Current Repertiore

Between Sand and Stars "Between Sand and Stars" is a collaboration between Sandglass Theater, Nimble Arts, and Rob Mermin of Cirkus Smirkus. Initially inspired by the life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (the writer of "The Little Prince" and other novels) and by the music of Mozart, this innovative work combines Sandglass' renowned puppets with breathtaking aerial acts and flying trapeze.

A mail pilot crashes in the Sahara and finds himself struggling to survive as he hopes for rescue. Even as he lies, struggling with thirst, he reflects on the richness of his life and his love of the desert. Read more…

The Story of the Dog In "The Story of the Dog," a soldier leaves his wife and home and his dog to go to war. Sometime after he leaves, the wife begins to share their house with an old woman, who needs a place to live. Eventually, the lonely wife takes a lover. Frightened, she decides to leave the village and to go with her lover to a place where no one will know her. She knows that the old woman has seen her with the lover. Desperate, she burns the house to the ground. The old woman dies in the fire.

…an exciting collaboration between Sandglass Theater and Sovanna Phum of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The subject of the piece is the effect of war on private lives. Read more…

Richard 3.5: Light Ruminations on Murder

"Richard 3.5: Light Ruminations on Murder" is a collaboration between Sandglass Theater's Eric Bass and award-winning physical comedian Bob Berky. It’s showtime again, and onstage, live from the 15th century, King Richard III is here to perform, for your enjoyment, 11 murders, not to mention 7 songs that Shakespeare never meant to write. Surrounded by dramatic giant candles, from whose wax the puppet victims are created right before your eyes, Richard and his Emcee accomplice dance and sing their way through this cabaret version of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. See Richard in a rare television interview, see him win the annual Gloucestershire Pie Eating Contest, see him recount for you (and you only) the extent of his prowess at annihilation. Shakespeare, Berky and Bass collaborate to bring you this night of blood and guts entertainment. Ruminations on murder, and on hope and despair, in a most entertaining form. Read more…

Autumn Portraits Since its creation in 1980, this celebrated solo performance has won awards in Australia, Hungary and a Citation of Excellence from the Union Internationale de la Marionette.

Autumn Portraits is a compelling evening-long solo puppet-and-mask performance, a series of five interlocking vignettes, each exploring one puppet character and its interplay with its manipulator, who might appear as a masked figure, or simply a voice from the sky. Read more…

Isidor's Cheek Lazy Isidor never went out
He just stayed at home merely lolling about…

So begins the song, which begins the story, which begins the adventure: One day, something drives Isidor from out of his little grey existence. His cheek runs away, and Isidor must search around the world to find it again: a world of color and beauty, as well as loneliness and even danger.

Ines Zeller Bass performs "Isidor's Cheek" on a revolving table filled with all the details of Isidor's miniature world: from his shabby grey house to a forest of apple trees, through an unfriendly city, across a sea of turtles and barracuda, into the smallest circus in the world. Read more…

Punschi "Punschi" is an abbreviation for the German words meaning "puppet theater under the umbrella." Under her sun umbrella, Ines Zeller Bass performs several pieces starring Kasper, the most beloved hand puppet character in her native country, Germany. In the fairground tradition, Punschi can be performed almost anywhere, from street fairs to carnivals, schools, libraries, festivals, theaters, indoors or out in the fresh air! Read more…

The Ark in the Tree In "The Ark in the Tree," a jolly, contented hippo lives in a bathtub perched in a tree. He fishes for things that influence his daily routine: if he hooks a cake pan, he'll bake a cake. But on this day, he pulls up strange objects that open up stories and images that the hippo has never known before. His daily routine is also disturbed by the arrival of an exhausted skunk, who drinks his tea, eats his cake, and goes to sleep on his pillow—and this is only the beginning of strange events. Where do the cat and the snail come from, dusty from long travel, and injured? And why are the monkey and the rabbit so happy to see him, and so wet and exhausted? When the hippo is persuaded by the need of his guests to give them his food, his bed, his home, a question is posed: "What happens when there's no more to share?". Read more…

Fritzi's' Flea Circus is Ines Zeller Bass’s smallest work to date. Watch Fritzi (well, try to even see Fritzi) as he shows you his circus acts with passion and glee. He dives from a high diving board, lifts enormous weights (for a flea!) and is shot into the audience by a miniature cannon. Audience rest assured: Ines can always find Fritzi again and bring him back to his circus arena. A short performance perfect for indoors and out (weather permitting). Read more…