Photos from the Montreal’s 13th annual Festival de Casteliers, a showcase of international puppetry (which sponsored my visit) from March 8 to 11.
Thursday
“Les Bêtes dansent ou le sortilège discret de la nature sauvage” (“The Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild”) by La Liga Teatro Elastico from Mexico City
“The ancient dance of the predator and the prey that allows life to flourish on the planet,” is how the troupe describes the outdoor pageant. Puppeteer Daniel Loyola says, “The hunt is the death of the deer, which is necessary for the life because it permits the life of the planet.” Check out our full report.
“The Daisy Theater” by Ronnie Burkett of Toronto
“The Daisy Theater” is a semi-improvised, cabaret-style marionette comedy show. Puppets, the Toronto performer says says, have allowed him to take on numerous roles. “I’ve been playing with gender all my life and I don’t have to put on false eyelashes, take hormones. … I’ve had the freedom of being young, old, male, female, animal, human.” Check out our full report.
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Friday
“Freeze!” by Dutch performer Nick Steur
Nick Steur turns balancing stones into a spellbinding drama of whether his constructions will collapse or remain in place.
“ᑲᑕᔾᔭᐅᓯᕙᓪᓛᑦ Katajjausivallaat, le rythme bercé” by Nunavik performer Nancy Saunders
Traditional Nunavik drumming and throat singing.
Puppet Slam
A variety show of short performances by Sarah Nolen, Joshua Holden, Lyon Hill and others, which was hosted by Beau Brown of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.
“Sifters” by Sarah Nolen of Waltham, Massachusetts
Nolen, who became the resident artist for Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts, in September 2017, uses shadow puppets to tell a love story set to and inspired by Andrew Bird’s song “Sifters.” The whole story is presented using a single vinyl shower curtain manipulated atop an overhead projector.
“Time’s Up!” by Sarah Nolen
A hand-puppets comedy in which Batman and Robin fight to be the one not stuck with a ticking time bomb (played by a kitchen timer), then find romance for each other and fight to be the one stuck with the bomb so that he can save the other.
“Trick Yourself Into Being Happy” by Joshua Holden of New York
A funny show centered around a cynical hand-puppet: “Everyday I find another reason to be grumpy.”
“Siren Song” by Lyon Hill of Columbia, South Carolina
A tale of ship sunk by a storm told via a cinematic tour de force of shadow puppetry. “A lot of the puppets are static on a table,” Brown explained. “And what Lyon is doing is moving the light around.”
Saturday
“Bonne Nuit!” by Montreal’s Puzzle Theatre
A children’s show of slapstick physical comedy, working in the legacy of Charlie Chaplin of Jacque Tati, in which all the parts of the human performer’s bed—pillow, blanket, pajamas, teddy bear—come alive as if in a restless dream.
“Pixele-Moi” by Théâtre RétroColectivo of Montreal
A funny rumination on life, philosophy, feminism and sexuality told as a Mario-style video game adventure via an overhead projector.
“Bijoux” by L’Allumette, Théâtre de marionnettes from Bolton-Est, Canada
A tale of the friendship the develops between a ragamuffin girl and a retired cabaret performer. At the center of the show is a piano that, when turned on wheels, reveals itself as various aspects of an apartment building.
Sunday
“Thumbelina” by L’Illusion Theatre de Marionettes in Montreal
The Montreal company invited some festival participants to watch the final dress rehearsal of their production for children of Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale told with puppets, dance and live music.
“Macbeth Muet” by La Fille du Laitier from Montreal
A dazzlingly fast-moving retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy about the bloody pursuit of the Scottish throne. The company’s innovation is to represent many of the characters as styrofoam plates and cups, eggs, kitchen mitts and other common household goods—plus lots of fake blood. Lots of fake blood. The broken eggs and plates, the rivers of blood and intense stage combat add up to a stunning, visceral show that gets to the mad, haunted heart of Shakespeare’s exploration of power.
“Milo the Magnificent” by Alex & Olmsted from the United States (maybe Virginia?)
Alex Vernon and Sarah Olmsted Thomas present Milo, a magician who disappears things, levitates things, saws things in half. His tricks usually go awry—with humorous results. The puppeteers operate clad head to toe in velvety black—kind of Bunraku style—so that they seem to disappear into the dark backdrop.
“Âme nomade” by Magali Chouinard of Sainte-Béatrix, Canada
A poetic one-woman show in which various essences of a woman dive into a sea to rescue a wolf-guide. Presented with puppets, masks and costumes, and elaborate projections.
Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activism by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon. And sign up for our free, weekly newsletter so that you don’t miss any of our reporting.