Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:38:15 -0800 (PST) From: Gretchen Van Lente <gretchen-AT-dramaofworks.com> To: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org Subject: [Puptcrit] NYC - real-live British PUNCH performer - 1 night only!!! Drama of Works and Galapagos Art Space present=85 PUNCH The city=92s only consistent puppet slam! FIRST PUNCH OF 2007! =96 FEATURING A PUNCH-OFF!!! Battling it out are Konrad Fredericks =96 acclaimed London street Punch performer =96 and the 2 Punks with their version=85 MONDAY, January 29th, 8:00 PM, $5.00 Galapagos Art Space 70 North 6th Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 782-5188 http://www.galapagosartspace.com PUNCH is a monthly showcase for all things puppet. This month we=92ve got dueling Punch shows, so you DON=92T WANT TO MISS IT!!! Curated by Gretchen Van Lente, of Drama of Works. =95 KONRAD FREDERICKS is a professional street Punch showman working mainly in central London, South Bank and principal cities within a two hour drive of London. He also performs internationally at a wide variety of venues; under contract and busking. To the best of his knowledge he is the only showman in Britain performing Punch on the street for a living, and one of the few professional traditional street puppeteers in the world. PHOTO CREDIT: Puppet maker, Fred Tickner and photographer, Eva Szcinsca. =95 2 PUNKS PUPPET THEATRE/DRAMA OF WORKS counters Konrad=92s traditional punch piece with their anarchic =93Sid & Nancy Punch & Judy Show.=94 It will be a learning experience to see these two very different Punch pieces next to each other. Mike Wolf of TimeOut NY says =93Short but not-at-all sweet, the Sid & Nancy Punch & Judy show is frayed, violent and hilarious in all the right places.=94 =95 THE JOSH & TAMRA SHOW are PUNCH favorites. They will delight all with their twisted improv comedy of a thousand puppet characters. The two met years ago at Upright Citizens Brigade and now they tour extensively with their puppet counterparts. They always dazzle PUNCH when they're in town and we're excited to have them kicking off this year right! http://www.joshandtamra.com =95 HOWIE LEIFER presents a video of his piece "THE RHYME OF THE CHIVALROUS SHARK," based on a song by Wallace Irwin written at the turn of the 19th century. Frank Hendricks provides the vocal accompaniment. The video is of a live performance from Great Small Works=92s 2005 International Toy Theater Festival. =95 EXPLODING PUPPET PRODUCTIONS (of =93Die Hard!=94 fame) rounds out the evening with a few wacky, funny shorts. * * * * * =93Drama of Works invites the audience to re-examine their notions of theatrical structure and method without seeming self-important or compromising accessibility=85This company will be around for years to come. If you go see them now, you=92ll be able to say you knew about them before everybody did.=94 (www.offoffoff.com) DRAMA OF WORKS, =93New York=92s tightly organized satirists=94 (In Pittsburgh), are known for their innovative works =93high on fantastic production value=94 (Village Voice) that cross the line between actors and puppeteers. =93Whatever it is supposed to be, it isn=92t boring.=94 (Puppetmaster) Led by Artistic Director Gretchen Van Lente (also president of UNIMA-USA), they have performed locally and abroad: around New York City (CBGB=92s, The Atrium, Clockworks Experimental Puppetry Theatre, Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, The Culture Project, HERE Arts Center, Dixon Place, Theatre for the New City, Surf Reality, Present Company, P.S.122, Manhattan Theatre Source, Ensemble Studio Theatre and in Brooklyn at Arts At St. Ann=92s, The Brick Theater, Galapagos Arts Space, BRIC and the Brooklyn Museum of Art), plus all over Pennsylvania and New England with their unique brand of theatre: gaining members, fans and supporters along the way. They have also performed, to critical acclaim, at six international festivals to date. For over a year, Drama of Works has curated, hosted and performed at Galapagos Art Space=92s PUNCH puppetry cabaret in Brooklyn. It is currently the only consistent puppet slam in New York City. * * * * * London Street Punch=85 [a word from Konrad Fredericks] I am a professional street Punch showman working mainly in central London, South Bank and principal cities within a two hour drive of London. I am not paid a fee for this work. I rely on a collection taken during the show by my bottler and outside man, Ian Carter. I also perform internationally at a wide variety of venues; under contract and busking. To the best of my knowledge I am the only showman in Britain performing Punch on the street for a living, and one of the few professional traditional street puppeteers in the world. Each working day I give approximately six presentations, or three and a half, to four hours work. Performance times vary between fifteen and fifty minutes, depending on many factors. I pay my bottler thirty percent after our expenses. His role is crucial to the success of the show. He provides security and collects money. This is a very difficult job. I first saw a Punch and Judy show as a child, on a beach in the South of England. My show grows from that experience. I tune my swazzel to the sound I remember from that day. It was a professional show given by Frank Edmonds; everyone was expected to pay. In 1969 I was able to buy a set of figures made by Fred Tickner. I still use them today. Throughout a my life in the dramatic theatre, as a performer, technician and designer, I would perform Punch when there was no other theatre work, always at paid venues, usually children=92s parties, never in the street. I developed a friendly family puppet show. In September 1994 I became a full time street showman. I quickly discovered that there is a fundamental difference between a paid children's birthday party and earning a day's wages (for two men) in the street. London is a hard city; people do not visit the city centre to give me money. I have to take it from them. A street show must have a hard edge and a dark side, to succeed with a sophisticated crowd. London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world. 33 million people pass through Covent Garden each year. I am, therefore, very experienced at engaging large audiences of all ages and nationalities. My show is not text based. Over thousands of performances, under the harsh conditions of the street, I have been forced to develop communication techniques and 'tricks', unique to this profession and of ancient origin. I have to create a drama that is universal, or, archetypal. A very important element in achieving the "universal" is reflection (of the crowd). I have to step away from my 'self ', no opinions, age, gender, no politics, Punch belongs to everyone. The old showmen referred to themselves as "Punch workers" not puppeteers, they referred to Punch as a doll or, figure; not a puppet and I believe this is correct. We work the Punch; the audience together with Punch create the drama. Gradually, in this reflective process, archetypes develop subconsciously and it feels as if the show runs itself. Over a long period one's brain becomes a store of seemingly limitless 'business' and repartee, constantly added to; used over and over again, often at great speed, always in a new way and always with one aim; to give each individual a dramatic experience deep enough to justify asking them for money. Aristotle said in his work =91Poetics=92 that for a tragedy to succeed, the emotions, =93pity and fear=94 are essential. This has been my direct experience. I would add that for a comic tragedy, hunger and love, also seem to be essential emotions for a successful street show. By successful I mean, of course, a show that makes money. I would say that a Punch show is authentic if it earns the showman a living wage, in the centre of the city, where the human soup is at its thickest and richest. Clean money, most of it freely given, in exchange for a glimpse in the mirror. In 1995, with the building of the Royal Opera House extension on the East Piazza, the economic dynamic changed. I moved from my licensed pitch on Covent Garden Market property and established an unlicensed pitch on James Street. Street Punch is site specific. This pitch had its own set of difficulties, mainly other street performers and pedlars 'top-pitching' and a very high level of ambient sound from amplified musicians. Being a main thoroughfare James Street is also much rougher than the East Piazza. Working on a main street is a health and safety risk, through a number of options; not the least being violent assault; although we have not had a blow landed, in 10 years we have been forced to land a few ourselves. As a result of a lack of enforcement by Westminster City Council, James Street became a haven for low level performers, beggars, pedlars, scammers of all shades and as a result of police zero tolerance in Leicester Square; hard drug trading. This had a very intimidating effect on the crowds and Londoners; our best payers; were beginning to avoid using that route to the market. Our income went down as the problems increased. When I became a full time street showman, I neglected all my old performance contacts and turned down paid work; to protect my bottler=92s income, to protect my pitch and out of a sense of responsibility to my regular crowds. As a result of the increasing difficulties on James Street, I began contacting agents, bookers and international festivals. I now work less on James Street and more on South Bank and other London pitches, as well as international work. =97Konrad Fredericks _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org Admin interface: http://lists.driftline.org/listinfo.cgi/puptcrit-driftline.org Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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