PUTNEY VT- On March 18th at 11am and 2pm Sandglass’s beloved Winter Sunshine series begins with Double Image Theater Lab. I Laid an Egg is an original piece inspired by a dream the co-creator Margot had as a child. Margot goes on an adventure with her imaginary pal, Egg, in a world made of shadows and household items. A nonverbal, interactive show filled with many unexpected surprises and discoveries, I Laid an Egg bears elements of Shadow Theater, Object Theater and music, inviting the audience into a child’s realm of make-believe. It presents a poetic imaginative journey for the child in all of us.
Sandglass Theater’s Winter Sunshine series is Southern Vermont’s favorite puppet theater event for young audiences. Winter Sunshine provides a lively respite from the cold, a creative interlude between snow shoveling and wood schlepping, and the shine of laughter through the darkness of our Vermont winter months. Sandglass is headed into its 10th year of producing our family series. This series aims to bring some laughter, cheer and entertainment to family audiences, offering a range of live puppetry and theater performances for affordable prices. Audiences can partake in hot chocolate and freshly baked concessions and enjoy the family programs.
Artistic Director, Spica Wobbe is from Taiwan, and spoke about her how traditional Asian puppetry informs her work: “I grew up in Taiwan where puppetry is considered to be part of everyday life. I remember during my childhood whenever there was a festival or a God or Goddess’ birthday, a puppetry group would be invited to perform in front of a temple or at a community square. People would bring a stool with them and sit in front of the stage to watch the puppet show. I usually would sneak to the back stage to see how the magic was done. In 2006, I spent a month in Indonesia to study Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppetry). I witnessed just how much the art form is embedded in everyday life, I was also impressed how the dalangs (puppeteers) share everything backstage with their audience. I realized that showing the audience how the magic is done doesn’t take away from the magic. On the contrary, it makes the experience so much more interesting. Therefore, I decided to make “transparency” an indispensable element of my work and try to bring the art closer to our lives. For example, in “I Laid an Egg,” the audience can see how we create the shadow sequences with common objects and present the process in front of them.”
I Laid an Egg has collaborated with the internationally known musician Driftwood Fire and Vlada Yaneva, director Nancy Smithner, award winning lighting designer Joyce Liao, performer Spica Wobbe and Liz Parker. The show has been shown in many festivals in the U.S. and overseas. Its footprints have gone as far as Austria and Holland.
Double Image Theater Lab (www.doubleimagetheaterlab.com) is developing high quality and unique theater pieces for both young audiences and adults. By utilizing and developing the abstract elements of puppetry they create poetic and intimate productions. They are the recipients of the Jim Henson Foundation 2012 Seed Grant.
Stay tuned for the next Winter Sunshine show on March 25th, which will feature Brad Shur with Cardboard Explosion! a one-of-a-kind puppetry experience fueled entirely by cardboard and the power of audience participation. Brad will also be teaching a public workshop at the Brattleboro Food Coop on Sunday March 26th from 11am -12:30pm.
This show is funded in part by C&S Wholesale Grocers and the New England Foundation for the Arts. Tickets for all Winter Sunshine shows are only $9 and are available emailing info@sandglasstheater.org or calling (802) 387-4051. Getting tickets in advance is highly encouraged as seating is limited. You may also take your chances at the door, payable by cash or check. Sandglass Theater is an accessible, 60 seat theater located right off of I91, exit 4 in the heart of Putney, Vermont.
Listen to what people said about I Laid an Egg…
“Double Image Theater Lab captures the essence of freedom children have in letting dreams become reality, in their performance, I Laid an Egg. It’s a captivating, imaginative show for any child who has ever said, “I once had a dream…”
~ India Long, audience at Jumping Juniper Family Festival at BAX, New York
“The audience was completely captivated by the performance. We loved it! We definitely want to have you back!”
~ Forster Manfred, director of Kuddelmuddel children’s culture center in Linz, Austria
“It’s really nice to see how you create interesting shadows with household objects. It gave us ideas of how to play with our children at home.”
~ Nel de Boer, audience at Poppetentheater in Dordrecht, Nederland
