As part of the 2017 Infringement Festival, a very special performance is underway, being executed by one of the city’s master puppeteers, Michele Costa. The performance is billed as “a short performance with an epic theme; a mask, really big shoes, scrolling paintings, fantastic music and speeches by Charlie Chaplin, Carl Sagan and Annie Dillard!”
If you have never come across a Theatrefiguren performance, then it’s time to be enlightened. Costa is a mastermind when it comes to storytelling and bringing her handmade puppets to life. The artist is able to connect with a wide range of people thanks to her skills as a puppeteer, and the engrossing story plots that unfold. Costa is a local cultural gem who immerses herself into the roles of the characters fully and completely. The magical puppets that she brings to life are incredibly detailed – she once said in an interview that she has been known to put an item in a puppet’s pocket, which the audience will never notice. A small hidden detail of that sort gives the creation an enhanced personality that shines through the puppeteers actions.
This particular routine launched a few days ago, and is still underway at a magical location tucked away behind a brick/iron gate entranceway at the corner of North and Franklin (GCR Studios).
The performance is called “speak”.
Mask, music, moving paintings and three compelling speeches weave themselves into a dream from which the waking is truly an awakening. The relevance of Charlie Chaplin’s final speech from “The Great Dictator” (1939) and Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” (1994) to today is chilling. Annie Dillard’s prose on identity and imperfection brings this story even closer to the heart — an inspiring exploration of Self and our place in the world.
The remaining schedule is as follows:
Wed, Aug 2 – 7pm GRC
Thu, Aug 3 – 7pm GRC
Fri, Aug 4 – 7pm Indigo Art (inside) First Fridays, Allentown
Sat, Aug 5 – 4pm GRC