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BIO:
We are a magnet for physical theatre artists
and offer
multiple training, creating and performing opportunities. We have
also been a building ground for artists and have fostered the
development
of other puppetry troupes and performers, including The Old Trout
Puppet Workshop, the Calgary Animated Objects Society, and several
Cirque
du Soliel performers. In addition we develop strong relationships
with other
sectors, including the Calgary Zoo and International Crane Foundation,
the Glenbow Museum, and the Alberta College of Art & Design to
research, produce or present our work in traditional or non-traditional
theatre
venues. With an eye on the past and hands on tradition, Green Fools Theatre
also strives to advance our work and our art form by inventing
and engineering
new puppetry styles and ways of storytelling as well as innovative
artistic processes merging content and form to create new world
mythology. We
utilize a variety of physical theatre, puppet and mask techniques
as well as multiple artistic disciplines to tell our original
stories,
producing puppet shows and physical theatre productions that are
literally out
of the box. Styles meet the needs of the story; puppets share the
stage with actors and masked characters. In a single production
we may we
also challenge the boundaries of scale from a finger puppet to
a giant stilt
character. Often, our work explores non- text based storytelling.
In our performances we include music and on occasion dance, performance
art, video, and animation. Our work is contemporary, handcrafted,
original,
and collaboratively created. HISTORY: 1995: Dean and Christine are joined by Judd Palmer, Steve Kenderes and David Lane who go on to become Old Trout Puppet Workshop when they leave the Green Fools in 1998. We create and produce The Death of Benvenuto Cellini, The Ice King and Cabin Fever. Shannon Anderson and then Patricia Duquette are Green Fools administrators. 1998: Mooky joins the Fools to collaborate on the B&E Circus until she’s swept away by Cirque du Soleil in 2001. Theatre artist Jennie Esdale joins the company as a core member of the artistic and management team. 1999: We create The Seven Deadly Sins and host a series of professional development classes includngi Bouffon, Le Jeu and the The Fool. We begin development of the B&E Circus. 2000: We produce the B&E Circus and tour Alberta. Jack McClymont becomes General Manager. 2001: Green Fools Theatre begin to refine their artistic process and pay artists by equity standards. We create The Blackbird Puppet Project, which flew to venues and festivals in Canada, the U.S. and Brazil. 2002: We begin creation of Project: Whooping Crane. 2003: Jennie Esdale becomes Co-Artistic Director. Isabel Lehmann becomes General Manager. We produce Project: Whooping Crane, a life-size puppet show inspired by the endangered species. The show continues to tour. 2004: Co-Founder
Christine Cook resigns from the company to spearhead Calgary Animated
Objects Society and has since been producing Calgary's own Festival
of Animated Objects. 2005: We partner with the Glenbow Museum to create and present the first Canadian production inspired by Vietnamese Water Puppetry: Dancing On Water. 2006: Judith Mendelsohn
and Stacy Clark join the team as Administrator and Marketing Director
respectively. The Fools move again to 2404 Erlton
Road S.W. Bill Beauregarde become house Technician. 2007: Dean and Stacy travel to Lesotho, Africa to teach circus camp. We begin creation of Rapture Study in Seven Songs. 2008: Judith Mendelsohn heads to Paris to study with Lecoq. And Stacy Clark heads to Montreal to work for Cirque du Soleil. Leslie Sawchenko becomes Administrator and Jamie Tognazzini comes on board as Fool Apprentice. We poduce Rapture Study in Seven Songs. We begin creation of Isis: A Shadow Opera. We partner with the Alberta College of Art and Design to produce the Halloween Howl. 2009: Nathalie Novak takes over as Administrator. Sam Nicholls becomes house coordinator. We produce Isis: A Shadow Opera. We partner with the Uptown Cinema to produce the Halloween Howl. 2010: Johanne Deleeuw joins our team as Marketing Coordinator. We begin creation of Stream of Sand. We partner with the Uptown Cinema to produce the Howl again.
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