Viktor’s Quest; A Scandinavian Tale performed next and wowed the crowd with their mermaids’ spot on Jersey accents, epic rapping battles, and energetic swimming fish. For the final scene, the audience watched as the giant sea monster turned out to not be an enemy after all but rather Fluffy, a long lost friend! We learned again how important friendship is. (As well as how fun dropping a beat can be!) The puppets were a hit amongst the kids and parents, talking and moving, as the stage was prepared for the third show.

Next, The Lion and The Unicorn took the stage and rattled the audience with laughter and excitement as perfectly performed scenes took place between the animals yearning for power, each with an original voice and attitude to match! We learned that cheaters never prosper and animals (like the lion!) that follow the rules will be showered with brown bread, plum cake and goodies galore. Before the final play took place, the families got to meet the puppets from The Lion and The Unicorn, and the actors that make each of the puppets come alive behind the curtains.

Finally, last but not least, Wishing On A Star took the stage sans clouds, water or hills and brought the audience on an adventure that included a visit from the magical TALKING Star, and a hyper happy Kitty, Duck and Bunny wishing on the Star before they went to sleep at their fun slumber party. With the addition of props popping up, the Star swirling around and even all three other animals falling asleep at the end of the performance, tuckered out from all that excitement, the group did a really great job working together to keep their performance flowing.

After hanging out with the audience for a little while longer, everyone worked together to break-down the set in record time, load up the van and collect all of the equipment we had used to travel back to CCAD. Once we arrived back on campus, different small groups moved up and down between the van and the Design building so we could safely put away our puppets, set and props. We all worked really hard and our efforts paid off — everyone had a great time performing at Nationwide!

Be sure to check out our newly updated YouTube channel to enjoy video footage of all the plays from Sunday, funny behind-the-scenes clips and all other film shot throughout the weeks of our puppet show project!

http://www.youtube.com/user/CCADpuppetshow2011

-Shayna, Liz & Luke

Jen, Kez, Bryston, Alex, Charlie, Kristen and Raquib all pitched in to get the masonite pieces drilled together and the curtains hung both in the back and the front of the stage. Then, each group started running through their lines, testing their microphones, and putting on their individual puppets.

Slowly but surely, a crowd began to fill the brightly colored seats and excitement grew for everyone as the show began…

-Shayna, Liz & Luke

- Shayna, Liz, & Luke

-Shayna

-Shayna

We practiced in the Canzani auditorium Friday morning, running through both Wishing On A Star and The Lion & The Unicorn in their entirety, twice. The actors were able to perform their lines with the PA system set-up and really amplify their creative voices. We were able to really give the puppets extra personality – practicing entrances, exits and interactions not only with the other puppets but with some audience members as well!

Everyone has been working really hard  to finalize all of the details for Nationwide……
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which is TOMORROW!!! We are very prepared for tomorrow afternoon and are very, very excited.

-Shayna

It has been a busy week for everybody as the countdown to the big performance gets closer and closer. With the final week of rehearsals over, anticipation is building as everyone waits to perform at Nationwide this Sunday!

Tuesday, the groups performed for each other using the completed stage. After watching the performances, Nicole along students not performing at the time offered advice and feedback. Small things like making sure the puppets were held high enough and that the actors spoke loud enough were addressed. After running through the scripts again and again, the actors appeared very confident.

Thursday, Viktor’s Quest; A Scandinavian Tale and Jake the Snake had their dress rehearsal in Canzani. The set was taken down, carried to Canzani, and then reassembled in the lobby very quickly. The groups were able to run through their shows twice, once with an audience of students and faculty and once in front of their classmates. The students and faculty enjoyed the show very much, judging by their laughter and applause. It was very beneficial to have been able to practice with the microphones, despite a few small glitches here and there. The dress rehearsal performances for both Jake the Snake and Viktor’s Quest; A Scandinavian Tale were recorded and uploaded to YouTube so the actors can review them and make any final adjustments.

The weeks have flown by, but it’s almost here.

The performance at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is officially in 2 DAYS!!

Wishing On A Star runs through their script!

The Wishing On A Star group added scenes into the script to lengthen the time of the performance and incorporate even more wittiness and silliness into their acting.

Everyone practiced as a whole, adjusting small details along the way and making fun jokes as they went. The group prepped the wishes that will be designed, drawn and mounted onto foam core and dowel rods. The actors added even more humor and gave all of the puppets even more personality!

-Shayna

Nine more days until Nationwide!