File puptcrit/puptcrit.0701, message 247


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
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