Sunday, March 1, 2 p.m., Bowker Auditorium
General Admission: $15; Five College, GCC, Seniors and 17 & under $10
A Sea of Puppets is a traditional Taiwanese glove puppet show with live music performed on a beautifully carved wooden stage by a professional five-member ensemble from the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company. With amazing skills, the puppeteers bring the exquisite puppets with embroidered costumes to life. They perform not only delicate gestures, but also exciting fighting scenes and acrobatics. The story is a romantic tale in which a young man saves a girl from the hands of a villain (clown character). Audiences will see all the characters of traditional Taiwanese puppet theatre: the young lady, the scholar, as well as the clowns and the villains. The show has been performed in over 30 countries, and provides a fascinating glimpse of one of the most beautiful theatre performances in the world. Powered by the virtuosity of the Taiwanese puppet performers and accompanied by traditional music, the show uses no dialogue and is suitable for all ages.
Pre-concert talk will be given by Dr. Robin Erik Ruizendaal, Director of Lin Liu-Hsin Puppet Theatre Museum in Taipei, and Managing and Artistic Director of Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company.
Spotlight Taiwan events are funded in part by the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan) and Special patron Dr. Samuel Yin, with additional support from Five Colleges, Incorporated.
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The incomparable beauty of traditional Taiwan puppet arts was a wonder to watch yesterday in the Sea of Puppets performance. How much dedication, devotion and discipline was displayed by the two puppeteers in personifying each character was noteworthy and an amazing experience for the audience. This was truly a rare opportunity to see a puppet art form preserved over the centuries by the Taiyuan Puppet Company.
Our children(7 and 8) were “underwhelmed”, except for the experience of getting close on stage. They do not watch TV, but are frequently exposed to live performances. As an adult, I was impressed with the artistry of the stage and puppets, as well as the skill of the puppeteers. This would have been a very interesting museum show, with audience sitting closer. I am told that this kind of puppet theater is the content of much TV in Taiwan and is much loved there. The cultural exposure is good; but in this case, I am sorry to say that a smaller amount would have been sufficient for those of us not from Taiwan. And, I found the video distracting, rather than helpful.