PUTNEY- On October 24th and 25th at 7:30pm, Spybird Theater brings Egg Noir to Sandglass Theater in Putney as part of the New Visions puppetry series. Drawing on object theater and puppetry traditions, Egg Noir is a highly visual and distinctly surreal exploration of genetic engineering.
A scientist who breeds egg heads, a machine who processes them into eye balls, and a poet in the desert who records the eye’s vision, are locked into a routine that produces a healthy eyeball. One day a villain infiltrates this world and modifies one of the freshly hatched eggs in the beginning of the production chain. What used to be a flawless sequence of events now gets messy and the world of Egg Noir unravels, threatening to dissolve its inhabitants and their globe. “This is what you get when you mix puppetry and alchemy,” states Carl Wieting, Puppet Slam Curator at the Puppet Showplace in Boston.
Spybird Theater’s work is inspired by the manually-operated machines of the pre-internet and pre-technological world. Egg Noir uses puppets, objects and shadows to create most unusual world. Artistic Director, Jana Zeller, has a rich background in Visual Arts paired with a life long fascination with puppetry which imbues her pieces with a highly visual and sculptural quality.
Sandglass Theater’s New Visions puppetry series serves as a laboratory for new works by artists in the field of puppetry and movement-based theater. The series presents innovative, adventurous, and socially relevant pieces; work that often cross-pollinates between genres and disciplines, from dance to puppetry, circus to storytelling. Next in the series, on November 7th and 8th, Sandglass welcomes the Dolly Wagglers from Northern Vermont, with their brand new Work in Progress, Gross Bliss. This new piece of puppet theater will tell a story inspired by the intersection of two seemingly disparate phenomena: carnivorous plants and facebook. Two aspiring and clumsy artists are in search of examples of true happiness. The quest brings them far and wide to visit “happy” events. The Dolly Wagglers are adored for their crude cardboard creations accompanied by raucous storytelling and live music.
This presentation is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. All performances are at 7:30 at Sandglass Theater in Putney. Egg Noir is appropriate for adults and children ages ten and up. Tickets are $16 general and $13 for students and seniors, available online at http://sandglasstheater.org. Getting tickets in advance is highly encouraged as seating is limited. Reservations may also be made by phoning the box office at (802)387-4051. Reservations are payable by cash or check at the door. Sandglass Theater is located in the heart of Putney, VT.