Puppet Crimes is an original hand puppet show by Jana Zeller and her Spybird Theater, with musical accompaniment by Peter Siegel. The raucously hilarious satire is about what it takes for a common puppet to survive for 400 years in the face of war, tyranny, and economic oppression. 

This is an action-packed hour-long show for teens and adults, with snappy rhyme and absurdity, inspired by German, British, and Italian hand puppet traditions. The multi-genre musical accompaniment is arranged, composed, and performed by Peter Siegel. Created with generous support from the Jim Henson Foundation.

Traditional German hand puppet heroes Kasper and Gretel struggle to survive in an old shack on the margins of society. As the centuries pass through their little puppet booth, war is always raging and Kasper tries to avoid getting blamed, arrested, and drafted, yet at every turn, this petty puppet is made the scapegoat for larger crimes. In a grotesque world of gun-runners, outhouses, and a declining monarchy, Kasper (with the humor and wit of the common man) ducks out from under authority and manages to survive another 200 years. The third character in this spectacle is the villain Dietmar, a corrupt emissary to the king who deals in weapons and bullies Kasper with his gun-wielding authority. Each scene poses a grotesque circumstance with a comic twist that explores the tradition of Kasper’s character and its timeless relevance to today’s world.

Jana is a second-generation puppeteer whose passion for the hand puppet has driven her to research this 400-year-old European tradition extensively. She conducted several interviews with Peter Schumann of Bread and Puppet, who witnessed the old fairground performances in his childhood in Germany and personally knew some of Germany’s most renowned hand puppeteers. Eric Bass of Sandglass Theater was co-writer and director of this show, and Ines Zeller Bass made all the costumes. Anna Patton wrote the music.

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Friday, March 4 |Doors open at 7:00 PM

Show begins at  7:30 PM; 60-minutes, no intermission

Tickets are available for $15 in advance, $18 at the door, and $22 for preferred seating (sliding scale available)

Purchase any ticket and gain admission to the Puppetry Workshop with Spybird Theater for $15 instead of $25!

Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

ARTIST BIOS

JANA ZELLER

Jana grew up in a family of international puppeteers and started working as a designer, builder, and painter for the theater in her teens. She got her hands into oil painting when she was 16 and discovered a passion that has lasted to this day. She worked for years painting her own large-scale oil paintings that most often depicted theatrical scenes. As a set painter and designer she has worked for the theater, opera, TV, and the movies, and has designed and built a wide range of puppets.

20 years ago she founded her own puppet company Spybird Theater and has since created and performed three full-length puppet shows for adults and many short-form pieces, collaborating with dancers, circus artists, and musicians. Her work has been presented in the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and India. For the past five years, she has been touring with her sister, presenting a cherished children’s puppet show that the two sisters inherited from their mother. She lives with her family and parrot in Brattleboro, Vermont.

PETER SIEGEL

Founder of the world beat band The Gaslight Tinkers, Peter Siegel contributes a radical chord to American Roots music. Influenced by the songwriting of Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs, Dixieland, old-time fiddle tunes, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Peter’s music defies categorization.

Peter recorded with Pete Seeger on the Grammy award-winning album "Tomorrow's Children". His works are published in Sing Out! magazine and the fiddle tune compilation, The Portland Collection. As an educator, Peter has been writing songs and theatrical productions with children for the last 20 years and has been a contributing writer to The George Lucas Foundation site Edutopia on social curriculum and music educational practices. His Symonds School CD Peace Place won a Parents Choice Award in 2012.

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SLIDING SCALE POLICY

No one will be turned away for lack of funds; contact MSA at 207-879-4629 or info@mayostreetarts.org for information on our sliding scale admission policy.

COVID-19 POLICY

All patrons and staff attending events will need to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 (or negative test from within 48 hours) along with a matching photo ID. Children under 12 are exempt.

Audience members, staff, and volunteers will be asked to mask while not actively eating, or drinking.

Mayo Street Arts is committed to the safety of everyone at our events and will adhere to all Federal & Maine CDC guidelines on the day of the event. As we anticipate mid-season changes to our COVID-19 policy, please click here to visit our website and view the most current information.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Mayo Street Arts has a no refund policy for all reservations. In the event that MSA is forced to cancel an event due to weather, illness, etc., refunds will be offered via the Ticket Tailor platform.