Flexitoon, in association with Aaron Grant Theatrical, will present a free livestream of A Quarantoon on Wednesday, June 3rd at 12:30 PM (EST) to benefit the MusiCares® COVID-19 Relief Fund.
When contacted by
Aaron Grant Theatrical to "create streaming content for this period of uncertainty," Craig & Olga - even though there are just the two of them at home - happened to have a dozen or so friends on hand (and on strings) to put together this special Quarantoon. While actual travel is contraindicated, we can all take a trip on the astral plane and head over to 420 Main Street! This special presentation will stream free on the
Aaron Grant Theatrical website (
www.theatrical.ag/agt-presents).
The Recording Academy® and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares® have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help their peers in the music community affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. While the Recording Academy is best known for music's biggest night-the Grammy Awards - they serve the music community year round by providing emergency aid through MusiCares and advocacy work to protect musicians' rights. If this puppet video tickles your fancy, please consider making a donation to MusiCares. Donations can be made during and after the broadcast at
https://www.grammy.com/musicares.
Craig Marin &
Olga Felgemacher, creators of Flexitoon, are well known for their puppets and puppetry on such popular television programs as "Pinwheel" (Nickelodeon), "Shining Time Station" (PBS) and "The DJ Kat Show "(FOX), as well as the Top Three Super Bowl commercial "The Talking Stain" (for Tide). They've toured the world with their live-on-stage puppet theatre productions and were recently featured Off-Broadway in
Hans Christian Andersen: Tales Real & Imagined. Blending puppets & marionettes of many different sizes and shapes along with actors, the New York Times said "fantastic puppetry."
Puppet artists Craig Marin &
Olga Felgemacher met in 1979 and founded Flexitoon, one of the world's most celebrated puppet production companies. They design, build and perform puppets, marionettes and animated objects, as well as create award-winning programming for television, film, internet and theater. Their creations starred on Nickelodeon's first series, the award-winning "Pinwheel" (prompting Time Magazine to call their Pinwheel Puppets "the best"); They turned the Weekly Reader characters into dimensional stars with "KIDS-TV" on Showtime, and starred as "DJ KAT" on FOX (which won the Outstanding Kid Show Award from New York State Broadcasters). Craig & Olga developed and performed the popular Juke Box Band on the multi-award winning PBS television series "Shining Time Station" starring George Carlin and
Ringo Starr. Flexitoon was awarded the first National Endowment for Children's Educational Television Grant and created and produced "Goin' Up" for Thirteen/WNET; won the 1996 UNIMA Award for Outstanding Broadcast Puppetry, and has received Official Selection Laurels in several international film festivals including LA SHORTS and KIDS FIRST. Their many commercials include the Talking Stain for Tide which was voted one of the top Super Bowl commercials of all time. Flexitoon created and performed the site specific "Dark Part" at the Bronx Zoo for five consecutive weekends, performing for over 120,000 people, prompting the World Wildlife Society to dub them "the buzz of the Bronx." The Flexitoon Puppets have had solo displays called "Art That Movies" at the Greenwich Art Society; part of a group show at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and at USC. Flexitoon is in development with a major music group to create a live-action multimedia spectacular.
Prior to teaming,
Olga Felgemacher, a graduate of Northwestern, was lead performer at the famous
Bil Baird Marionette Theater in NYC. She was personally signed by
Jim Henson to perform with his Muppets on both "
Sesame Street" and the first Muppet Movie.
Craig Marin has dedicated his life to the puppet arts and as a child performed on all the local NYC kid shows. While in High School, Marin formed the Marko Puppet Theatre and toured colleges throughout the United States with a highly original concept that was just right for the times-a psychedelic puppet show. The show garnered such an underground reputation, that Marko was asked to perform for the Grateful Dead at
Jerry Garcia's birthday party (!).
Comments
To post a comment, you must
register and
login.
