Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre

Czechoslovak-American 
Marionette Theatre

"The Historye of Queen Esther, of King Ahasverus & of the Haughty Haman"

WHERE AND WHEN:
February 21 – March 7, 2009
The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, West Side Y, 10 W. 64th St., Manhattan
Presented by GOH Productions
SCHEDULE: 
Feb 21-22, Feb. 26-March 1, March 3-7. 
Tue – Sat evenings at 7:30; matinees Sat and Sun at 2:00 pm.
TICKETS: $19 general admission; $12 seniors and kids under 12. 
Box office: www.theatermania.com. Telephone orders 866-811-4111.
Running time: 1 hr. 10 minutes; no intermission.

Ron Jones as Mordechai, Deborah Beshaw as Esther, Vit Horejs as Haman, with puppets by Jakub "Kuba" Krejci and Vaclav Krcal.

Deborah Beshaw and Esther puppet by Jakub "Kuba" Krejci.

Ron Jones as Mordechai with Mordechai puppet by Jakub "Kuba" Krejci.

Director Vit Horejs as Haman, with Haman puppet by Vaclav Krcal.

Haman puppet by Vaclav Krcal.

Theresa Linnihan and Kasparek puppet, made by Emily Wilson and Michelle Beshaw.

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN SLAFF

Just in time for the Purim season, Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre will perform its "The Historye of Queen Esther, of King Ahasverus & of the Haughty Haman." The production features modernist marionettes and those from the Czech Puppetry repertoire and is recommended for family audiences.

This production is based on the traditional script of itinerant Czech puppeteers. In 18th century Europe, "Queen Esther" was among the top "hits" of the Czech marionette repertoire.

In this production, downtown meets folk tradition. High and low, live performers and puppets of disparate sizes are blended for a startling comical and touching effect.

There are marionettes designed and constructed by Prague master carver Jakub Krejci, two marionettes composed from household and carpentry tools by Michelle Beshaw and Emily Wilson, and giant paper mache puppets made by CAMT's Associate Director Theresa Linnihan.

The actor/puppeteers are Deborah Beshaw, Vít Horejs, Ron Jones, Sarah Lafferty, Theresa Linnihan and Ronny Wasserstrom. Set and Costumes are by Theresa Linnihan. Puppets are by Jakub "Kuba" Krejcí, Václav Krcál (Haman), Michelle Beshaw and Emily Wilson (Kaspárek & Kalupinka).

This production is made possible in part with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York City Councilmember Rosie Mendez, District 2 Manhattan, Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and with support from Materials for the Arts (A Program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs/NYC Department of Sanitation, 7 Loaves, Inc. and private contributors.

ABOUT THE MARJORIE S. DEANE LITTLE THEATER
The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA hosts affordable performances for all age groups, with an emphasis on inspiring youth and families to learn about and appreciate the theatrical arts. Having recently undergone $2-million in renovations, the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater boasts new raked seating with handicap accessibility and more.

Excerpts of Our Reviews

"The Very Sad Story of Ethel & Julius, Lovers and Spyes and about Their Untymelie End while Sitting in a Small Room at the Correctional Facility in Ossining, N.Y."
"Vit Horejs has written and directed a first-rate, thoroughly original production and made it look effortless. The cast gives charged, cohesive performances, and the staging is expert".
–Anita Gates, New York Times.

"The Golem"
"In a production which was as much dance performance as marionette theatre, the interaction between puppeteers and puppet was fascinating…The Golem was staged with sensitivity, dedication and tremendous energy."
—Arthur Horowitz, Theatre Journal

"Golem is a wonderful blend of puppetry, dance, and music…Direc
tor Vit Horejs put together an extraordinary team to realize his conception…Golem is a joyful celebration of Jewish culture and resilience."
—The Journal, Pasadena, California

SEE OUR "HAMLET" ON A CAROUSEL:
Video by Federico Restrepo
Video by Katalina Guttierez

www.czechmarionettes.org

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