Move over, Pinocchio, and make way for the experimental troupes assembled in this four-day showcase of puppetry from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Presented by Performing Arts Chicago and the School of the Art Institute, the Chicago International Festival of Puppet Theater runs June 1 through 4 at various venues, as shown in the schedule below. Organized in part by Art Institute teacher Blair Thomas, cofounder of Chicago’s Redmoon Theater, the fest features New York-based Janie Geiser & Co., the Saigon Water Puppet Theatre from Vietnam, and the Horse Puppet Theatre Company from Slovenia as well as Redmoon. (Note that some performances are aimed at family audiences while others are decidedly adult in nature.) Tickets range from $10 to $20 (see individual listings for exact prices); call 773-722-5463 for reservations.
Festival performances are augmented by free lectures and panel discussions as shown below; call the festival for information on these events and on family-oriented puppetry workshops. In addition, a postfestival “Puppetry Institute” led by Blair Thomas, Warsaw-based puppet historian Henryk Jurkowski, and Horse Puppet Theatre director Jan Zakonjsek will take place June 5 through 22; for more information, call 312-899-5176 or 312-899-5227.
THURSDAY, JUNE 1
Janie Geiser & Co.
See Critic’s Choice; this show is for adult viewers. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, performance space (room 012), 280 S. Columbus, 7 PM (the piece is performed every 15 minutes until 9:30 PM). $12.
Master Pedro’s Puppet Show
See description in regular theater listings; this show is aimed at family audiences. Storefront Theater, Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, 66 E. Randolph, 7 PM. $15.
Saigon Water Puppet Theatre
This Vietnamese troupe makes its Chicago debut with a show (deemed suitable for all ages) that distills the nation’s “last century of history and cultural essence,” says a press release. The company employs hand-crafted wood puppets that “perform” in a pool of water to depict life in Vietnam’s fishing and farming villages as well as myth and folklore. Daley Bicentennial Plaza ice rink, 337 E. Randolph, 7:30 PM. $20.
FRIDAY, JUNE 2
Janie Geiser & Co.
See Critic’s Choice; this show is for adult viewers. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, performance space (room 012), 280 S. Columbus, 7 PM (the piece is performed every 15 minutes until 10 PM). $12.
Master Pedro’s Puppet Show
See description in regular theater listings; this show is aimed at family audiences. Storefront Theater, Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, 66 E. Randolph, 7 and 9 PM. $15.
Horse Puppet Theatre
This Slovenian group, whose show is for adult audiences, performs Alfred Jarry’s absurdist touchstone Ubu-roi (here called Ubu Rex), about a vicious would-be dictator who sets out to conquer Poland. Any resemblance to Adolf Hitler is purely coincidental, since the play (written when Jarry was 15 years old) was premiered in 1888 as a marionette show; it’s usually done now by live actors, but this production (in Slovene with English translation available) returns the play to its roots. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, ballroom, 112 S. Michigan, 7 and 9 PM. $12.
Saigon Water Puppet Theatre
See listing for Thursday. Daley Bicentennial Plaza ice rink, 337 E. Randolph, 7:30 PM. $20.
SATURDAY, JUNE 3
The Cultural Functions of the Puppet
Historian Henryk Jurkowski discusses the history of puppetry as an art form in America, Asia, and Europe. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, ballroom, 112 S. Michigan, 11 AM. Free.
Janie Geiser & Co.
See Critic’s Choice; this show is for adult viewers. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, performance space (room 012), 280 S. Columbus, noon (the piece is performed every 15 minutes until 2:45 PM) and 7 PM (the piece is performed every 15 minutes until 10 PM). $12.
Master Pedro’s Puppet Show
See description in regular theater listings; this show is aimed at family audiences. Storefront Theater, Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, 66 E. Randolph, 2 and 4 PM. $15.
Hunchback
See description in regular theater listings; this show is recommended for audiences aged ten and up. Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, 3 and 7:30 PM. $22.
Saigon Water Puppet Theatre
See listing for Thursday. Daley Bicentennial Plaza ice rink, 337 E. Randolph, 4 and 7:30 PM. $20.
Horse Puppet Theatre
See listing for Friday. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, ballroom, 112 S. Michigan, 7 PM. $12.
Wildcard Puppet Cabaret
This late-night program of short pieces features Chicagoan Frank Maugeri with his miniature version of Fritz Lang’s film M, New Orleans-based traditionalist puppeteer Miss Pussycat, and other artists. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, ballroom, 112 S. Michigan, 10 PM. $10.
SUNDAY, JUNE 4
Janie Geiser & Co.
See Critic’s Choice; this show is for adult viewers. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, performance space (room 012), 280 S. Columbus, noon (the piece is performed every 15 minutes until 2:15 PM) and 7 PM (the piece is performed every 15 minutes until 9:30 PM). $12.
Saigon Water Puppet Theatre
See listing for Thursday. Daley Bicentennial Plaza ice rink, 337 E. Randolph, 2, 4, and 7:30 PM. $20.
Hunchback
See description in regular theater listings; this show is recommended for audiences aged ten and up. Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, 3 PM. $22.
Why Believe the Puppet Is Alive
Jessica Thebus, director of Steppenwolf Theatre’s youth-oriented arts exchange program, moderates a panel discussion by artists from companies featured in the festival. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, ballroom, 112 S. Michigan, 4 PM. Free.
Horse Puppet Theatre
See listing for Friday. School of the Art Institute of Chicago, ballroom, 112 S. Michigan, 7 PM. $12.