Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 11:20:16 -0500
Subject: PUPT: Butterfly Dreams in Cambridge, MA Jan. 3 & 4


For Critters in travel distance to the Boston area,

A number of puppeteers in New England have told us they're coming to see Hua
Hua Zhang's wonderful adult show "Butterfly Dreams" when we present it next
weekend, and that reminded me there might be folks on Puptcrit who'd like to
know about it, so below you'll find the pertinent info. Please note that the
performances are in a few miles away in Cambridge at the Cambridge
Multicultural Arts Center, not at our little theatre.

Puppetry die-hards will want to know that the same weekend in our home
theatre we're presenting Crabgrass Puppet Theatre in their fabulous  "The
Frog Prince" and "The Princess and the Pea".  Some of you may remember that
show from the last George Mason regional festival. It'sa great one. Shows
are at 1 & 3 on Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th. Tickets are $8.50 and
reservations can be made by calling 617.731.6400.

Charter members of the David Regan Fan Club will be in heaven as David is a
featured performer in both Hua Hua's Show AND Crabgrass' show.  AND... he
designed the set for the Crabgrass show, which to my eye is one of the best
sets ever designed for a touring puppet show. Come on up for the David Regan
marathon!

Hope you're all well and enjoying wonderful holidays. Happy New Year to all!

Fondly,  Karen

* * * * * * *

PUPPET SHOWPLACE THEATRE and
CAMBRIDGE MULTICULTURAL ARTS CENTER partner to present
a  VISUALLY & THEMATICALLY ARRESTING NEW PUPPET PLAY by
DUAL-CITIZENSHIP CHINESE AND AMERICAN ARTIST HUA HUA ZHANG

Butterfly Dreams
Jan. 3 & 4  at 8 PM
Presented at Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center
41 Second Street,   Cambridge, MA
Tickets: $20, $17 PSTand CMAC members, students, low income persons
Reservations and Information:  617.731.6400- Puppet Showplace Theatre

Hua Hua Zhang - Conceptual Artist, Designer, Choreographer and Performer
Bart P. Roccoberton Jr.  -  Director & Technical Designer
Bruce Gremo  - Composer & Musician
David Reagan  -  Performer & Creative Collaborator
Ceili Clemens and Faye Dupras -  Performers

As part of our continuing Puppets at Night series we present the Boston area
premiere of Hua Hua Zhang's newest production Butterfly Dreams, a
mature-audience production which carries the audience to the edge of the
sleeping and waking worlds where humanity confronts itself. This innovative
production by Chinese Master Artist Hua Hua Zhang blends several forms of
puppetry, music and movement to create a vibrant theatrical production.

Hua Hua Zhang, a well-known puppeteer from China who now resides in the US,
brings us her ensemble production of Butterfly Dreams. Exploring the edge of
the waking and sleeping worlds, Butterfly Dreams asks the question: ³Do we
dream that we dream?²  Combining several forms of puppetry, music, movement,
and projections, Chinese artist Hua Hua Zhang creates an intriguing
interdisciplinary show for mature audiences.

This production presents the audience with a reflection of their own life -
exploring the edge of the waking and sleeping worlds. "Dreams are a
conversation with oneıs self, a dialogue of symbols and images that takes
place between the unconscious and conscious levels of the mind." In ancient
Taoist mythology there is the story of a sage, Zhuang Zi, who had a dream
that he had become a butterfly and derived pleasure from flying. After he
awakened he asked whether he was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly,
or if a butterfly had dreamed that it was a man. In his opinion it is the
same. We are living in a dream of dreams. If you don't dream, life has no
interest and no meaning. Everybody has dreams at different levels - both
waking and sleeping. Here there is an undeniable connection.  In this
production we are using dreams as a vehicle to explore humanity. Awake?
Asleep? It does not matter.  - Do we dream that we dream?

Butterfly Dreams had its premiere at the University of Connecticut in
October of 2001, and after some reworking had its New York premiere at La
Mama in May of 2002.

Artistic Directorıs Statement:

This production is comprised of several vignettes for actor and puppets-
some serious, some humorous- each addressing the question ³Do we dream that
we dream?² With an overlying patina of Buddhist philosophy, differing pieces
explore alternately the darker and  lighter aspects of the human circus, and
our sub-conscious interpretations of those experiences. For many years Hua
Hua Zhang was one of the most respected puppeteers in China.  Since her
arrival in the US in 1996 itıs been my privilege to follow the development
of her design and directing skills, which now equal her remarkable
performance talents. Butterfly Dreams uses liquid movement, intriguing
concepts, unexpected design elements, and universal experiences to draw us
into a world that both does and does not exist.
Karen Larsen 



  --- Personal replies to: PST <puppetshowplace-AT-earthlink.net>
  --- List replies to:     puptcrit-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
  --- Admin commands to:   majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
  --- Archives at:         http://lists.village.virginia.edu/~spoons