Byrne Power’s Reckoning Motions Puppet Troupe teams up with Parisian puppeteer Paulette Caron for performances of “The Calliope” March 29-30 at the Chilkat Center.
Power, who wrote the show, describes it as a Faustian tale of free will that deals with weighty issues but also has lighter and farcical moments. It’s appropriate for all ages, he said. “I think it would appeal to many people. It’s serious and funny. Anyone could bring anyone else to it and get something out of it.”
The show’s plot revolves around a stage organist who plays for dancers, managing to manipulate them – for a time.
Caron, a graduate of Theatre Aux Mains Nues puppet school in Paris, will operate most of the dancers. She’s here on a month-long visit. Power met her while working on a film documentary on puppetry in Europe.
Caron said there’s more to operating puppets than meets the eye, including a proper technique for manipulating them. Also, a puppet must be allowed to develop its own personality, she said. A puppet sees reality from its own perspective and part of the puppeteers’ job is to figuring out that personality, Caron said.
Puppetry in France is different than some of the free-form creations Power puts together, she said, including that “we don’t use bones that much.” The head of a main character in the play is a skull.
Three performances are planned in the Chilkat Center basement: 7 p.m. on Friday, March 29 and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 30. Admission is $10 and $5 for children ages 10 and under. For more information, call 766-3647.