Tears of Joy Theatre

Last updated

Tears of Joy Theatre was a puppet theatre company located in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. It was founded in 1971 by Janet and Reg Bradley. The company toured two to four shows a year to schools and civic centers in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Nevada. It toured libraries and put on mainstage shows in the Portland Metro area yearly. It ended operations August 25, 2019.

Contents

Awards

Tears of Joy is the recipient of four Citations of Excellence from UNIMA USA
in Puppetry Arts (issued by the organization Puppeteers of America).

1986 [1] "Petrouchka"
1990 [2] "Jumping Mouse"

1996 [3] "Between Two Worlds/The Dybbuk" based on the folktale written by S. Ansky in 1920. The script was adapted by Mark Levenson, and was directed by Reg Bradley. The play incorporated cantal and kletzmer music and used bunraku style puppets. The puppeteers were in full view of the audience, to represent the spirits and ghosts that haunt the world this tale of deathless love inhabits

2009 "Pinocchio" Directed by Nancy Aldrich and written by Jon Ludwig.

Past productions

A chronological list of performances since its debut in 1971.

A chronological list of performances since its debut in 1971.

1971-72: The Courageous Dragon, Mumford the Sea Monster, Aslan Meets the Shrinkerman, and Jonah

1972-73: The Legend of Aukelenuiaku, In Babel's Rubble-Fare, and Happy Hours.

1973-74: Nemo of the Four Winds and For Love of Looney.

1974-75: The Bridge of the Gods, Bigfoot in the Backyard, The Breadman Cometh.

1975-76: The Happy Prince, and Alice in Voterland

1976-77: Miser of Tahoma, Trouble at the Fort, and Alice in Wonderland (version 1)

1977-78: Sungura the Hare (version 1)

1978-79: The Black Heart of Indri

1979-80: You Are What You Eat (Nutrition Show), Inanna in the Underworld, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner

1980-81: The Magic Calliope, Onion Skin Soup, THE MASQUE COMPANY

1981-82: Coyote and the Cedar Tree, Faces in Time (MASQUE Co.), Frogs (MASQUE Co.), Sungura the Hare (version 2)

1982-83: Lessons for a Sumo

1983-84: Jabberwocky and A Pig's Tale

1984-85: The Gift

1985-86: Petrushka , The Magic Teakettle, and Opal.

1986-87: Adventures of Fet Frumos

1987-88: Jumping Mouse

1988-89: Baba Yaga and Hamitchou the Miser

1989-90: There's A Nightmare In My Closet and Puppetry in Action

1990-91: Rymchimchi and Aladdin & His Magic Lamp

1991-92 Alice in Wonderland (version 2), Coyote & the Cedar Tree (version 2), and How Coyote Kept His Name

1992-93: No new plays produced.

1993-94: Rumpelstiltskin , Br'er Rabbit Tales , Pure Imagination, and The Lucky Teakettle of Good Fortune

1994-95: Pied Piper , Monkey King , and Between Two Worlds

1995-96: The Amazing Adventures of Coco-Kaba

1996-97: Fire on the Mountain, Toy Box, and It's a Republic, If You Can Keep It

1997-98: Jungle Book , Baba Yaga, and Bridge of the Gods.

1998-99: The Secret of Singbonga

1999-00: Singing Our Way Home

2000-01: Cinderella and Toad Prince

2001-02: Coyote Tales and Perseus: Hero of Ancient Greece

2002-03: Ride the Red Mare

2003-04: Anansi the Spider

2004-05 The Reluctant Dragon and Little One Inch

2005-06: No New Shows

2006-07 The Shoemake and the Elves

2007-08: Pinocchio and Stellaluna

2008-10 No New Shows.

2011-12 When Animals were People, Raven Stories

2012-13 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and When Animals were People

2014-15 Touring Shows: When Animals were People and The Reluctant Dragon. No new shows were added.

2016-17 Touring Shows: Petroucka, Jungle Book, and Toad Prince. No new shows were added.

2017-18: Touring Shows: Toad Prince and There's a Nightmare in My Closet. Music by Richard Moore. Written by Reg Bradely. Directed by Artistic Director, Tim Giugni. No new shows added.

2018-19 Touring Shows: There's a Nightmare in My Closet and Coyote Stories. No new shows added.

2019 Closed August.

They collaborated with Bag & Baggage Productions in December 2012 for an adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit . [4]

Several guest directors have collaborated with Tears of Joy: Jan Wilkowski from Poland, Josef Krofta from the Czech Republic, and Yang Feng. In addition, Masaya Kiritaki, master of Otome Bunraku.

In November/December 2006, Tears of Joy produced "To Ride the Red Mare", which former Artistic Director Nancy Aldrich adapted from the book "A Ride On The Red Mare's Back" by Ursula K. Le Guin. Third Angle New Music Ensemble wrote and performed the music.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pecos Bill</span> Fictional cowboy

Pecos Bill is a fictional cowboy and folk hero in stories set during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. These narratives were invented as short stories in a book by Tex O'Reilly in the early 20th century and are an example of American folklore. Pecos Bill was a late addition to the "big man" idea of characters, such as Paul Bunyan or John Henry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppetry</span> Form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets

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.

<i>The Velveteen Rabbit</i> 1922 childrens novel by Margery Williams

The Velveteen Rabbit is a British children's book written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. The story was first published in Harper's Bazaar in 1921 featuring illustrations from Williams' daughter Pamela Bianco. It was published as a book in 1922 and has been republished many times since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Fairyland</span> Amusement park in Oakland, California

Children's Fairyland, U.S.A. is an amusement park, located in Oakland, California, on the shores of Lake Merritt. It was one of the earliest "themed" amusement parks in the United States. Fairyland includes 10 acres (4.0 ha) of play sets, small rides, and animals. The park is also home to the Open Storybook Puppet Theater, the oldest continuously operating puppet theater in the United States.

<i>Frog and Toad</i> Books by Arnold Lobel

Frog and Toad is a series of easy-reader children's books, written and illustrated by American author Arnold Lobel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margery Williams</span> American novelist

Margery Williams Bianco was an English-American author, primarily of popular children's books. A professional writer since the age of nineteen, she achieved lasting fame at forty-one with the 1922 publication of the classic that is her best-known work, The Velveteen Rabbit. She received the Newbery Honor for Winterbound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fearsome critters</span> Tall tale animals from North American folklore

In North American folklore and American mythology, fearsome critters were tall tale animals jokingly said to inhabit the wilderness in or around logging camps, especially in the Great Lakes region. Today, the term may also be applied to similar fabulous beasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Lake Provincial Park (Ontario)</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Silver Lake Provincial Park is a provincial recreation park in the municipality of Tay Valley, Lanark County in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is on Ontario Highway 7 near the community of Maberly, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) away from Perth, Ontario, and is located on a lake of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich Puppet Theatre</span>

The Norwich Puppet Theatre is a nationally unique venue dedicated to [puppetry]. The theatre occupies the medieval church of St James the Less, Pockthorpe, a Grade 1 listed building, in Norwich, Norfolk, UK.

Toy Porno is a self-released experimental art film by The Frogs. The amateur videotape was compiled in October 1993, as a gift for Kurt Cobain. It would soon become frequent viewing material on the Nirvana tour bus, and later on the Foo Fighters tour bus as well. Later, after generated copies began circulating amongst fans, the band began selling copies at shows. The tape is only available in VHS format. The band plans to release a DVD version but want to digitally re-create the compilation from the original masters and need time and funds to do so. The file is available for download online in AVI format through various outlets.

Dead Loretta was a Psychedelic rock band from Newark, Delaware. Formed in 2004, Dead Loretta got its start when songwriters Danny Boles and Marky Degz decided to expand their acoustic duo project "Bruce Lee's Grave" into a four-piece rock band. Heavily influenced by 1960s British Invasion and local pop heroes The Spinto Band, the original lineup consisted of Degz on lead vocals/guitar, Boles on lead guitar/vocals, Brian Lafferty on bass/harmonica, Andrew Kerstetter on drums, and Alex McGrellis on keyboards.

Dallas Children's Theater (DCT) is a professional theater organization based in Dallas, Texas, that focuses on producing theater for youth and families. It reaches an audience of 250,000 youth annually with its nine main stage productions, national touring company, and education programs. In 2004 Time magazine named it one of the top five theaters in the country performing for youth.

Bag&Baggage Productions is a professional theatre company based in Hillsboro, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 2005, the non-profit group produces up to five fully staged plays per year and presents a variety of other acts and events. Their home venue is "The Vault", a theater located in a former bank building in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, on East Main Street.

Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola is a 2001 children's television series produced by The Jim Henson Company.

The Hangar Theatre is a non-profit, regional theatre located at 801 Taughannock Boulevard in Ithaca, NY. Its mainstage season and children's shows occur during the summer, but the Hangar, and other organizations, utilize the space year-round for special events. The tenets of the Hangar's mission statement are to enrich, enlighten, educate and entertain.

Green Ginger is a European theatre company based in Bristol, UK and Wiseppe, France that creates adult-oriented theatre and films featuring puppetry. Founded by Terry Lee in 1978, the company regularly tours its theatre productions throughout the world. Green Ginger collaborates with major arts organisations, including Welsh National Opera and Aardman Animations and its members teach at University of Bristol, Bath Spa University and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

David Benoit is an American actor and singer most known for being a replacement in the original Broadway run of Les Miserables. His most recent Broadway credit is playing the Bishop and Spider in the Broadway revival of Jekyll & Hyde.

Robin Frohardt is an American playwright, puppet designer, visual artist, and director based in Brooklyn, NY.

Larry Reed is an American shadow puppeteer. Reed is one of the first westerners to train in traditional Balinese shadow theatre and is considered a Dalang, or shadow master. He first began studying in San Francisco Art Institute before moving to study in Bali in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel A Morán</span> Founder of Society of the Educational Arts, Inc.

Dr. Manuel A. Morán is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, writer, composer, puppeteer, theater and film director and producer. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Latino Children’s Theater, Teatro SEA,.

References

  1. "1975 - 1995". UNIMA-USA. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  2. "1975 - 1995". UNIMA-USA. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  3. "1996". UNIMA-USA. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  4. Fuggetta, Emily (December 4, 2012). "Bag & Baggage teams with puppet theater for 'The Velveteen Rabbit'". The Oregonian . Retrieved 23 November 2013.