See also
- Mermaid Theatre (London)
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Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia was co-founded in 1972 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, by the late Evelyn Garbary, Tom Miller, and Sara Lee Lewis who continues to serve as Managing Director. The Theatre moved to Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1987, purchasing a large commercial building in the town's center, which now houses its workshops, administration, rehearsal and performance facilities. The company was registered under the Societies Act of Nova Scotia, and received charitable status with Revenue Canada in March 1973.
With a mandate to introduce young audiences to the joys of reading and the excitement of puppetry, the company has established a touring circuit encompassing rural Nova Scotia as well as national and international venues.
The company draws its scripts from children's literature and has performed for more than 4.5 million spectators on four continents. It has appeared regularly in the US since 1979. The company tours year-round, generally presenting more than 400 performances for close to 200,000 spectators annually. In recognition of its contributions to local economy and cultural life, Mermaid has earned export awards from Nova Scotia (2001) and Canada's Department of International Trade (2001, 2005), and has been recognized by the Canadian Arts Presenting Association with an award for Best Performing Group.
The company regularly crosses Canada and the United States and has represented Canada in numerous other countries. Since they began touring internationally, they have performed in Japan, Mexico, Australia, England, Northern Ireland, Holland, Scotland, Wales, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Ireland.
Mermaid Theatre's focus is twofold. On the one hand Mermaid's professional touring theatre provides international showcase opportunities for Atlantic Region talent; on the other, the aim of its Youtheatre program, now in its sixteenth season, is to encourage creative self-expression among the region's adolescents.
Puppetry is central to Mermaid's philosophy of theatre. Through its Institute of Puppetry Arts, Mermaid offers puppet theatre residencies and internships, as well as apprenticeship training in both production and performance that is not otherwise available in Anglophone Canada.
Two Citations of Excellence for Puppetry by UNIMA-USA 2010
Award for Excellence in Artist Management - Atlantic Presenters Association 2009
Crystal Tourism Ambassador Award - Tourism Industry of Nova Scotia 2008
Cultural Industries Export Award 2005
Nova Scotia Export Award 2001
Canada Export Award 2001
Citation of Excellence for Puppetry by UNIMA-USA 1986,1989
In 2003, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia acquired the former Imperial Theatre at 106 Gerrish Street in Windsor. The theatre was built between 1910 and 1920, and originally was used as a movie theatre and performing venue. At the time of the acquisition, the facility had been sitting vacant for several years. Over the next several years, with the assistance of local, provincial, and national partners, the space has been converted to a performing arts centre. The facility has been renamed the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre (or MIPAC). Since 2008, the facility has been used to host a regular schedule of performances, from Mermaid Theatre's own flagship productions, to community shows and nationally touring productions.
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Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performance is also known as a puppet production. The script for a puppet production is called a puppet play. Puppeteers use movements from hands and arms to control devices such as rods or strings to move the body, head, limbs, and in some cases the mouth and eyes of the puppet. The puppeteer sometimes speaks in the voice of the character of the puppet, while at other times they perform to a recorded soundtrack.
Canada's contemporary theatre reflects a rich diversity of regional and cultural identities. Since the late 1960s, there has been a concerted effort to develop the voice of the 'Canadian playwright', which is reflected in the nationally focused programming of many of the country's theatres. Within this 'Canadian voice' are a plurality of perspectives - that of the First Nations, new immigrants, French Canadians, sexual minorities, etc. - and a multitude of theatre companies have been created to specifically service and support these voices.
Portia May White was a Canadian contralto, known for becoming the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Growing up as part of her father's church choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia, White competed in local singing competitions as a teenager and later trained at the Halifax Conservatory of Music. In 1941 and 1944, she made her national and international debuts as a singer, receiving critical acclaim for her performances of both classical European music and African-American spirituals. White later completed tours throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Paul Finley Zaloom is an American actor and puppeteer, best known for his role as the character Beakman on the television show Beakman's World.
Puppetry of the Penis is a comedic live performance-art show featuring a series of genital contortions. The show was initially conceived as the title of a highbrow art calendar released by Australian Simon Morley in 1996. The calendar showcased twelve penis "installations". In response to increasing requests for live demonstrations, in 1997 Morley enlisted fellow Australian, David "Friendy" Friend, to devise a performance show consisting of body-based genital comedy.
The Windsor and Hantsport Railway was a 56-mile (90.1 km) railway line in Nova Scotia between Windsor Junction and New Minas with a spur at Windsor which runs several miles east, serving two gypsum quarries located at Wentworth Creek and Mantua. It suspended operations in 2011.
Ralph Lee is an American puppeteer and theatre artist. His work is centered on the design and use of masks in theatre and performance. The majority of his productions take place outside of traditional performance venues, include parades, pageants, celebrations, and outdoor theatrical performances. Masks and large puppets are central to his productions, which aim to make artistic experiences accessible to all members of the community. He stages his productions in familiar, public locations, charging no admission fee whenever possible and creating vivid images that can immediately resonate with the audience.
Hosting the region's largest urban population, Halifax, Nova Scotia is an important cultural centre in Atlantic Canada. Halifax is home to a vibrant arts and culture community that enjoys considerable support and participation from the general population. As the largest community and the administrative centre of the Atlantic region since its founding in 1749, Halifax has long-standing tradition of being a cultural generator. While provincial arts and culture policies have tended to distribute investment and support of the arts throughout the province, sometimes to the detriment of more populous Halifax, cultural production in the region is increasingly being recognized for its economic benefits, as well as its purely cultural aspects.
The Society of the Educational Arts, is a bilingual not-profit Art Education Organization is a theatre company founded in 1985 in Puerto Rico that produces socially conscious and educational productions for children and young adults.
The Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, is the United States' largest organization dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The center focuses on three areas: performance, education and museum. It is one of the few puppet museums in the world. The center is located in Midtown, the city's arts district. It was founded in 1978 by Vincent Anthony.
Dadi Pudumjee is a leading puppeteer in India and he is the founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992.
The Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada is a professional award-winning touring ballet company based in Moncton, New Brunswick. Founded in 2002 by Susan Chalmers-Gauvin, CEO, and Artistic Director Igor Dobrovolskiy, Ballet-théâtre atlantique du Canada/ The Atlantic Ballet Theatre Of Canada presents a diverse collection of original full-length narrative ballets and short works which explore contemporary themes within the classical genre. Each work is conceived and choreographed by Dobrovolskiy.
OneLight Theatre is a professional theatre company, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia whose primary function is to develop and produce new plays. In addition to its artistic work, OneLight Theatre also hosts conferences related to theatre arts, participates actively in professional organizations, and mentors emerging professional artists through the Firestarter program.
Salzburg Marionette Theatre was established in 1913 and is one of the oldest continuing marionette theatres in the world. It is based in the city of Salzburg, Austria. Original productions featured live actors and musicians. Today soundtracks are recorded. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre performs a large repertoire of operas, ballets and productions for both children and adults, using marionettes.
Mirsolav Trejtnar is a master puppeteer and teacher of puppetry.
I Made Sidia is a Balinese wayang puppeteer. He is one of Bali's most acclaimed shadow artists.
Tim Lagasse is an American director, puppeteer and puppet designer. He has worked on films and television programs for Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, Disney XD, and HBO. He is known for playing the title character on Noggin's Oobi, and Crash on Disney XD's Crash & Bernstein.
Nikolai Zykov is a Soviet and Russian actor, director, artist, designer, puppet-maker, and master puppeteer.
Bill Carr is a Canadian stage and screen actor. He is remembered for his role as Possum Lodge cook and wannabe actor and singer Eddie Johnson on the second season of The Red Green Show. as well as numerous live performances. Carr is also known for his work with the CBC's The Journal and Midday and received two Atlantic Journalism awards for his satirical commentaries.
Robin Patterson is a Canadian Artistic Director, and a founding member of Theatre Beyond Words: a Physical theatre company that specializes in the creation of original works using mask, puppetry, music, and mime. Patterson graduated from L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France, then attended Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia for her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. After graduation, Patterson toured internationally for four years with Canadian Mime Theatre as its first female soloist, writer and director. Currently, specializing in clown, mask, and commedia techniques, she is teaching in the Dramatic Arts Department at Brock University.
