Michael Curry (puppet designer)

Last updated
Michael Curry
Born (1958-03-19) March 19, 1958 (age 66)
Occupation(s) Scenic, Costume and Puppet Designer

Michael Curry (born March 19, 1958) is an American production designer who lives in Portland, Oregon. He is also the owner and President of Michael Curry Design Inc. in Scappoose, Oregon, [1] which was started in 1986. [2]

Contents

Curry works widely in technical development with such renowned entertainment companies as Cirque du Soleil, the Metropolitan Opera, London's Royal National Theatre, Walt Disney Theatrical and theme parks worldwide. He works regularly with directors such as Robert Lepage, Nicholas Hytner, Julie Taymor and William Friedken. He has also worked with production designers such as George Tsypin and the late Mark Fisher. Curry has been the recipient of many distinguished awards from his peers, including various awards for his puppet and costume work on Broadway, Olympic ceremonies and his continuing creations and work in the field of visual effects and puppetry design. He owns and operates Michael Curry Design Inc., which designs and creates live-performance oriented dimensional characters and productions, such as those seen by worldwide audiences in the 1996, 2002, 2010 and 2014 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, in the 2000 & 2012 Super Bowl, and New York City's epoch 2000 millennium event. [3]

Olympic work

2002 Winter Olympics

Curry shared an Emmy Award with influential Trinidadian Carnival designer Peter Minshall for costume/performance designs created for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. The first notable American event following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the ceremony blended light, puppets, and story. [4]

Epcot

At Epcot, in Disney World, Curry created 120 towering puppets, which he titled the Tapestry of Nations (would later become Tapestry of Dreams), that paraded around the lake when sunset arrived. This parade featured the largest speaker system in the world, featuring 416 speakers and 137 amplifiers. [5] The parade ended in March 2003 in its Tapestry of Dreams form. The puppets themselves have occasionally been brought out for special events.

Theatrical work

Curry works often in theatre, collaborating with the best in the industry. He has worked on Broadway, at The Metropolitan Opera, and at the Royal National Theatre to name a few. He also works as a conceptual and technical consultant in the live performance industry.

The Lion King on Broadway

Curry was made famous not only by the Olympic ceremonies he designed, but also for his puppet co-design with Julie Taymor in the highly acclaimed musical, The Lion King in 1998. In 2014 The Lion King has become the highest-grossing musical in history.

The Magic Flute - Metropolitan Opera - Directed by Julie Taymor

L'Amour de loin - Metropolitan Opera - Directed by Robert LaPage

2017 New Production Award for L’Amour de loin at The Metropolitan Opera with Robert Lepage (scenic and costume design) – International Opera Awards

Finding Nemo

Curry designed the puppets used in Finding Nemo – The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom. [6]

Rivers of Light

Curry is production designer for the night-time show at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Rivers of Light . [7]

Frozen – Live at Disneyland Resort, Frozen on Broadway, Frozen Disney Cruise Lines

Curry designed the puppets that are used in the musical Frozen – Live at the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure., [8] Frozen on Broadway and Frozen Disney Cruise Lines.

Cirque du Soleil

Curry has designed on five Cirque du Soleil shows. (directed by Robert Lepage at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, and LOVE (directed by Dominique Champagne at the MGM Mirage, also in Las Vegas). He also designed the illusions for Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel at the LUXOR 2009. Curry was the scenic and puppet designer for Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson's Immortal World Tour.

Center for Puppetry Arts

Three major pieces by Curry are on permanent display at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia - an interactive full-body puppet of a praying mantis, a 9-foot-tall (2.7 m) animatronic original by Curry called the Trashcan Phoenix , and a user-controlled animatronic puppet of Xelas, a shapechanger from Native American mythology. [9]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Taymor</span> American film and theatre director and writer (born 1952)

Julie Taymor is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for her direction and costume design. Her 2002 film Frida, about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a Best Original Song nomination for Taymor's composition "Burn It Blue". She also directed the 2007 jukebox musical film Across the Universe, based on the music of the Beatles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lepage</span> Canadian writer, actor, director

Robert Lepage is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director.

The Jim Henson Foundation is a foundation that was founded by puppeteer and Muppet creator Jim Henson to promote and develop puppetry in the United States. Since 1992 Jim Henson's daughter Cheryl Henson has served as the president for the Foundation.

<i>Kà</i> Cirque de Soleil show

is a show by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. describes the story as "the coming of age of a young man and a young woman through their encounters with love, conflict and the duality of , the fire that can unite or separate, destroy or illuminate."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Theatrical Productions</span> Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.

<i>The Lion King</i> (musical) Musical

The Lion King is a stage musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, with additional music and lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer. It is based on the 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios' film of the same name. Directed by Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eiko Ishioka</span> Japanese artist and costume designer (1938-2012)

Eiko Ishioka was a Japanese art director, costume designer, and graphic designer known for her work in stage, screen, advertising, and print media.

There have been seven theme park live adaptations of The Lion King at Disney Parks since the Disney animated feature film The Lion King was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1994. These have included a parade, two theater-in-the-round shows, and four stage shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Tsypin</span> American stage designer, sculptor and architect

George Tsypin is an American stage designer, sculptor and architect. He was an artistic director, production designer and coauthor of the script for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014.

A puppet designer is a person who designs and creates puppets for themselves or for other ventriloquists and puppeteers. Puppetry predates written history in many cultures, and seems to have evolved from the mask.

<i>Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!</i> Live puppet and musical stage show at Disneys Animal Kingdom theme park

Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond! is a live puppet and musical stage show based on Disney/Pixar's 2003 film Finding Nemo, located at the Theater in the Wild in DinoLand U.S.A at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The original 40-minute show titled Finding Nemo – The Musical started holding previews on November 5, 2006, officially opening on January 24, 2007. The music is composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who also composed the music for Frozen, using direct lines from the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppet</span> Inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer

A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in ancient Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Henson's Creature Shop</span> British-American animation and special effects company

Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a British-American animation and special effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based in Hollywood, California, United States.

The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. The success of animated original 1994 American feature film, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to a direct-to-video sequel and prequel, a live-action remake in 2019, a television film sequel, two spin-off television series, three educational shorts, several video games, merchandise, and the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The franchise is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The franchise as a whole has EGOT-ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kym Barrett</span> Australian costume designer

Kym Barrett is an Australian costume designer of Hollywood films. She is a regular collaborator with The Wachowskis and was the costume designer of their films The Matrix trilogy, Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Ezralow</span> American artistic director, choreographer, and performer (born 1956)

Daniel Ezralow is an artistic director, choreographer, dancer, writer, and performer. He is known for his work in theater, film, opera, and television. His approach, style of physical expression, freedom of spirit and articulate athletic vocabulary have earned him an international reputation. He is the artistic director and founder of Ezralow Dance, a movement based ensemble and the creative home for Ezralow's body of work.

Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour was the first of two theatrical productions by Cirque du Soleil to combine the music of Michael Jackson with Cirque du Soleil's signature acrobatic performance style. The show was written and directed by Jamie King and produced in partnership with the Estate of Michael Jackson. The arena show—which is very similar to a rock concert—began its tour on October 2, 2011, in Montreal. After touring North America for one year, Immortal continued through Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East before returning to North America in February 2014 for a total of 501 shows from 141 cities. It is the most financially successful Cirque production and highest grossing tribute show in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapestry of Nations</span> Parade at Epcot (1999–2001)

The Tapestry of Nations was a parade at the Epcot theme park in Walt Disney World, Florida, United States, that ran around the World Showcase Lagoon from 1999 to 2001, after which it was rethemed as Tapestry of Dreams. The parade had a unity and world peace theme and featured a variety of large puppets and massive rotating drum units with drummers dressed like kings. The puppets were designed by Michael Curry who also designed the puppets for The Lion King on Broadway and a variety of Disney theme park shows. The leader of the parade was the Sage of Time, who was represented as a stilt walker in an elaborate costume featuring alchemy symbols, gold trim on a white robe, a staff, and a headpiece resembling a sun with a face.

"Shadowland" is a song written by Lebo M, Hans Zimmer, and Mark Mancina for the musical The Lion King (1997), a stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name. Based on the song "Lea Halalela ", a track featured on Lebo's Lion King-inspired concept album Rhythm of the Pride Lands (1995), Lebo composed the track with Zimmer, while both Lebo and Mancina contributed new lyrics to its melody. Lebo based the song's lyrics on his own experiences having been exiled from South Africa during apartheid, therefore imbuing "Shadowland" with themes about refugeeism and survival.

G. W. "Skip" Mercier was an American costume, puppet, and set designer. He has designed for over 370 productions of theater, musical theater, opera, dance, film, and television. He is best known for his set and costume designs for Juan Darien: A Carnival Mass in which he received a Tony Award Nomination for Scenery and two Drama Desk Nominations for Scenic Design and Costume Design in 1997. He was a member of the faculty at the University of Washington School of Drama, where he taught scenic design and costume design to both graduate students and undergraduates.

References

  1. BizBash Media:Michael Curry Design Inc.
  2. ECNext Inc.: Company Profile-Michael Curry Design Inc.
  3. Michael Curry: Michaelcurrydesign.com/bio.html
  4. Michael Curry: michaelcurrydesign.com/gallery.html
  5. Walt Disney World Magic.com: Tapestry of Nations
  6. "Finding Nemo - the Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom". allears.net. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  7. "Rivers of Light debuts April 22 at Disney's Animal Kingdom". Attractions Magazine. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  8. Slater, Shawn (March 4, 2016). "New Stage Musical 'Frozen – Live at the Hyperion' Opens May 27, 2016, at Disney California Adventure Park". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  9. http://www.puppet.org/museum/permanent.shtml Archived 2012-02-18 at the Wayback Machine Center for Puppetry Arts - Permanent Exhibit