5th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL PUPPET THEATER FESTIVAL — PICTURE PREVIEW

Moby Dick

Plexus Polaire (Norway/France)
Chicago premiere, presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago

January 18-21
Three Performances: Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m. (Opening Night);  Friday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 21 at 5 p.m.
Tickets: $45/$35 students and seniors

14 and up
ADA accessible
100 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Seven actors, 50 puppets, video projections on smoke, an octobass, and a whale-sized whale all play a part in this simple story of a sea voyage, turning it into a dizzying dive into the inexplicable mysteries of life through Melville´s irresistible narrative and the incredible artistry of Plexus Polaire..."

AKUTAGAWA

The Koryū Nishikawa Troupe (Japan/Chicago)
A world premiere presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

January 28 and 29
Four performances: Saturday and Sunday, January 28 and 29 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Tickets: $40/$30 students and seniors

Family Friendly - 9 and up
ADA accessible
80 mins

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...This beautifully detailed production combines traditional kuruma ningyo puppetry with contemporary staging to share a Western perspective on the life of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the father of the Japanese short story form..."

Anywhere

Théâtre de L'Entrouvert (France/Chicago)
Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago
U.S. premiere, presented by Théâtre de L'Entrovert and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

January 19-22
Four performances: Thursday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, January 22 at 4 p.m.

Tickets: $40/$30 students and seniors

12 and up
ADA accessible
50 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Freely inspired by Henry Bauchau’s novel “Oedipus on the Road,” Anywhere evokes the long wandering of Oedipus accompanied by his daughter Antigone. The fallen Oedipus appears in the form of an ice puppet that gradually melts, then appears as mist and finally disappears in the forest, the place of clairvoyance. Anywhere traces with gentleness and strength a poetic journey, in black and white, of fire and ice, which speaks to us about our bodies, our environment, our fragilities, and our wanderings in the infinite circle of renewal..."

as though your body were right

Khecari (U.S./Chicago)
Created by Jonathan Mayer, with puppets designed by Tom Lee
Presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 402, Chicago

January 19-29
11 performances: Thursday, January 19-Sunday, January 29 at 7 p.m., all days

Tickets: $40/$30 students and seniors; maximum capacity per show: 7

For adults audiences - 17 and up (contains nudity)
ADA accessible
62 minutes
Note: When the show is not in process, the set can be viewed as part of the Puppet Hub exhibitions

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...An audience of seven in a room within a room. A micro-theater. A puppet theater. The performer’s body as landscape. Watching the cells of the body murmurate like starlings. A creature that would live on such a landscape. Crawling over it, flying over it. Calling it home. as though your body were right is an invitation to confront the bodiliness of being human –  a shared experience of the vulnerability of being a body, and of the power of being a body..."

Choo. Choo. Whistle. Woof!

Naive Theater (Czechia)
U.S. premiere, presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago Children's Theatre

100 S. Racine Ave., Chicago

January 25-29
10 performances: Wednesday, January 25 - Sunday, January 29, at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., all days

Tickets: $25/$20 students and seniors

Family Friendly - 2 and up
ADA accessible
40 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...He spends his days gardening, and just on the other side of the fence, she runs in the yard – until her owner whistles. As it happens, not only in the lives of dogs, the two have become enchanted with each other, perhaps even fallen in love. A charming and ingenious series of events full of garden railings, railway yards, steam locomotives and dogs in cars, Choo. Choo. Whistle. Woof! unfolds in continual tabletop puppetry delight as the classic boy meets girl story is playfully retold as dog meets dog, dog loses dog and hopefully, finds her again!..."

Dogugaeshi

Basil Twist (U.S./New York)
Chicago premiere, co-presented by The Chicago International Puppet Festival and Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts and Theater and Performance Studies at The University of Chicago
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, The University of Chicago, 915 E. 60th St., Chicago

January 26-29
Eight performances: Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m.: Friday, January 27 at 3 and 8 p.m.; Saturday, January 28 at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, January 29 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Tickets: $40/$30 students and seniors

Family Friendly - 11 and up
ADA accessible
60 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...A feast for the eyes, heart and soul, this Chicago premiere is influenced by “Dogugaeshi,” a rarefied tradition of Japanese sliding screen stage technique, and Twist’s own encounters with the remaining rural caretakers of this once popular art form..."

Frankenstein

Manual Cinema (U.S./Chicago)
Presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago

January 27-29
Three performances: Friday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 28 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, January 29 at 3 p.m.

Tickets: $45/$35 students and seniors

Family Friendly - 9 and up
ADA accessible
66 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...With Frankenstein, Manual Cinema stitches together the original gothic novel with the biography of its author, Mary Shelley, to create an unexpected story that magically unfolds right before your eyes..."

FREE Neighborhood Tour - My Night in the Planetarium

Little Uprisings (U.S./Boston)
Family Friendly - ALL AGES
45 minutes

January 19-22
Five performances at four locations around Chicago:
Thursday, January 19 at 4:30 p.m.: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W. Armitage Ave.
Friday, January 20 at 4:30 p.m.: Marshall Field's Garden Apartments/Art on Sedgwick, 1408 N. Sedgwick St.
Saturday, January 21 at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.: Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave.
Sunday, January 22 at 11 a.m.: ETA Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave.

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...It is a child’s view of a particular place and time—but it is also an introduction to Indonesia, a story about colonialism, and a message about the power of creativity..."

Go Home Tiny Monster

The Gottabees (US/Boston)
Presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago Children's Theatre, 100 S. Racine Ave., Chicago

January 19-22
Four performances: Thursday through Sunday, January 19-22 at 1 p.m.

Tickets: $25/$20 students and seniors, each performance

Family Friendly - Ages 3 and up
ADA accessible
40 minutes
Presented in “daily rep” with Squirrel Stole My Underpants. See one or both!

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...What happens when a girl and her family of homespun creatures suddenly find themselves in need of a new home? They look for help and, luckily, they find it..."

Grand Panorama

Theodora Skipitares (U.S./New York)
Presented by Harold Washington Library and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Harold Washington Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, 400 S. State St., Chicago (Plymouth Court entrance )

January 22-24
Three performances: Sunday, January 22 at 2 p.m.; Monday January 23 at 5 p.m.; Tuesday, January 24 at 6 p.m.
Tickets: $30/$20 seniors, CPS students free, limited availability

Family Friendly - 9 and up
ADA accessible
52 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Frederick Douglass is widely recognized as the most photographed person in the 19th century. In Grand Panorama, his obsession with photography takes center stage illuminating the power of image to “tell the truth” about humanity and the African-American experience during slavery..."

Hamlet

Janni Younge (South Africa)
A U.S. premiere presented by The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago

January 26-29
Four performances: Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 27 at 10:30 a.m.; Saturday, January 28 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, January 29 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: $40/$30 students and seniors

Family Friendly - 10 and up
ADA accessible
77 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Told through beautifully crafted life-size puppets, this captivating production explores the complex psychological facets of humanity facing an onslaught of challenges..."

Invisible Lands

Livsmedlet Theater (Finland)
A U.S. premiere presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chopin Theatre Basement, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

January 19-22
Five performances: Thursday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m.; Friday, January 20 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, January 21 at 4 p.m.; Sunday, January 22 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Tickets; $40/$30 students and seniors

12 and up
50 minutes
Not accessible

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Across the desert, behind our back. Up the mountain, down our spine. Over the sea, just under our nose. On the day the war broke out, we left home..."

Invitation to a Beheading

Rough House Theater Co. (U.S./Chicago)
Presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chopin Theatre Basement, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

January 27-29
Three performances: Friday, January 27 at 9 p.m.: Saturday, January 28 at 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, January 29 at 7 p.m.

Tickets: $30/$20 students and seniors

12 and up
Not accessible
80 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...In a bizarre and irrational world, a man is condemned to death for an absurd crime and sent to a surreal prison to await his execution. But the prison may not be what it seems..."

Macbeth Muet

La Fille du Laitier (Canada)
Presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chopin Theatre Basement, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

January 23-25
Three performances: Monday, January 23 at 7 p.m.; Tuesday, January 24 at 8:30 p.m.; Wednesday, January 25 at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets: $40/$30 students and seniors

12 and up
Not accessible
60 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Performed entirely without words, Macbeth Muet completely deconstructs this Shakespeare Tragedy into a fast paced, visceral theater experience, using the body, objects as imagery, and a ton of fake blood. Entire scenes are reduced to a single look, as Shakespeare’s complex and beautiful poetry is rendered mute, and searing..."

Macunaíma Gourmet

Pigmalião Escultura que Mexe (Brazil)
U.S. premiere presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
MCA Chicago, 205 E. Pearson St., Chicago

January 26-28
Three performances: Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.;  Saturday, January 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $45/$35 students and seniors

14 and up
ADA accessible
Performed with English subtitles
80 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...the piece discusses the storm that Brazilian and global society faces in its socioeconomic and cultural structures with distinctive raucous imagery, unforgettable Brazilian style, and the urgency with which puppets can make political points..."

Nasty, Brutish & Short (Chicago/U.S./International)

A late-night puppet cabaret, co-presented by Links Hall, Rough House Theater Co. and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Links Hall
3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago

January 20-28
Four performances: Friday and Saturday, January 20 and 21, January 27 and 28 at 10:30 p.m.

Tickets: $18/$15 students and seniors

16 and up
ADA accessible
85 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...raucous, raunchy, dark, sassy, sad and mostly hilarious puppet theater, highlighting more experimental work by out of towners as well as local favorites in four different nights of puppet revelry..."

New Shoes

Tian Gombau (Spain)
U.S. premiere presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago Children's Theatre
100 S. Racine Ave., Chicago

January 25-29
10 performances: Wednesday, January 25 - Sunday, January 29, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., all days

Tickets: $25/$20 students and seniors

Family Friendly - 3 and up
ADA accessible
30 minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...A child puts on a pair of new shoes and goes to the river for a snack. Along the way he discovers the world that surrounds him: streets, houses, landscapes, people, and animals. His shoes accumulate experiences as he grows, little by little..."

R.A.G.E.

Les Anges au Plafond (France)
U.S. premiere, presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
MCA Chicago, 205 E. Pearson St., Chicago

Tickets: $45/$35 students and seniors

January 19-21
Four performances: Thursday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m.

13 and up
ADA accessible
1 hour 45 minutes
Performed in French with English subtitles

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...R.A.G.E. presents the outlandish story of a literary imposter who, to escape censorship, invents a new identity and plots one of the most beautiful deceptions of the 20th century. This politically epic and scathing story teeters on the porous border between reality and fiction..."

Squirrel Stole My Underpants

The Gottabees (US/Boston)
Presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago Children's Theatre, 100 S. Racine Ave. Chicago

Tickets: $25/$20 students and seniors, each performance

January 19-22
Four performances: Thursday through Sunday, January 19-22 at 10 a.m.

Family Friendly - Ages 3 and up
ADA accessible
40 minutes
Presented in “daily rep” with Go Home Tiny Monster. See one or both!

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...In this poignantly silly adventure tale for families, Sylvie is sent to the backyard to hang up the laundry. The moment her back is turned, a mischievous squirrel steals her favorite piece of clothing and runs off. When Sylvie gives chase, an entire world emerges from her laundry basket, and curious characters show her the way through mysterious lands..."

Symphonie Fantastique Film

A film by Basil Twist (U.S./New York)
Presented by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago

Tickets: $15/$10 students and seniors

One show only: Tuesday, January 24 at 6 p.m.

Family Friendly - ALL AGES
ADA accessible
55 Minutes

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Twist’s first full-length film, is not just a document of a performance but an artistic expression in its own right, weaving imagery seen by the audience with the unseen backstage ballet of the puppeteers and the emotional synergy of the live musical performance..."

POP-UP PUPPET HUB EXHIBITIONS

Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
Curated by the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Presented in partnership with The Spoke & Bird and the Fine Arts Building

Hours: Opening Night, Wednesday, January 18, 8-9:30 p.m.

January 19-29: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 12-6 p.m.

A spokesperson describes the event as follows:

"...Enjoy The Spoke & Bird Pop-Up Cafe (Suite 433) serving coffee, tea, winter soups and baked treats in a cozy, puppet-inspired setting. Check into Motel, a puppet show exhibition that doesn’t move, created by Dan Hurlin (Suite 403). The Puppet Hub is also the host site for two photo exhibitions, The Jim Henson Foundation presents American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine (Suite 410) and The Art of Basil Twist (Suite 404).Next door to the cafe, explore Vancouver, showcasing the made-for-film puppet theater collaboration with Ma-Yi Theater Company (Suite 433). If you didn’t get a ticket to see as though your body were right, you can pop in and check out the remarkable set designed for only seven audience members at a time (Suite 402). And, be sure to stop in Exile in Bookville (Suite 210), which is welcoming Puppet Hub visitors with a special display of books on puppetry, and plenty of copies of the many works of literature being brought to stage all over the city at the 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival..."

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