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Litchfield Hills Puppet Festival Returns to Warner Theatre
The Warner Theatre, 68 Main St. in Torrington is teaming up once again with the Connecticut Puppetry Guild to present the 2nd annual Litchfield Hills Puppet Festival on Friday through Sunday, April 4-6. After a rousing success (and a few lessons learned) last year, the Festival was re-vamped from a two-day event in March to a three-day event in April.
The Festival begins on Friday at 10 a.m. with the return of the Tanglewood Marionettes and their rendition of the classic fairy tale Cinderella as part of the Warner Theatre Daytime Performance for Young Audiences series. Hundreds of school children from around the Northwest Hills will attend this stunning performance. The Festival's first day will wrap up with a presentation of Quincy Meets Shakespeare by Larry Hunt of Masque in the Warner Studio Theatre at 7 p.m. Cinderella is open to the public at a cost of $5 per ticket; tickets for Quincy Meets Shakespeare are $12.
The Day of Puppetry on Saturday will begin at 9 a.m. with workshop registration. The performance and workshop schedule is as follows:
• Preschool performance with puppets of Mother Goose by Ellie Toy from 9:30-10 a.m. at the Warner Studio Theatre.
• Adult Workshop Session 1 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. includes Foamie work-through with Hobey Ford; puppet manipulation with Nikki Tilroe; and John E. Miller showing international puppets from his private collection.
• Family Shadows Workshop from 10:15-11:45 a.m. with Jim Napolitano (children welcome if accompanied by an adult).
• Performance/ Workshop of Matrioshka's Long Journey by Natasha Khusid at the Warner Studio Theatre (open to registrants only) from 10:45-11:30 a.m.
• Adult Workshop Session 2 from 1-2:15 p.m. includes continuation of the Foamie work-through with Hobey Ford; mask movement with Larry Hunt; and instant puppets and instant puppet shows with Nancy Henk.
• Family walk-through workshop on Simple Marionettes with Sharon Murphey-Boski from 1-2:15 p.m. (children welcome if accompanied by an adult).
• Performance of The Monkey's Heart and Other Tales by Nikki Tilroe at the Warner Studio Theatre from 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Adult Workshop Session 3 from 3:45-4:45 p.m. includes the conclusion of the Foamie work-through with Hobey Ford; hand puppets and TV with Chris Polack; and making puppets with children with Joe Brien.
• Foamies will be on parade from 4:45-5 p.m.
The cost of workshops is $20 each, or $45 for the full day; the Foamie work-through with Hobey Ford costs $60. Registrants can enjoy the performance of Matrioshka's Long Journey by Natasha Khusid as part of their workshop fee. The preschool performance of Mother Goose by Ellie Toy has a $3 admission fee, and tickets for Nikki Tilroe's The Monkey's Heart and Other Tales are available for $5. The Puppetry Store will also be open from 11:45 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday. All workshops will be held in the Warner Theatre Education Center in the Mertz Building at 84 Main St. in Torrington, next to the Warner Theatre building. The day promises to be as fun as it is educational.
The Festival concludes on Sunday with the Connecticut debut of Hobey Ford's Animalia. Hobey Ford has created a special new stage production to feature his famous "foamies." This show includes a magnified look at butterfly metamorphosis, the world of birds, a classic undersea ballet of whales, frolicking dolphins and otters, as well as his ever-popular dragons. A recipient of puppetry's highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, Hobey has received three Henson Foundation grants. The Connecticut Puppetry Guild and the Warner Theatre are proud to welcome him to the Main Stage on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets for Animalia are $10.
Information, registration and tickets are available for all shows and workshops through the Warner Theatre box office at 860-489-7180.
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