Alaskan Puppet Troupe Reckoning Motions Visits Brattleboro 10/17, 10/18

Reckoning Motions (from Alaska) The Great Zigurrat at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) 3rd floor at the Cotton Mill in Brattleboro, VT Oct. 17 and 18 at 7:00pm
Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door. Call 802-365-4106 for more information.

Reckoning Motions is a puppet troupe originating out of Haines, Alaska. Their style of puppetry is quite broad and unique at the same time. Marionettes, shadow puppets and refurbished dolls and toys all play a part. Byrne Power, who created Reckoning Motions, wants to break down the formula in many people's heads that states that puppets equal children's entertainment.

"Nothing could be further from the truth", said Power. It was something he learned during a trip to the Czech Republic nine years ago. Puppets could be heroic. He discovered that during the Second World War, Czech puppeteers risked death by making subversive performances to protest their country's occupation by the Nazis. "More than 100 of them were killed," said Power.

In short, puppets have far greater expressive range than the comic performances of popular Muppet style, which, with their faux-fur and googly eyes, have become nearly synonymous with puppetry in the North American public's mind.

Power hopes to change that with a puppetry troupe he's put together, called Reckoning Motions - "motions" being an old, Elizabethan term for puppetry.
The performance has lofty ambitions. It's a romp through the history of western civilization, from the Bible to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and an examination of the human desire to work towards grand projects and the competing urge to tear these unifying projects down.

The story starts with the Tower of Babel and progresses through the middle and modern ages, with appearances by Rapunzel and King Kong, among others, along the way. Marionettes, shadow puppets and cast-away dolls and toys are all incorporated into the show. Most notably, the show features a wooden puppet that was hand-carved by the respected Czech puppet-maker Lenka Pavlickova.
While there's nothing naughty about the performance, Power suggests it's not appropriate for young children. "I'll probably put PG10 on the poster," he said. Puppetry has long lived in the shadow of other forms of theatre, but it has its advantages. "Namely, it's disarming. Audiences tend to look at puppets through children's eyes," said Power.

This year, Power received a Rasmusan Individual Artist grant that has allowed him to fund his tour. The Great Zigurrat, a 90-minute show, will be performed in Brattleboro Oct. 17 and 18 at 7:00pm at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) studio on the 3rd floor at the Cotton Mill. Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door. Call 802-365-4106 for more information.

 

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