Jim Henson News

Spybird Theater's 'Eye of the Storm' returns to Sandglass Theater tonight, July 12 and Saturday July 13 at 7:30pm. After their first staging completely selling out at last fall's 'Puppets in the Green Mountains' festival, Jana Zeller and Zak Grace are bringing their darkly comic puppet show back to Sandglass, revamped and revised.

The Castle Craig Players will present AVENUE Q, the smash-hit Broadway musical about real life in New York City, as told by a cast of people and puppets through a hilariously irreverent, Tony-winning book and score, for six performances only - July 26-August 4!

HERE has announced its 2013-2014 producing season, launching in Fall 2013 with a premiere Artistic Director production, Trade Practices, by Kristin Marting & David Evans Morris; followed by three productions from artists in the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP): BOTCH by Joe Diebes; The Pigeoning by Robin Frohardt; and Keep Your Electric Eye On Me by Shaun Irons & Lauren Petty. HERE's upcoming season also includes the second annual PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre Now festival in January; HERE's yearly CULTUREMART festival which gives audiences a first look at new work in process from HERE Resident Artists; and a presentation from the Dream Music Puppetry Program, to be announced.

Spybird Theater's "Eye of the Storm" returns to Sandglass Theater on Friday July 12 and Saturday July 13 at 7:30pm. After their first staging completely selling out at last fall's 'Puppets in the Green Mountains' festival, Jana Zeller and Zak Grace are bringing their darkly comic puppet show back to Sandglass, revamped and revised.

Lincoln Center Festival, which runs from today, July 6 through 28, 2013 will unfold in six venues on and off the Lincoln Center campus. Music figures prominently in the 2013 Festival with international productions by an eclectic range of renowned composers, singers, musicians and directors. In addition to performances, a panel discussion on Lera Auerbach's opera, The Blind, is scheduled. A chronological listing follows.

The Garden Theatre is pleased to announce Heather Henson's IBEX Puppetry Presents: Sing Along with The Muppet Movie will take place at the Garden Theatre on Saturday, July 27, 2013 at 3pm and 7pm.

Pack your pajamas and prepare for a chance to win a fun, family train trip courtesy of Amtrak and The Jim Henson Company, a leader in family entertainment for over 50 years, as part of the "PAJANIMALS Pack Your Pajamas Sweepstakes." The new promotion and the Company's ongoing partnership with Amtrak were announced today by Melissa Segal, Executive Vice President of Global Consumer Products for The Jim Henson Company.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today a weeklong series focusing on David Bowie, the actor. 2013 has seen the re-emergence of the always fascinating musician, performer and artist with the release of a new album (“The Next Day”) and a sold-out museum exhibition in London (David Bowie Is). In honor of his genius for shape shifting, the Film Society will present Watch That Man: David Bowie, Movie Star (August 2-8), a retrospective of what is arguably his finest work on the big screen—plus two special rarities from the BBC archives, one of which has never been seen in the U.S.

Glass Half Full Theatre and Trouble Puppet Theater Company present The Austin Puppet Incident (the fourth!): an evening of short puppet works from a variety of local and national puppet artists, tonight, June 28 & the 29, 8 pm & 10 pm.

The New York Philharmonic will present A Dancer's Dream: Two Works by Stravinsky, a multidisciplinary, theatrical reimagining of the ballets The Fairy's Kiss and Petrushka, created by Giants Are Small. Sara Mearns, New York City Ballet principal dancer, will star in the production, which will be conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, directed and designed by Doug Fitch, choreographed by Karole Armitage, and produced by Edouard Getaz - tonight, June 27, 2013, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, June 29 at 8:00 p.m.

Immediately following the Great Small Works' Tenth International Toy Theater Festival in Brooklyn, New York, Great Small Works and friends will present an evening of paper theater shows at the West End Studio Theater, hosted by Pontine Theater. The program includes performances by Facto Teatro from Mexico City, Barbara Steinitz and Bjorn Kollin from Berlin, and Great Small Works from New York City.

Single tickets are now on sale to the general public for performances taking place during Puppet Festival (r)Evolution, the 2013 National Festival of the Puppeteers of America, August 5 - 10 at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA. The six-day festival showcases hundreds of award-winning puppeteers presenting original works for diverse audiences. The Festival is an opportunity for area audiences to enjoy the best of modern puppetry with artists from across the country. Performances range from delightful family-friendly fare to thought-provoking explorations of the human condition.

NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL (NYMF) and the UNIVERSITY OF GREAT FALLS (UGF) are pleased to announce the New York premiere production of Michael Gilboe's, in collaboration with the students of The University of Great Falls, THE DEAD LEGEND, directed by MICHAEL GILBOE. THE DEAD LEGEND will play three performances only as part NYMF at the PTC Performance Space (555 West 42nd Street). Performances are Friday, July, 12th at 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm and Saturday, July, 13th at 12pm.

For the sixth straight month, 24-hour preschool network Sprout scored the highest ranking in total composition for women 18-49 among all kids' networks.

The Jim Henson Company and Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, are reaching out to fans and fantasy writers to enter The Dark Crystal Author Quest, an online contest that will award one winner with a $10,000 contract to write the first book in a new young adult series based on the world of the classic fantasy film.

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the longest operating performance venue in lower Manhattan, proudly announces the upcoming slate of new and returning plays, musicals, circus acts, and puppetry for all ages, including popular favorites such as Bunnicula, We're Going On a Bear Hunt, Sid the Science Kid, and more!

St. Ann's Warehouse will present a colossal celebration of tiny art, Great Small Works' Tenth International Toy Theater Festival, today, June 14-23.

Concrete Temple Theatre presents the World Premiere of Geppetto, written and directed by Renee Philippi, performed and designed by Carlo Adinolfi, with original music composed by Lewis Flinn (Lysistrata Jones & The Little Dog Laughed on Broadway) performed live by cellist Jeanette Stenson. Geppetto runs from tonight, June 13 - 30, 2013 in a limited engagement at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City. Previews begin tonight, June 13 for a June 16 opening.

According to Variety, Disney Theatrical Productions is exploring the idea of briging a live stage show featuring the Muppets to Broadway. A showcase was held on May 31 at the New Amsterdam Theatre with direction by Alex Timbers. Over 85 Muppets were used in the experimental project, which was held to determine if it would be possible to accommodate ' puppetry needs with audience sightlines and all the other physical demands of legit theater.'