Luminaries - In the Shadow of the Polish Avant Garde

Hear a whispered tale about an artist’s life while watching an intimate puppet show for just two people. Travel through the tunnel of shadows into a laboratory where you can wield your own lights and puppets, get inside a painting, or build your own city. Watch in wonder as dancers animate sculpture, puppeteers coax abstract art to life, and stories unfold into the light. 

Luminaries is an international collaboration between puppeteers and performers from Teatr Figur Krakow (Krakow, Poland), Sandglass Theater (Vermont, US), and Portland locals Summer Olsson and Katie McClenahan. 

Inspired by the Polish Avant Garde art movement, 1914-1939, this immersive theater performance uses images, shapes, colors, and ideas of the artists working during this period, to create something new. Audiences are invited to explore the work of Maria Jerema, Katarzyna Kobro, Wladyslaw Strzeminski, and others, in a broadly accessible way. Drawing on their extensive shadow puppetry experience, the creators of Luminariesbring joy and play to the artwork and stories from the past, and illuminate where we might go in the future. 

Dates: July 27 - 29, 2018

Times: Friday 7pm & 9pm, Saturday 2pm & 7pm, Sunday 2pm & 7pm

 Location: Shaking the Tree Theatre, 823 SE Grant St, Portland, OR 97214

Tickets: $20 Adults, $10 Children

On the Web: www.merctickets.com

Other Info:This show is family friendly

Funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, within the scope of the Multiannual INDEPENDENT 2017-2021 Program, as part of the ‘Cultural bridges’ subsidy program of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Quintron and Miss Pussycat play in PDX - one night only!

Portland!  Important last minute announcement! The puppet rock dance band from New Orleans, Quintron and miss Pussycat are playing at Mississippi Studios Tuesday July 3rd! Doors @ 8pm, Show @ 9pm. 

See you there!

Click HERE for more info!

The Dark Crystal plays at the Hollywood Theatre in PDX!

Jim Henson's masterpiece, The Dark Crystal, is playing at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland for two special 70mm showings on July 14 and 15, 2018.  Tickets go on sale May 23rd @ noon!

MORE INFO HERE!

NEW SLAM DATES ANNOUNCED!

Mark your calendars, October 20 and 21st are the new slam dates.  Both nights @ 8pm at the awesome Echo Theater in SE Portland.

Info on how to submit to perform your puppet show / puppet short film coming soon!

Pic by Meg Nanna - Puppet Show by Zeb West

POP + PUPPETRY #5

ONE NIGHT ONLY!  TICKETS HERE!

Holocene and local puppetry collective Beady Little Eyes present POP + PUPPETRY, an interdisciplinary extravaganza for the eyes and ears! 3 puppeteers of diverse styles (giant puppets, tiny puppets and shadow puppets, for example) will be paired with 3 inventive Portland-based pop groups. Each puppeteer will present an original puppet show created especially for this event and synced to the band’s music. The results should be dazzling, and help to elevate the experience of both artistic mediums when combined. We’ll also be screening puppet films between acts, directed and crafted by local artists.

New show in town: Angamazad

We can't confirm that there are puppets involved in this show, but there is heavy mask work and some beautiful headdresses.  So, if you imagine there are google eyes on the headdresses, you have yourself a puppet show.  Check it out and support live theater!

The Fox & Beggar Theater presents “Angamazad,” a multifaceted fusion of musical theatre, contemporary dance, cirque nouveau, and visual art. The show adapts and re-weaves stories within The 1,001 Arabian Nights into a surreal roadmap of love, suffering, and the deep endurance of the imagination.

This show will premier over three nights at Portland’s historic Alberta Abbey, marking an exciting partnership between Portland writer/director Heather Beckett and Asheville NC cirque producer Nat Allister. “Angamazad” features an original score by local composer and violinist Mr. Moo, sets by Ghost Stag Productions, and a cast of twelve culturally and artistically diverse singers, dancers, actors, and performers of all kinds.

Tickets may be purchased via TicketSource through www.foxandbeggar.com.

“Angamazad” is all-ages. Children 12 and under are free.

VIP tickets will be sold for Saturday night’s show only, and will include a pre-show champagne reception with the show’s directors and designers, priority seating, a special VIP gift bag, and entry to the theatrical after-party (10:30pm-2:30am at the Abbey).

COME PLAY WITH US!

CALLING ALL PUPPETEERS!

The next Portland, OR Beady Little Eyes puppet slam is seeking submissions in the form of live acts and short films. The next slam will take place at the Echo Theater on Saturday October 14 and Sunday October 15 @ 8pm both nights.  

FOR LIVE ACT SUBMISSIONS: Please email your proposed puppet show in a short 2-3 sentence synopsis.  It can be a show you've already done or a new piece that you have yet to work on.  If we are not already familiar with your work, please send pictures of your past work or a website / youtube link.  All shows must be 2 - 8 minutes in length. Please also indicate if you'd like to perform both nights or just one. 

FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS:  Please send a youtube/vimeo link to katie@beadylittleeyes.com.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Friday SEPTEMBER 1st, 2017

Send all submissions to: Katie@beadylittleeyes.com

"Trashman and the Noise Band" with Kelly Campbell, Summer Olsson, and Robert Randall

Pic by Shawn Patrick Higgins

Jim Henson Foundation Offers Residency @ the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

We here at BLE are HUGE fans of the National Puppetry Conference and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.  They harbor safe spaces to let puppeteers be artists and risk freely in a constructive environment.  There is a new residency that is fully supported, so if you have a grand idea and no idea how to make it happen, you should give this a shot! Letters of intent are due July 17, 2017! 

Held at the O'Neill's Waterford campus, the residency expands and broadens the work of the National Puppetry Conference and offers space and support to a deserving artist/company towards the completion of a new work of puppet theater. Interested puppeteers and puppetry companies are invited to submit Letters of Intent.

Residencies may be between 2-4 weeks, can support up to 10-12 project participants, and covers full room and board. Dramaturgical support for the project will be provided by the O'Neill's literary office, a unique feature of the residency that is comparable to the support offered to plays developed at the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference.  The residency can take place during the winter, spring, or fall months, with space available beginning in January 2018.

See this link for more information! 

This weekend! Persephone: a puppet show with the Oregon Symphony

This weekend only!  Get your tickets HERE!

The Inheritance, a scary puppet film, launches Kickstarter

Chris and Zena Walas, a Dad and daughter team, are going to create a true puppet film masterpiece.  Check out the Kickstarter HERE for more info.  Let's all help them make this happen!

Watch the Trailer:

MORGAN STREET THEATER SHOW THIS THURSDAY

GOT A SWEET TOOTH?

THURSDAY MARCH 30th 2017 @ 7:30pm: Morgan St. Theater and Beady Little Eyes collaborate to bring you something entirely new!  Get ready for dessert dinner theater with puppetry entertainment; it's an impossibly fun and unique event.  Some would call it the perfect date night.  One night only, so grab your tickets ASAP! 

Location: The Clay Pigeon Winery - 815 SE Oak St. Portland OR 97214

For more details and to buy tickets, click HERE.

PUPPET SLAM TICKETS ON SALE NOW

"The Pits" a short film by David Bizzaro.  Screening at the slam of course.

Don't think too hard about it, just buy a pair of tickets and invite someone who will NOT see it coming.  Puppet slams have been delightfully surprising the Portland community for almost 7 years now.  

TICKETS HERE!

"The Talley's" is an incredible puppet piece by Jessica Simon.  Limited two show engagement specially for the BLE PUPPET SLAM!

Jim Henson Foundation Letters of Intent due Monday 3/13

If you have a magical idea for a new puppet piece that could use some financial support, consider applying for a Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant!  We here at Beady Little Eyes are happy to proofread any letters before they go out!  Give us a shout. 

Letters of Intent for The Jim Henson Foundation's 2018 Granting Cycle are due on or before Monday March 13, 11:59pm PST.

Review the guidelines here:  http://hensonfoundation.org/in…/grant-application/guidelines 

Manual Cinema, a 2017 grant recipient.

Secret of the Spider : A new shadow show!

Third Rail Repertory Theatre presents shadow puppetry masters Night Shade for their Portland debut of Secret of the Spider, February 16 to February 19, 2017.  
Secret of the Spider is a psychedelic allegory from a world where spirits stalk their hosts and witches grant wishes. A mother's investigation into the mysterious disappearance of her daughter illuminates the shadows of her past. Haunted by her fears and running out of time, can she reclaim her place in the ever-growing and perishing beauty of life, and pull herself from a web of anger and guilt through her discovery of the "Secret of the Spider"? 
A triad of creative obsession weaving together three females, embroidery crafts and other worldly symbols will flow thru the theater surrounding audiences with a visual experience. Crowds at the recent 3rd Annual New Orleans International Puppetry Festival were blown away by an early incarnation of the play.  

DATES: Thursday, Feb 16 to Saturday, Feb 18, 2017 at 7:30 pm; and Sunday, Feb 19 at 2p 

WHERE: Third Rail Repertory Theatre - 17 SE 8th Ave. Portland, OR 97214

TICKETS: $20 - By phone at 503-235-1101 or online at thirdrailrep.or

Admission included for Third Rail Members.

Pop + Puppetry 4 @ Holocene

Holocene and Beady Little Eyes present POP + PUPPETRY, an interdisciplinary extravaganza for the eyes and ears! 3 puppeteers of diverse styles (giant puppets, tiny puppets and shadow puppets, etc.) will be paired with 3 inventive Portland-based pop groups. Each puppeteer will present an original puppet show created especially for this event and synced to the band’s music. The results should be dazzling, and help to elevate the experience of both artistic mediums when combined. We’ll also be screening puppet films between acts.

Minden with puppeteers Samala Coffey, Anya Bogorad + Erin Chmela

Reptalians with puppeteers Katie Shook, Summer Olsson + Katie McClenahan

Vexations with puppeteers Kelly Campbell + Kristen Martz

BUY TICKETS HERE

Photo by Katie McClenahan. Puppets by Summer Olsson and Katie Shook. Band shown is Thanks.

Superhero Old Folks' Home opens Friday!

If you caught the last puppet slam in October, you saw an excerpt from this show done beautifully on an overhead projector.  Now, the full interdisciplinary show is on for a limited run at the Echo Theater in SE Portland.

Inspired by comic book mythology and archetypes, Superhero Old Folks' Home is an action-packed, fun, and poignant look at a multi-generational family of superheroes.  It is as much as exploration of aging and family ties as a look at the meaning of what it means to be heroic.  The show features trapeze, aerial dance, acrobatics, PUPPETRY, and more!

Opens this Friday, Dec 9 and runs thru Dec 18th.  TICKETING INFO HERE!

photo by Shawn Patrick Higgins

Willamette Week features Scary Puppet Film Night!

SCARY PUPPET FILM NIGHT!

ONE NIGHT ONLY! New screening time ADDED - now showing at 6pm AND 8pm. Beady Little Eyes Puppet Company is celebrating the darker side of puppetry in the jolly month of December. Join us for an evening of scary puppet short films by Jesse Blanchard, a puppet feature trailer by creature maker, Chris Walas, and a very special Portland-premiere of New Mexico's scariest puppet filmmaker, Devon Hawkes Ludlow with his piece "The Love That Would Not Die", a zombie film spectacular. 

See what the Willamette Week has to say!
 

Venue: The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven @ SE 2nd and Hawthorne. This is a private club. Advance tickets or RSVP required via Facebook event.

When: Saturday December 3rd @ 6pm AND 8pm
Doors open @ 5:30pm for the 6pm screening
Doors open @ 7:30pm for the 8pm screening
Q & A to follow with the filmmakers after both showings.

Tickets: $10 in advance (https://squareup.com/store/the-steep-and-thorny-way-to-heaven/item/advance-ticket-zombie-puppet-film) / $12 @ the door (RSVP required - just mark "Going" or "Interested" on the Facebook event page!)

This is an 18+ event.

 www.beadylittleeyes.com

SPooKy Girls : A new puppet film to support

If you're thinking about backing a super cool project in the puppetry arts, consider the upcoming short puppy film, SPooKy Girls : a romance.  It's described as : A darkly mischievous short puppet film about a coven of teenage witches, that mixes advanced rod puppets with wicked in-camera effects! 

Check out the Kickstarter link for ALL the details.

World's First Puppet Improv Festival in Seattle

You may have seen an improv show, and you may have seen a puppet show, but have you ever seen an improv show starring a cast of puppets? If not, now's your chance! Starting on November 12th and over the course of one incredible week, talented improvisers and puppeteers from around the globe will be coming to Unexpected Productions for the first ever Seattle Puppetry Improv Festival (SPIF). 

This week features hysterical improvised performances by puppets as well as a variety of workshops and classes on improv skills, building and operating puppets and incorporating the two skills. The festival is brainchild of Unexpected Productions' long-time performer Elizabeth Westermann.  This one-of-a-kind festival is a must-see for fans of improv, comedy and puppetry.

DETAILS BELOW:
1428 Post Alley (at the Gum Wall)
Seattle, WA 98202
Dates: November 13th - 20th
Times: 8:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Tickets: $15
Buy: http://www.unexpectedproductions.org/show/SPIF
Web: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-annual-seattle-puppetry-improvisation-festival-tickets-25246523030
Email: info@unexpectedproductions.org
 

Puppet filmmaker, Sam Koji Hale, in Seattle November 12!

Sam Koji Hale will be appearing in the NW for a one-night-only short film screening and Q & A about his upcoming full-length feature film, Yamasong.  This will take place on November 12th at the Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle, WA.  More event details can be found here.

This film is the first non-Muppet puppet feature in North America since “Team America” (2004). It features the voice talent of Nathan Fillion, Whoopi Goldberg, George Takei, Peter Weller, Freida Pinto, Abigail Breslin, Malcolm McDowell, Ed Asner and Bruce Davison.

This event will include multiple film screenings including the original short that inspired the feature “Yamasong”, short films by regional puppetry artists produced for Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams, question and answer session and behind-the-scenes of “Yamasong” by creator/director Sam Koji Hale and more.