The Mettawee River Theatre Company, based in Salem, NY, has announced summer touring dates for its 2015 production, Out Of The Past: Celebrating 40 Years of the Mettawee Journey. A performance will take place July 10 at 8 pm on the Park-McCullough House lawn in North Bennington. Other performances at outdoor venues in upstate New York and nearby Vermont and Massachusetts are scheduled from July 9 through July 21. Visit mettawee.org for the full schedule.
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The production will include scenes and songs from four decades of Mettawee productions. There will be appearances by Aristophanes’ gluttonous dung beetle, as well as Brecht’s forlorn lovers in The Caucasian Chalk Circle. The world will be created on the back of a turtle; the great Irish sea god Mannanon will declaim the tragic tale of Phaedra; and Grandmother Earth will send Nanabozho off to get the world ready for humans, Archy the cockroach and his lowly associates will share memorable moments from their illustrious careers, and two long lost brothers will be reunited in Valentyne And Orson. All these encounters will incorporate an abundance of Mettawee’s signature masks, puppets and giant figures.
According to Mettawee Artistic Director Ralph Lee, “These headstrong characters have been clamoring to be let out of their boxes for another fling in front of their fans, so I finally decided to let them have their way. Here goes! I take no responsibility for their behavior.”
The production’s score is by Neal Kirkwood, who has been composing scores for Mettawee productions since 2001. The music will be performed by the multi-talented Ed RosenBerg on alto and bass saxophone, hammered dulcimer, accordion and any number of rattles, bells and drums. A company of Mettawee veterans has come together for this summer’s retrospective production. The production is directed and designed by Ralph Lee, with costumes by Casey Compton.
Under the Artistic Direction of mask maker, designer and director Ralph Lee, the Mettawee River Theatre Company, founded in 1975, creates original theater productions that incorporate masks, giant figures, puppets and other visual elements with live music, movement and text, drawing on myths, legends and folklore from many cultures around the world. Lee is a legendary creator of powerful spectacles involving masks and puppets. He has won numerous prestigious awards for his work and is currently on the faculty of NY University. [/private]