2008 Festival

The 6th Edition of the Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival took place in September, 2008.  The festival featured theater's from France, Sweden, Quebec, Taiwan, Brazil, Bulgaria, and Vermont. 

From France:

Velo Theatre   There’s a Rabbit in the Moon

(Family Show)

One dark night, far, far away, Thomas Snout was born. Ever since he collects nights, capturing them with his bare hands, which is not an easy task as obscurity is black and dirty and leaves traces.  It is also dangerous, as fears live in the night as fish live in the sea. Over the years Thomas Snout has collected 3845 nights, big and little, with or without moonlight, starred or starless ; nights of his own, nights of others, as well as a few that were only on loan...

Velo Theater scored a hit with adult audiences in 2001 with The Call of the Air.  Here they come again, with a special show for young children.

Dockteaterverkstan   Monkey Business

Sweden (Family Show)

Marionettes, hand puppets and table puppets have great similarities with monkeys and they perform the most amazing feats.  Watch as Anders and Cissi create A performance filled with acrobatics, pranks, jokes, tricks and magic!  A circus-variety-cabaret! Two circus directors run the show and they don't always agree.  And as monkeys do, these monkeys soon figure out just what they can get away with.  With this show, specially suited for young audiences,  Dockteaterverkstan returns to Brattleboro, where they delighted audiences with A Special Day in Larsson’s Storehouse at the 2003 festival.

From Québec:

Les Sages Fous  Bizarrium

(Family Show)

The magnificent exploration ship, the HMS Bizzarium, sails the seven seas to search for creatures of myth and lore. The two explores dive into the depths of a mysterious oceanic aquarium.  they comb the ocean’s floor in a city beneath the sea,.  In the bliss of the abyss they unveil a shipwreck that is their own. The mission is clear.: Discover the creatures that lie beneath dreams.  Capture the treasure of the unknown.  Live to tell the tale.
 
This wonderful street theater group from Quebec returns to Brattleboro with their latest fantastic creation, in which streets become canals, buildings create fjords, and old men on benches become beached whales.

From Taiwan:

The Happy Puppetry Co.  Carnival of Taiwanese Hand Puppetry

(Family Show)

Shih-Hung Ko and his family embody a lineage of five generations of puppeteers.  Taiwanese hand puppetry is one of the world’s most exciting puppet forms, displaying a skill and speed of performance that is astounding.  Great epics, hilarious clowning, stunning acrobatic and martial arts, are all part of the repertoire of these extraordinary wooden actors.  This is a theater of action, and of human foibles, that has developed into one of the greatest and most entertaining puppet traditions in the world.

From Brazil :

Contadores de Estorias   In Concert

(Adult)

The Contadores de Estorias have performed all over the world as Brazil’s most venerated cultural puppet ambassadors.  With In Concert, Marcos and Rachel Ribas and Inez Petri present a program of their most beautiful scenes of Brazilian life.  Images from all walks of life and all generations, from the village to the jungle, are depicted without words in the program created especially for adult audiences.  Erotic, reflective, and with a touching realism that transcends all national boundaries.

Pia Fraus   Animals of Brazil

(Family Show)
a spectacular performance of puppets, dance, and music which presents an array of indigenous Brazilian creatures. Fifteen scenes of puppets and exciting dance depict the tropical fauna of South America’s largest country, animals that excite the imagination and awaken the Brazilian culture.  Humor, rhythm, and striking design evoke these animal beings from the life and myths of the Amazon. The dance and music forms include
Forró, Frevo, Bossa Nova, Samba, and Maracatu. Over 50 puppets perform, without words, in this piece infused with natural materials and rustic elements, and giant inflatable puppets. Pia Fraus has performed throughout South America and in Italy and Spain, bringing their special form of outdoor spectacle to over 800 performances.
 

From Bulgaria:

Credo Theatre Daddy's Always Right

(adult)

A story snuggled among drifts of dazzling snow about the true value of the simple things in life.  A story about an old woman and an old man that happens at a fair  where a kiss turns out to be worth more than gold, and love  the most valuable commodity. A moving story for adults which reminds us that only love makes things in life appear beautiful.
 
Credo’s consummate theatrical clowns, Nina Dimitrova and Vassil Vassilev-Zuek, thrilled 1997 and 2001 festival audiences with their performances of The Overcoat. Their new show, based on a story of Hans Christian Andersen, will again charm and delight as they create a great world in which even the lovers appear to be made of snow.

From Vermont:

Sandglass Theater Ballad    (world premiere)

(adult)

Sandglass Theater joins forces with local musician Nick Keil and with music created by Nightingale’s Keith Murphy to create a piece about Vermont’s traditional institutions: ice fishing, apple picking, woodcutting, and  pie suppers.  A world premiere, Ballad, brings Sandglass back to its local sources and examines themes of place, time,and aging with humor, imagery and song.

Ticket prices:

Family Shows: $8

Adult Shows: $16/ $14 Students and Seniors

Group Rates Available

Calendar

Directions to Puppets in the Green Mountains Venues

Sandglass Theater (map)

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=05301&cat=latchis+theater

From Interstate 91: Take Exit 4 (Putney.) At the end of the exit ramp, go left; then right on Route 5 North to the center of Putney. At the Putney General Store, take left on Westminster West Road. Sandglass Theater is the third building on the left. It is a red barn set back from the road.

Street Address: 17 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT 05346

Living Memorial Park

From I-91, take exit 2. Go west on Route 9 (Western Avenue) about a half mile. Bear left at the creamery bridge.  After crossing the bridge, living memorial park (and the parking area) are the first right.

Street Address:

Latchis Theater, Brattleboro (map)

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=05301&cat=latchis+theater

From I-91, take Exit 2.  Head East at end of the exit ramp. Follow Route 9 (Western Avenue) east 1.1 mi towards downtown and Main Street.  Turn Right onto Main Street.  At the 2nd set of lights, the Latchis will be on the corner of Main and Flat Streets. Parking lots are on Flat Street.

Street Address: 50 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Latchis 4, Brattleboro (map)

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=05301&cat=latchis+theater

One door down to the left of the Latchis Theater, (Latchis 4 is also home to the Puppets In The Green Mountains Box Office)

Street Address: 50 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301

New England Youth Theater (map) http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=05301&cat=new+england+youth+theater

From I-91, take exit 1. Go north on Rte. 5 to downtown Brattleboro. Curve left onto Main street, to New England Youth Theater (near Latchis Theater) on left. Parking lots on Flat Street.

Street Address: 100 Flat St, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Brattleboro Museum & Art Center

From I-91, take exit 1. Go north on Rte. 5 to intersection with Rte 142 and Rte. 119. Turn right on Rte. 142 in front of museum. There’s additional parking at Marlboro College Technology Center parking lot next door to museum.

Street Address: 10 Vernon Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Green Mountain Orchards (map)

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?state=VT&address=310+W+Hill+Rd&zipcode=05346

From Interstate 91: Take Exit 4 (Putney.) At the end of the exit ramp, go left; then right on Route 5 North to the center of Putney. At the Putney General Store, take left on Westminster West Road.  Go about ¾ of a mile and bear left onto West Hill Road, Green Mountain Orchards are about 3/4 mile on right.  Parking on site.

Street Address: 310 West Hill Rd, Putney, VT 05346

Bellows Falls Opera House (map)

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Bellows+Falls&state=VT&address=7+The+Square

From I-91 North Take Exit 5 off of I-91 North. At end of ramp, bear right.   At bottom of hill turn left onto Rte. 5 North. After about 2 miles bear right at the stoplight.  Go ¾ of a mile to Downtown Bellows Falls, entering “The Square”.  The Opera House is on your left, right under the clock tower.

The Putney Inn

From Interstate 91: Take Exit 4 (Putney.) At the end of the exit ramp, you will see the Putney Inn directly in front of you.

Street Address: 57 Putney Landing Rd, Putney, VT 05346