A Fish Tale: A Puppet Lantern Play is a new play by Jamie Skidmore, one of the founding members of the Isle aux Morts Theatre Festival. It was conceived as a story that honours both the 150th anniversary of Canada and the much longer aboriginal history on the island of Newfoundland. It's a time-travelling love story that brings together Ann, a young Isle aux Morts woman from the future, and Blaumu, a young Mi'kmaq man from the past. Together they they travel through the history of the island in search of Ann's father, lost in time. During their journey they encounter important moments and characters from history, including Joey Smallwood, John Crosbie, and the origins of the sea creatures that live off our shores and in our rivers.
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The tale is more of a spectacle than a play, told through an original soundtrack, a soundscape featuring Newfoundland actor Greg Malone as the "Voice of the Computer" and Great Big Sea alumni Darryl Power as the "Voice of Joey Smallwood and John Crosbie." The story is also told through movement and dance, choreographed by well-known Newfoundland dancer and actor, Lynn Panting. One of the unique aspects of the show are the lantern puppets, which create the many creatures found in the play, including Ann Harvey's famous dog, Hairyman, cod and salmon fish, the Despatch (a brig that wrecked off the shore of Burnt Islands), a giant cod "sound bone," the Mi'kmaq God of Creation, Glooscap, and many more.
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The lantern puppets are built by hand out of a great number of materials. Their structure is primarily made out of willow wisps and hockey tape, and their covered with a layer of cheesecloth, followed by a layer of wet-strength tissue paper (a super strong tissue), and normal tissue paper. Some puppets include other materials, including cellophane, plastic wrap, bamboo, masking tape, and a lot of elastics.
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Thanks to the St. John's Lantern Festival, the former Public Dreams of Vancouver, and The Lantern Company (Liverpool, UK) for advice and inspiration.
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This show is meant to be seen after dark, as all of the puppets are illuminated from internal lights, so they shimmer and glow as they tell the story of A Fish Tale: A Puppet Lantern Play .
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Look below to see images from our various workshops in Isle aux Morts, Corner Brook, and St. John's. Come back throughout the summer to see updates and new puppets, as they're being created.
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