** Bilingual - Spanish & English **
Show Description
The Circus
In an old covered cart like those which disappeared from thoroughfares many years ago along with the clouds of dust that preceded paved roads, the Circus would arrive at the calm stage of a theatre, to the shade of a tree, to a park or to a brittle platform or to the noise of a school.
BIO
Marionetas de la Esquina, a puppet theater company from Mexico, has been entertaining children and adults alike since 1975. They perform some shows
in English and others in Spanish. They have given more than 11,000 performances and 50 workshops and seminars. Since their creation, the company has helped disseminate and develop the art of puppetry in Mexico.
The company keeps a repertoire of ten shows, each a testimony to the company's wish to experiment with all aspects of Puppet Theater, from set and puppet design, to dramaturgy. The company has a variety of themes, stages, and puppets that have won recognition in Mexico and abroad. In 2004 the Company was recognized by CONACULTA and included in the program Mexico en Escena (Mexico on Stage), a program that supports experienced and renowned groups. In 2006, company member and playwright Amaranta Leyva received the Mexican National Prize for Children's Theater for her play the dress.
Puppetry
There are different kinds of puppets. There are hand puppets that are controlled by puppeteers who simply put their hand inside. There are rod puppets which are controlled by sticks. Finally there are Marionettes that
are controlled by strings. The children probably won't notice the puppeteers because they wear black from head to toe and stand in front of a black curtain. This helps the audience pay attention to the puppets instead
of the puppeteers.
Puppets show many different feelings. Sometimes they are happy; sometimes they are sad or angry. But the puppets cannot smile, frown, blink or raise their eyebrows. The only way the audience can tell how a character feels is by listening to the puppeteers' voice and watching the puppeteers' movements.
