Community Street Theatre Experience in NYM
13th Annual Kalevala Puppet Pageant
The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center announces its 13th annual Kalevala Puppet Pageant, a large-scale community street theater experience taking place in New York Mills this month. All are invited to the TWO culminating performances on Friday August 19 at 7pm at the NYM VFW during the NYM C&C Corn Feed and on Saturday August 20 at 12pm at Finn Creek Open Air Museum during the Finn Creek Summer Festival.
Each year, an original play is created based on characters and tales from the Kalevala, the Finnish book of legends. This narrated play is brought to life by local community members through larger-than-life puppet costumes, stilt-walking, songs and music by award-winning duo Curtis & Loretta of Minneapolis. This year’s performance will tell the story of “The Wise Little Bird,” and attendees will see familiar characters from years past, including Vainamoinen, the Dame of Pohjola, and Ukko the Thunder God along with his wife Rauni.
Community members of all ages create the puppets, costumes and scenery, and learn to walk on stilts throughout two weeks of workshops leading up to the August 19 & 20 performances. Workshops begin August 8 and continue for two weeks with participants gathering daily. All are welcome, with older youth and adults needed to help with the larger puppets.
Acting, costume design, performance skills, and stilt walking are taught by Anne Sawyer, Creative Director and Puppeteer from Minneapolis, who has worked with In the Heart of the Beast, Artstart, Chicks on Sticks, and Lifeworks, along with Assistant Director Lisa Winter of Wadena, who is a long-time puppeteer and stilt-walker, and has been involved in the Puppet Pageant all 13 years.
Community members can also get involved by attending evening workshops open to all on August 8, 10, 15 & 16, all from 6-8pm at The Barn / NYM Sculpture Park to help build puppets and props. All are invited to come be part of the fun! Families are welcome, though we ask that children be accompanied by adults.
Audience members have two opportunities to see this large-scale outdoor theater performance: first in New York Mills (following the NYM Civic & Commerce Corn Feed) at the NYM VFW Post 3289 on Friday, August 19 at 7:00 p.m., and second at Finn Creek Museum (during Finn Creek Summer Festival) on Saturday, August 21 at 12:00 p.m. Both performances are family friendly and open to all, and a freewill donation will be collected following both performances. The Corn Feed is free to attend. The Finn Creek Festival has a gate donation of $5/adult with children free.
The Cultural Center would like to thank the many supporters of the Puppet Pageant, with special thanks to Arts Midwest for the grant support, and local main event sponsor, the New York Mills Civic & Commerce Association.
Call the Cultural Center at 218-385-3339 with questions, to volunteer, or to donate. All contributions are appreciated and necessary to bring this vibrant community project to life!
About the Cultural Center:
The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. The Center offers visitors intimate opportunities to encounter art and artists in its 80-seat concert listening room, visual art gallery in a historic building, gift shop featuring local artists, artist residency program, sculpture park, and a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Since its incorporation in 1990, the Cultural Center has been passionate about connecting people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world. For more information, call 218-385-3339, or visit www.kulcher.org.
