August 1-7, the final week of KO FESTIVAL OF PERFORMANCE in Amherst,
Massachusetts, U.S.A. will be devoted to WORLD PUPPET WEEK!

WORKSHOP
August 1-6
SHADOW PUPPETRY: bringing shadows into the light
with Arlyn Award winner WENDY MORTON
This workshop explores dramatic storytelling through shadows and
light projections. Shadow theatre has changed dramatically since the
days before electricity. Advanced technology has given us lighting
that can project sharp shadows on a screen in large scale. The
performer must coordinate three elements: the light, the puppet and
the space from the screen. We will practice traditional shadow
puppetry movement to find subtlety and simplicity in expression. We
will take a look at our own shadows, exploring how good and evil are
viewed in our culture and how those values are reflected in our
stories. To create stories on the screen we will employ modern film
techniques and explore theatrical shadow images through
improvisation. Workshop participants should bring a poem or song
containing shadow imagery. Wendy Morton is a master puppeteer based
in San Francisco whose work has been funded by the Jim Henson
Foundation. She has been a frequent collaborator with Larry Reed's
ShadowLight Productions.

PERFORMANCES
FRIDAY, August 5th at 8 p.m. ONE NIGHT ONLY!
THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE by Bertolt Brecht
Ralph Lee's Mettawee River Company of New York
A visit from our annual favorites with their new abridged version of
Bertolt Brecht's THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE, which was based on a
13th century Chinese play. They both contain echoes of King Solomon's
demonstration of wisdom in devising a test to determine the true
mother of a contested baby. In Brecht's play a peasant girl rescues
an abandoned child of noble parents in a time of upheaval. The girl
protects the child through many serious and comic adventures. When
the noble mother tries to reclaim the child in order to gain an
inheritance, the resulting dispute is brought before an eccentric
judge, who manages to hand down an outrageous but just decision.
There will be a company of six actors playing multiple roles. The
production will incorporate masks, puppetry and costumes, with a live
original musical score composed by Neal Kirkwood. Ralph Lee will
design and direct the production, with costumes by Casey Compton.

An all-ages event, outdoors on the Amherst College Observatory Lawn
off of Snell Street. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and insect
repellant, but leave the pets at home.
Adults $6.00, Children $4.00 No reservations necessary.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, AUGUST 6-7 at 1 p.m. and 3p.m.
at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
BOY IN A BARREL
Devised and directed by Miguel Romero, freely based on Alexander
Pushkin's Russian fairy tale The Tale of Tsar Saltan
A swan with magic powers, a vengeful bumblebee, a golden hero, and a
lady pirate share the puppet stage in Boy in a Barrel, a rollicking
fairy tale for all ages. The story tells of love, betrayal, and
good-natured revenge when the King marries one of two sisters before
going off to war. The Queen's evil sister switches letters and leads
the King to believe that the Queen and their baby son have died. In
fact, the jealous sister has cast a spell that turns her sister into
a swan and spirited the baby boy, destined to be the Kingdom's hero,
into a barrel that is dumped into the sea. Swan and boy end up on an
island where they hilariously turn the tables on the evil sister, who
has determined to marry the King herself.

The production features table-top, rod, and shadow puppets in
colorful Russian costumes and will accompanied by rousing music and
mock Russian sea chanties.

Adults: $7:00 Children $5:00.

THIS PRODUCTION WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A DISPLAY ON PUPPETS AROUND
THE WORLD, INCLUDING MATERIALS FROM EGYPT AND GREECE. IF YOU WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE YOU WORK CONSIDERED FOR INCLUSION, PLEASE CONTACT
SABRINA HAMILTON AT Sabrina kofest dot com

FOR INFORMATION ON OUR OTHER WORKSHOPS ON "BIOGRAPHICAL THEATRE,"
"STORYTELLING," OR "CLOWNING" OR FOR OUR OTHER PRODUCTION LISTINGS
VISIT WWW.KOFEST.COM or call (413) 427-6147.

THE BOX OFFICE FOR ALL PRODUCTIONS OPENS JULY 11. (413) 542-2277