INTERVIEW: Art Grueneberger pt. 6

How did you get interested in Puppetry?

My first puppet performance for an audience besides my mom was "A Thousand Cranes" a UNIMA USA Citation of Excellence recipient. After that I was hooked.

How long have you been performing?

Professionally since 1991, but I was always putting on shows behind the couch when I was a kid.

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Art Grueneberger began his puppet career working with Master Puppeteer Richard Bay. His puppet performance premiere was as lead puppeteer in “A Thousand Cranes,” a UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence winner.

Grueneberger formed Puppet Art Theater Co. in 1994 and began producing outstanding children’s productions that have been seen by thousands of audiences across the United States. His shows have also toured internationally. He has directed productions for adults that have been seen at Here Theater in New York City, Zeum Theater in San Francisco and the Mondavi Center in Davis California.

Grueneberger has puppeteered for many film, television and video projects including the award winning film “Ola’s Box of Clovers,” the “Emmy” nominated video “We’re Gonna Be OK” and the WB’s national children’s series “Phantom Investigators.” He has worked with Shadowlight Theater on the award winning productions “Coyote Stories” and “The Wild Party” and has collaborated with talented shadow puppeteer Wendy Morton on several projects including “The Little Dragon,” a nationally distributed DVD produced for the Bose^© Speaker Company.

In addition to writing and consulting for theater and video productions, Grueneberger has also co-authored the book The Actor's Lab Book: A Practical Supplement for the Beginning Actor.

INTERVIEW: Art Grueneberger pt. 5

Photo by Elise Kane

What's next for this production? Are there plans to do it again?

The college production is done. I've workshopped it once and produced it full out once at the college level. I'm ready to get some professional actors and have it produced at some larger theater venues.

Ideally, what would you like to do with this amazing show?
We are putting together publicity material that we'll send out to about 300 theaters hoping to get a few of them interested in co producing this show as a tour. those should go out this month. we'll see if anyone's interested. We were concerned about protecting the concept so we've worked with a NYC entertainment attorney to take care of that. Our fingers are crossed!

INTERVIEW: Art Grueneberger pt. 4

How did you workshop the puppets with their puppeteers? Did you all just get
together and play or were there particular excersises you did?

There are a bunch of exercises I've developed as a result of this production process. All of them have the goals of refining and defining good puppetry and just keeping the puppets in the casts' hands. I used some of Ann Bogart's "Viewpoints" techniques and I also used some of Michael Chekhov's acting techniques (from his book "To The Actor"). I find that his process really lends itself to puppetry.

For more information on Art Grueneberger and his shows, visit his website.

INTERVIEW: Art Grueneberger pt. 3

Photo from Wendy Morton's "The Shadow Maker's" website. Behind the scenes of "The Little Dragon"

I noticed that, for the most part, your cast wasn't familar with puppet performance. Were they receptive to the idea of using puppets in this production?

How long did it take them to "work it out?" with the puppets?

The cast was stoked about using puppets since none of them had ever used them before.

The biggest challenge on this project was to take actors and, over a seven week rehearsal process turn them into puppeteers. Seven weeks isn't long enough to make them perfect. Only time and years of experience can do that. However, I've developed a training method that quickly introduces the cast to some basic principals of puppetry. That happens during the first week. After that, it's just making sure they've got the puppets in their hands from the beginning of the rehearsal process until the end. At about 5 weeks in there's a transformation that happens where most of the puppetry begins to really gel up and come to life. The teams (two or three on a puppet) begin to breath together and move intuitively. It's an amazing transformation to watch as a director.

INTERVIEW: Art Grueneberger pt. 2

Photo of Art Grueneberger from PuppetArts website.

"The Impossible Dream" is a song I hold dear to my heart, is there something
in the story of Don Quixote that calls to you personally?

I think the primary message of the musical is in that song.

Though the musical was written in 1965 and the novel it's based on (Don Quixote) was written in 1615, "La Mancha" can easily reflect the world today. For example, we have religious extremism in the form of suicide bombings abroad and hateful legislative agendas at home. Our country is still mired in a war that started under the false assumption of weapons of mass destruction. We have a government who is just now acknowledging, though begrudgingly so, that our energy consumption behavior is dangerously warming the planet. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless in the midst of such huge problems and thus driven to apathy because "what can one person do"?

"Man of La Mancha" is about striving to leave the world a better place no matter the personal sacrifice. It is about seeing the best in all people. It is about global change for the better by personally living a moral, engaged and courageous life.

One of the things I had the cast do to prepare for the show was to daily make the world a better place on an individual level. People gave money to good causes, held doors open for others, made people laugh, drove less, recycled more, etc.,... Every time they did something to make the world better I had them write on a small slip of paper and put it into a box. The box was placed on stage during each performance to remind the cast of the meaning of the show. I love that kind of stuff.

Art Grueneberger began his puppet career working with Master Puppeteer Richard Bay. His puppet performance premiere was as lead puppeteer in “A Thousand Cranes,” a UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence winner.

Grueneberger formed Puppet Art Theater Co. in 1994 and began producing outstanding children’s productions that have been seen by thousands of audiences across the United States. His shows have also toured internationally. He has directed productions for adults that have been seen at Here Theater in New York City, Zeum Theater in San Francisco and the Mondavi Center in Davis California.

Grueneberger has puppeteered for many film, television and video projects including the award winning film “Ola’s Box of Clovers,” the “Emmy” nominated video “We’re Gonna Be OK” and the WB’s national children’s series “Phantom Investigators.” He has worked with Shadowlight Theater on the award winning productions “Coyote Stories” and “The Wild Party” and has collaborated with talented shadow puppeteer Wendy Morton on several projects including “The Little Dragon,” a nationally distributed DVD produced for the Bose^© Speaker Company.

In addition to writing and consulting for theater and video productions, Grueneberger has also co-authored the book The Actor's Lab Book: A Practical Supplement for the Beginning Actor.

For more information on Art Grueneberger, visit his website.

INTERVIEW: Art Grueneberger pt. 1

(Photo by Kristen Phillips)

Art Grueneberger was kind enough to take some time to answer a few of my questions regarding "Man of La Mancha" and his work with puppets in general.

How did you get involved with UC Davis?

I went there to get my MFA in Theater Arts and due to my thesis project they invited me back as guest faculty and guest director to do "Man of La Mancha."

What made you select "Man of La Mancha" and HOW did you decide to use puppets in the production?

I did "La Mancha" in high school and I remember liking the show. A few years ago I was kicking around ideas for grown-up shows (since the majority of my work is for kids) and I began to think about "La Mancha."

In the original musical Don Miguel de Cervantes (the author of the novel "Don Quixote") and his Manservant get thrown in to a 17^th century Seville prison to a wait being tried by The Spanish Inquisition. The prisoners, common thieves and cut-throats, hold a trial of their own to determine if Cervantes' possessions, a trunk of costumes and theater props, will be confiscated and distributed amongst themselves. Cervantes presents his defense in the form of a play similar to that of the traveling performers of the time. Cervantes plays the role of Don Quixote, Knight Errant and enlists the prisoners to help tell the story. He assigns each of them a character by handing them an appropriate costume from his trunk. I thought it would be interesting for him to pull out puppets instead of costumes. That's where the idea began. When I began at UC Davis I was given the resources to do a workshop production. No sets, no costumes, minimal music (just a piano, guitar and drums). It was really an experiment to see if my idea of integrating puppets would work. I think it did.

Art Grueneberger began his puppet career working with Master Puppeteer Richard Bay. His puppet performance premiere was as lead puppeteer in “A Thousand Cranes,” a UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence winner.

Grueneberger formed Puppet Art Theater Co. in 1994 and began producing outstanding children’s productions that have been seen by thousands of audiences across the United States. His shows have also toured internationally. He has directed productions for adults that have been seen at Here Theater in New York City, Zeum Theater in San Francisco and the Mondavi Center in Davis California.

Grueneberger has puppeteered for many film, television and video projects including the award winning film “Ola’s Box of Clovers,” the “Emmy” nominated video “We’re Gonna Be OK” and the WB’s national children’s series “Phantom Investigators.” He has worked with Shadowlight Theater on the award winning productions “Coyote Stories” and “The Wild Party” and has collaborated with talented shadow puppeteer Wendy Morton on several projects including “The Little Dragon,” a nationally distributed DVD produced for the Bose^© Speaker Company.

In addition to writing and consulting for theater and video productions, Grueneberger has also co-authored the book The Actor's Lab Book: A Practical Supplement for the Beginning Actor.

He recently returned from China where he led puppet workshops at The Shanghai Theater Academy.

Man of La Mancha pt. 2

Photo by Caroline Thompson

The Cast:
(From the Program I received on Friday)

Miguel De Cervantes: Mario Castro Martinez
Manservant: Richard Hess
Governor: Matthew Moore
Duke: Daniel Reano-Koven

Puppets/Puppeteers:

Don Quixote/Alanso Qujana:
Mario Castro Martinez
Kate Cryan
Cary Babka

Sancho:
Richard Hess
Matthew Escarcega
Kelly Fleischmann

Aldonza/Dulcinea:
Laura Snell
Allison Minick

Dr. Carrasco:
Daniel Reano-Koven
Lee Riggs

Padre:
Bryan Pham
Lowell Abellon

Antonia:
Franchesca Jimenez
Kelsey Yoro

Housekeeper:
Kaitlin Shaw
Kristina Stasi

Innkeeper:
Matthew Moore
Spencer Tregilgas

Maria/Fermina
Melanie Levy
Kaitlin Shaw

Barber:
Lowell Abellon
Jocelyn Tripet-Diehl

Pedro: Elio Gutierrez
Anselmo: Matthew Escarcega
Captain of the Inquisition: Justin Estrada

Puppeteers/Muleteers/Ensemble:
Cary Babka Kelly Fleischmann Diana Bergen
Elio Guttierrez Kate Cryan Allison Minick
Matthew Escarcega Lee Riggs Kristina Stasi
Jocelyn Tripet-Diel Kelsey Yoro

(note: For this writing, the puppets are in bold and the principle actor behind the performance is in italics. The bold and italics are my own and are not seen as such in the program.)

The performances in general were good. The actors were very good but, some had an easier time with the puppets than others. Aldonza/Dulcinea (Laura Snell) was a stand out puppeteer wise (In my opinion). Her singing was wobbly in the beginning of the show but, her speaking voice and personality were perfect for this character. She gave that puppet sass and sex appeal! Every time she was onstage (the puppet), I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her performing partner, Allison Minick, worked seamlessly with her.

Cervantes/Don Quixote (Mario Castro Martinez) was really fun to watch. He had it tough--he's a young guy trying to voice this old, sick man--and he did an admirable job. I loved watching the gorgeous puppet come to life! His actions and acting gave the puppet a great weight and yet managed to achieve some 'otherworldliness'--he was definitely a dreamer but, didn't float or fly about. His (the puppet) team was excellent and seemed to read each other's minds! I'm a sucker for the little things, and watching Quixote's hands was entrancing--I couldn't get enough of him.

The muleteers could have been background noise--they were simple looking puppets with no feet, similar heads, very little body and only one hand but, many of them had a recognizable personality. Pedro was particularly loathsome (as he was supposed to be!) and the rest of the rabble could make me hate them (in the context of the show!) with ease.

The only performer I would "criticize" is Melanie Levy as Maria (the innkeeper's wife, Maria). Melanie's personality and acting completely outshone her puppet's performance. Meaning, whenever the innkeeper's wife was onstage to complain about Quixote, Melanie's face would be a study in rage and frustration but, her puppet seemed dead. It almost seemed pointless to give her a puppet (she was so great on her own!).

Many of the actors in this production had never worked with puppets before and according to the program, quite a few of the performers weren't even involved in the Drama Department (UC Davis rocks! In that it allows students from all over the campus to participate in performances, regardless of their actual majors! YAY UC Davis!). And that would be the only "weak" spot in this fantastic show. I REALLY wanted to see it with puppeteers. Oh, don't get me wrong! This show is AMAZING and if you CAN see it, DO see it! But, I, personally, wanted puppeteers on stage. I wondered what else they could have pulled from those great puppets.

As for the rest of the stuff surrounding and supporting the performers; the set was wonderful! Huge but, managed to feel very intimate. It felt like it expanded and contracted depending on the scene. The lighting was very supportive of that experience, the costumes were excellent and the music was fantastic!

Remember to check out Art Grueneberger's website to watch a clip of the workshop production! You'll get a chance to watch the puppets in action!

Man of La Mancha @ UC Davis pt.1

Photo of Don Quixote de la Mancha by Elise Kane

Today I went to see Man of the Mancha in the Main Theatre @ UC Davis. Boy was it a travail to GET there! UC Davis is about an hour from where I live, and the drive wasn't too bad! It was the lack of directions that did me in! I gave myself PLENTY of travel time (puppet show time! Double the estimations given by MapQuest!) and arrived roughly when I expected to...but finding the place...whew! Luckily, the Information building is clearly marked (just hard to park near) and I ran in to find out WHERE I needed to go! Again, parking is TOUGH! There IS a space near the theater...but, for some reason I couldn't park there today.

My recommendation? If you go? Park in the parking structure @ the Mondavi Center! Trust me! And the Main theater is VERY near there, so walking won't be a problem.

When I FINALLY got to the theater? The Box Office was closed! Luckily, the overture was long and Everything was sorted out before I missed much!

The musical "Man of La Mancha" was written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and Lyrics by Joe Darion and debuted in 1965 (Per Wikipedia).

This puppet version was directed by Art Grueneberger (for UC Davis based on a workshop production also directed by Mr. Grueneberger). It features an HUGE cast and PUPPETS! The Bunraku style of puppets utilized up to three performers per puppet (for Sancho and Quixote). The remaining puppets used one person (the Muleteers) or two people (Aldonza, Antonia, etc.).

It was just GORGEOUS! The puppets were designed and built by Kristen Phillips--man did she do a great job! The look was very fitting (Quixote looked a little like Cervantes' portrait--check Wikipedia and you'll see what I mean). They were very stylised; The Knight of the Woeful Countenance definitely LOOKED woeful and Sancho was funny and plump but, not ridiculous--he could be very sympathetic and sly too. Aldonza/Dulcinea was fantastic looking! Very sexy--which can be very difficult for a woman PUPPET--most female puppets end up silly and gross (exaggerated). She was playful and earthy and sexy. Her design was such that when she turned her head down, it (coupled with the lighting) gave her an illusion of downcast eyes.

Check out Art's website for a trailer of the workshop! You can see the puppets MOVE!

More later! The cast and performances PLUS pics and a synopsis of the Q & A with the director! If I play my card right and pester him...I MAY get an interview HERE! (cross your fingers!)

Father Christmas

Talib Huff...I mean...Father Christmas! Helps with the annual Gift exchange. Guild members can bring in little odds and treats to swap (wrapped, or course!). You can get fun little treasures! I was lucky enough to score some great greeting cards that feature photos Talib took in Spain. Hopefully, he'll be posting some YOU can get too!

Alice has a "Cootie"

Guild member Alice with her "cootie" puppet. It's made from a pattern her mom came up with and uses material scraps from her home! YAY Alice!