Puppets steal the show in Verdun
Festival Marionnettes Plein La Rue features performances for all ages
You don’t have to be a kid to love a puppet show.
Puppetry is an emerging new art form that is becoming increasingly popular among adult audiences — and other artists.
“The art has moved far out of the old cliché of Muppets and kiddie shows. Many artists in other fields are drawn to it because of its creativity and intimacy, and the fact that a puppet show doesn’t cost so much to stage,” says Billy Walsh, an organizer of the Festival Marionnettes Plein La Rue, which takes place in Verdun this weekend.
“A puppet show is small and intimate, with a good mix of whimsy and serious message. But most important: It’s always fun.”
The Festival Marionnettes Plein La Rue will feature performances for all ages in 10 outdoor venues along Promenade Wellington and elsewhere in Verdun, including Parc des Madelinots and the Benelux Brasserie.
In its sixth year, the popular festival hosts 16 groups that will put on 61 short performances on Saturday and Sunday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. — all of them free of charge.
Among them is a mechanical puppet named KluG that interacts with the audience, and puppeteer
Emmanuelle Calvé, who tells the story of a fisherman searching for the woman of his dreams.
There’s a show featuring objects that come to life and another called Taco-Taxi featuring two wild and crazy taxi drivers.
There are shows in French, but also wordless shows that need no verbal explanation. Among these are KluG, Calvé’s Capture de rêve, Corps fauniques, Aux grands airs, Le Ciel Rue, Bazarnaum and Socalled.
The festival also offers a puppetmaking studio, at 1 p.m. on both days, allowing families to make their own puppets. Reservations are required.
At the Marché des marionnettes at the corner of Galt and de l’Église Sts., three puppet artists will share a behind-the-scenes look at their craft.