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Eulenspiegel's Current Touring Repertoire
The Eulenspiegel
Puppets are known for their performances of international folktales, including
the ones detailed below. The company also provides community performances YOU can participate in as well as special shows for older audiences! If you wish to bring the troupe into your community,
the puppeteers will help you select the best performance for
you!
If your
school participates in character education, be advised that the
Eulenspiegel
Puppets are approved as Character Counts! Through the Arts! artists.
STORIES AND CUENTOS
Developed and performed by Monica Leo and Mexican puppeteer Eli Portugal, co-founder of Mojiganga Arte Escenico, this performance includes two classic Mexican animal tales. The Rabbit in the Moon, a well-known myth, gives a whimsical explanation for the shadows we see in the moon, while delighting audiences with the age old battle of wits between rabbit and coyote. The Musical Ant, a lesser known tale, follows Hormiguita (liitle ant) as he learns to play the piano and brings peace to his ant colony through music. The production uses hand puppets, rod puppets, masked characters, and music and incorporates both Spanish and English.
This show was developed with funding support from The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend
See short clip
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Spanish language, Mexican and World Folklore,
science, art, music, drama.
SAL
FINK, CATFISH WRANGLER
with musician RON HILLIS
Eulenspiegel celebrates our rivers and prairies with tall tales
starring Iowa folk heroine, Sal Fink, legendary daughter
of Mike Fink, the
mighty keel boatman. Sal tames a bear, wrestles a vicious snake,
vanquishes a tornado, and plays with her pet pig, Suey. The production
features live music, written and performed by Iowa musician Ron
Hillis. With lots of sound effects and harmony singing,
this performance
will leave you humming! (photo by Michael Kreiser)
This show was developed with funding support from
The Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine
See short clip
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Tall tales, American Folklore,
science (river lore), American history, art, music, drama.
A BRAND NEW SHOW!
TILL EULENSPIEGEL AND THE EDUCATION OF A DONKEY
Written for Eulenspiegel by playwright Rebecca Gilman, this story is adapted from a tale first published in 1500. It features the company’s namesake, Till Eulenspiegel, a stuffy University Rector, and a lovable donkey. Full of wordplay, it follows Till as he tricks the Rector by teaching a donkey to read. It's performed with a cast of beautifully crafted hand puppets and rod puppets, a block-printed, Medieval looking set, and the original live music of Ron Hillis.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Literacy, European folklore, world history, comparative literature, art, drama, Character Counts.
STUDY
GUIDE PROVIDED
THE
ADVENTURES OF GREAT RABBIT
with musician RON HILLIS
Based on an Algonquin tale about Mahtegwis, the rabbit trickster, this Eulenspiegel
favorite tells how Bobcat got his stumpy tale. The puppet theatre uses witty,
fast-paced dialogue and highly mobile shadow puppets in a cleverly designed,
colorful stage that mimics the unending saga of cat chasing rabbit. The expressive
silhouette theater is enhanced with jewel-like accent colors. This production,
which has toured Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, features the live
music of musician Ron Hillis.
See short clip
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: Native American
Folklore, science (light and shadow), American history, art,
music, drama.
THE
DRAGON’S THREE GOLDEN HAIRS
EULENSPIEGEL PUPPETS
A classic European tale of adventure and greed,
this is the story of Michael, a young boy who, with the help of a kindly prophetess,
saves himself by outsmarting
a wicked king and a ferocious beast. This production features five near life
size hand-and-rod puppets, a glorious magenta dragon, and a costumed human
in the part of the prophetess. It's enhanced with luscious appliquéd
and soft-sculpted scenery.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: European folklore,
comparative literature, art, drama, Character Counts. STUDY
GUIDE PROVIDED
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Eulenspiegel's adaptation of this beloved Grimms fairy tale uses delightfully
crafted miniature Bohemian marionettes created
by puppeteer Monica Leo. The set is an extra-large pop-up storybook
also designed and created by Leo. The script, laced with wit and whimsy,
was written by puppeteer Teri Jean Breitbach. The production was directed
by well-known director Michael Sokoloff. In addition to seven puppets,
the cast includes a wacky, flamboyant storyteller who relates to the
audience as well as the puppets.
See short clip
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: European folklore,
comparative literature, art, drama.
STUDY
GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL SHOWS
PUPPET
COMMUNITY THEATRE!
Celebrating
the Midwest!
Two
Opportunities for
your students or community members to rehearse peripheral parts
in a professional Eulenspiegel production and present the
show for an audience. You can also include a puppet making
component, in which participants make puppets for the final scene.
IMMIGRANT
STEW AT THE CHAT ‘N’ CHEW
is
humorous, touching, and quite timely as we welcome immigrants into
the rural Midwest. Cathy Schmidt-McGillicutty, played by Monica Leo, is the proprietress
of the local cafe, the Chat ‘N’ Chew. She’s upset
because her daughter wants to marry a member of a Mexican immigrant
family. She confronts her prejudice as flashbacks play out scenes
from her own family history. The flashbacks are performed by older
children
or adults from your community to an accompaniment of
music by Ron Hillis.
See short clip
PORTRAITS OF THE PRAIRIE
is a series of tableaus showing the history of the land from native prairie
through early settlers and small farms, through large agriculture, and
back to reconstructed
prairie. They’re presented through the eyes of Pierre, a wacky painter
and his friend, a sassy Iowa squirrel. Pierre, a masked character, is played
by Monica Leo, and all of the prairie creatures are performed by children or
adults in your community in a three tier set that resembles a Grant Wood painting.
Live music by Ron Hillis.
Mary
Swander wrote both scripts. She’s a nationally known writer
with a midwestern voice. She knows how to make you laugh out loud
as you think about serious issues. The resulting productions are
entertaining for adults and children alike.
FOR
ADULTS:
MY
FATHER'S IMAGINARY FRIEND, performed by Monica Leo
My
Father’s Imaginary Friend is a trilogy of pieces, poignant,
joyful, and humorous, about Monica’s parents and their immigration
experiences.
The first piece uses candlelight and shadows to interpret the story
of her father’s hope and survival during his incarceration in
a concentration camp.
The second piece, German Eggheads in Rural Texas, traces the family’s
life in a Lutheran parsonage in rural Texas. Monica uses her mother’s
illustrations to create puppets and scenery that tell droll stories
of language and cultural mix-ups and misunderstandings.
The third piece, Mutti’s Muscles, uses dolls and other objects
to follow her mother’s rebirth as a metal sculptor and political
activist in the United States after her father’s death.
See short clip
DRIVING
THE BODY BACK, performed by Teri Jean Breitbach
“A marvelous collection of folk humor, wild ways, and down-home
storytelling.....sometimes harsh, but always deeply compassionate....”
This is how Louise Erdrich (New York Times Book Review) describes the
literary work which forms the basis for this production. Directed by
Michael Sokoloff, puppeteer Teri Jean Breitbach incorporates movement,
found objects, a child’s doll, painted silks, and the resonating
language
of nationally renowned poet Mary Swander to create this evocative piece.
This unforgettable group of eccentric midwestern characters will make
you laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh!
If you're planning an outdoor festival, ask about Eulenspiegel's giant
roving puppets. They add color and fun to any event! To book an event,
call 1-888-879-6519 or write mallorys@Lcom.net.
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