PUTNEY-During August, Sandglass Theater will present The Legacy Series, an opportunity for their hometown audience to experience Sandglass Theater's currently touring original productions.
Founded in 1982 and based in Putney, Sandglass Theater is an internationally recognized company specializing in combining puppetry with music, ensemble theater, and visual imagery.
From Europe to Latin America, Sandglass productions have reached audiences around the world, but its work remains rooted in Putney and its accessible, 60-seat theater on Kimball Hill.
Sandglass will present a full lineup of family and adult shows, showcasing the depth of their generational artistry, from the works of founders Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass, to the creations of the next generation.
This summer series, running from Aug. 2 through Aug. 30, "is both a celebration and an invitation," wrote organizers in a news release, "a living legacy of puppetry unfolding in our own backyard."
Each performance includes a post-show community puppetry "taster," offering insight into the Sandglass approach to creating Puppet Theater - "where puppets are vessels of memory, metaphor, and meaning."
"As a touring company, we spend much of the year performing across the country and abroad," co-Artistic Director Shoshana Bass said in the news release. "The Legacy Series is a response to heartfelt requests from our local community to bring these works home."
From children's tales to performances for adults, organizers say this series reflects Sandglass's "enduring values: excellence in puppetry and theater, deep roots in the Vermont arts community, and a passionate commitment to storytelling across generations."
The schedule includes:
• Saturday, Aug. 2 - "Isidor's Cheek," 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. A miniature puppet musical adventure for children performed by Jana Zeller and conceived by Ines Zeller Bass.
• Thursday and Friday, Aug. 7 and 8 - "Puppet Crimes," 7 p.m. A dark comedic tribute to 400 years of anti-authoritarian puppet tradition. Performed by Jana Zeller and directed by Eric Bass.
• Saturday, Aug. 9 - "Oma," 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. A joyous intergenerational tale told through yarn and laughter. Performed by Jana Zeller and Shoshana Bass and directed by Ines Zeller Bass.
• Thursday and Friday, Aug. 14 and 15 - "When I Put On Your Glove," 7 p.m. A poetic journey of legacy, memory, and father-daughter dialogue. Created and performed by Shoshana Bass and directed by Gerard Stropnicky.
• Friday and Saturday, Aug. 29 and 30 - "Feral," 7 p.m., at New England Youth Theatre, Brattleboro. An allegorical exploration of the wild feminine and ancestral memory. Created by Shoshana Bass and Ensemble.
Ticket prices for the children's shows ("Isidor's Cheek," "Oma") are $8 EBT/Medicaid, $10 students and seniors, and $12 general admission. The adult shows ("Puppet Crimes," "When I Put On Your Glove," "Feral") are $18 EBT/Medicaid, $20 students and seniors, and $22 general admission.
Tickets and more details available at sandglasstheater.org.
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