Chicago Puppet Fest presents:
Written and performed by Ty Defoe
Young Nawbin leaves home and sets out on a rite of passage. They journey along the water to discover their truth and find a way back to reconnect to themselves and ancestral knowledge. Along the way they discover unexpected friends, weather storms, and gain a canoe! Through the use of puppetry, traditional Anishinaabe lifeways, and multimedia design, Skeleton Canoe makes known what is just below the water’s surface.
Dates/Times:
Thursday, January 23 at 6 pm
Preceded by a FREE birch bark workshop at 4pm
Friday, January 24 at 6 pm
Preceded by a FREE birch bark workshop at 4pm
Saturday, January 25 at 2 pm
Preceded by a FREE birch bark workshop at 12pm
Sunday, January 26 at 4 pm
Preceded by a FREE birch bark workshop at 2pm
Location: The Biograph’s Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Cost: $33/$25 students & seniors
Ages: All Ages
Running Time: 50 mins
ADA Accessible? Yes
All My Relations is a collective dedicated to storytelling that honors the interconnectedness of all life. Their performances draw on social justice, Indigenous culture, and environmental themes to create thought-provoking and respectful art. At the festival, Skeleton Canoe reflects this commitment, weaving a narrative that resonates with cultural depth and empathy.
The Richard Christiansen Theater, housed within the historic Biograph Theater, is a cherished part of Chicago’s vibrant theater landscape. It was originally built in 1914 as a movie house, specifically for showing motion pictures. This venue provides an intimate yet comfortable environment for both audience and performers, making it the perfect backdrop for the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Also housed in the Biograph, the Začek McVay Theater honors the legacy of Dennis Začekand Marcelle McVay, two pivotal figures in Chicago theater. Dennis Začek served as the artistic director of Victory Gardens Theater for over 30 years, and under his leadership, the theater became a nationally recognized hub for new and diverse works. Together, these theaters create a rich environment for artistic exploration, making them perfect venues for the festival’s most engaging and cutting-edge puppet performances. Festival-goers will have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in up-close and personal experiences of the most innovative puppet shows.
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The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival advances the art of puppetry by presenting sophisticated programs vital to the cultural life of Chicago. Engaging and inspiring the largest and most diverse audiences for puppetry possible, the Festival is the biggest event dedicated to puppetry in North America and traditionally offers more than 100 activities annually including performances, workshops, artist instensives, free neighborhood events and symposia to audiences up to 14,000 over 11 days each January. The organization is also home to other key initiatives, including the Chicago Puppet Studio and Chicago Puppet Lab, that nurture the development of puppeteers and deepen the field locally, nationally and internationally with the ultimate goal of promoting peace, equality, mutual understanding, and justice locally and globally.
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