PORTLAND — PuppetKabob presents “Dirty Gerts” at Mayo Street Arts at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28.
“Dirty Gerts” is a lighthearted story of growing up in Vermont during the mid-1960s rendered in a groovy blend of historical fiction, 60s pop culture and colorful confetti.
PuppetKabob’s production features paper pop-ups and old style paper dolls made entirely out of re-purposed paper products. The performance follows the challenges confronting a young middle schooler, Carol Lee Bell, as she navigates fitting in, creativity and acceptance.
Sarah Frechette, artistic director of the Vermont-based PuppetKabob, is an award-winning puppeteer, teaching artist and stop-motion costumer. Her other original productions incorporate practical effects, marionettes, pop-up paper art and steel-cast shadows paired with kinetic metal sculptures.
Frechette’s cinematic shadow & string work has been seen across North America, Europe and Asia. She learned to hand-carve and paint marionettes while mentoring with Master Puppeteer Albrecht Roser. Many times over many years, she stayed at his studio in Germany, discussing and absorbing his theories on Zen and the art of Puppetry.
While in Portland, PuppetKabob will offer a day-long workshop at the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts located in the Crewe Center for the Arts at the University of Southern Maine from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. Participants in the full-day workshop “Pop-Up Puppet Theater—Fold, pull, Pop & Perform with Sarah Frechette” will learn how to incorporate various mechanisms and rigging points into paper pop-ups to turn them into animatible puppets.
PuppetKabob will also offer a Stop-Motion Puppet Costume Workshop for animation & fashion/textile design students at Maine College of Art + Design. This workshop is not open to the general public.
PuppetKabob’s residency at Mayo Street Arts is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the six New England state arts agencies.
Mayo Street Arts is a welcoming community arts center in the heart of Portland’s Kennedy Park neighborhood. The organization’s building serves as a performance venue, gallery, and gathering space, and offers affordable studios and rehearsal space for artists. Mayo Street Arts’ programming embraces variety, with a particular focus on puppetry and folk music and dance.
Tickets to see PuppetKabob’s “Dirty Gerts” at 10 Mayo Street in Portland, Maine at Mayo Street Arts are available for $20 in advance, $25 at the door and $30 for preferred seating. Pay-what-you-can options are available to support accessibility. Visitwww.mayostreetarts.org for ticket links and more information.
