2008 Woodie Awards
A taste of lighthearted fun
Dance for Power puts on a puppet performance of "Hansel and Gretel"
Crystal Childress
Issue date: 4/22/05 Section: No Limits
- Page 1 of 1
Lost in the forest, two hungry children, Hansel and Gretel discover a gingerbread house. Living inside, there is an evil witch named Rosina Dainty Mouth. While the children are voraciously eating pieces of her house, the evil witch steps out of her hiding place and puts a spell on the children, transforming them into little gingerbread men. But, Gretel and her brother are far wiser than the evil witch can imagine.
Hansel and Gretel was performed by Dance for Power, Sunday, April 17. Dance for Power works with communities to increase cultural equity and to build cross-cultural understanding through arts programming that is inclusive, creative, educational, and affordable.
Hansel and Gretel won first prize in the 2004 International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People.
This musical of Grimm's fairy tale is magically brought to life through giant 12-foot puppets of Theatre San Fils (Theater without Strings), the renowned, Montreal-based troupe. Humperdinck's children's opera mesmerized its audience with an abundance of special effects and breathtaking costumes, as well as stage sets and lighting worthy of the best Broadway production.
The puppeteers were Marylene Breault, Sonia Gadbois, Jean-Francois Leger, Anne-Marie Panneton, and Stephane Hein. The singers were Noella Huet as Hansel, Ethel Gueret as Gretel, Chantal Lambert as the Mother, the Witch, and Marc Boucher as the Father, the Sandman.
At the end of the show the puppeteers came out and described how they maneuver the puppets. For Hansel and Gretel, a rod in the back of their heads allows the puppeteer to move their mouths; their faces are made of fabric and fiberglass. For Mother Gertrude and Father Peter the rod was in their backs, their faces were also made of fabric and fiberglass, and in order to get them to walk the puppeteer would kick at the bottom of their clothing. The witch's head is a giant helmet; her body is a costume, and her eyes are lights.
Hansel and Gretel was performed by Dance for Power, Sunday, April 17. Dance for Power works with communities to increase cultural equity and to build cross-cultural understanding through arts programming that is inclusive, creative, educational, and affordable.
Hansel and Gretel won first prize in the 2004 International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People.
This musical of Grimm's fairy tale is magically brought to life through giant 12-foot puppets of Theatre San Fils (Theater without Strings), the renowned, Montreal-based troupe. Humperdinck's children's opera mesmerized its audience with an abundance of special effects and breathtaking costumes, as well as stage sets and lighting worthy of the best Broadway production.
The puppeteers were Marylene Breault, Sonia Gadbois, Jean-Francois Leger, Anne-Marie Panneton, and Stephane Hein. The singers were Noella Huet as Hansel, Ethel Gueret as Gretel, Chantal Lambert as the Mother, the Witch, and Marc Boucher as the Father, the Sandman.
At the end of the show the puppeteers came out and described how they maneuver the puppets. For Hansel and Gretel, a rod in the back of their heads allows the puppeteer to move their mouths; their faces are made of fabric and fiberglass. For Mother Gertrude and Father Peter the rod was in their backs, their faces were also made of fabric and fiberglass, and in order to get them to walk the puppeteer would kick at the bottom of their clothing. The witch's head is a giant helmet; her body is a costume, and her eyes are lights.