throughout Ontario. Apparently in their spare time, they were also rather fond of performing puppet shows in the park. This is the set they used, which wound up in a friend's garage in Hamilton for years before being donated to Studio Babette.
Oh we spruced it up with some stain, some new hardware and drapery, and added a playing board but the solid bones of the delightful construction are obvious to the naked eye. We love performing inside this set, which is a wonderful example of ingenuity and creativity.
Thanks again to Cheryl Smith and Kathy Brown for donating this versatile puppet stage to our collection.
Upcoming Shows
Pulcinella, il Cameriere
Made in Dundas Annual Festival
Dundas Museum & Archives
139 Park Street West, Dundas, ON
2 shows!
Ancaster Heritage Days Annual Festival
Ancaster Public Library
300 Wilson Street East, Ancaster, ON
2 shows!
Preschool Puppet Playhouse
Dundas Museum & Archives
139 Park Street West, Dundas, ON
Greensville Library,
59 Kirby Avenue, Greensville, ON
The Davidi Club Family Picnic
313 Airport Road, North Bay, ON
2 shows!
Times TBA
Photo: Scene from Pulcinella, il Cameriere. ©2018 Studio Babette.
2018-05-25
Hamilton: Studio Babette tours "Pulcinella: il Cameriere" starting May 26