Mwindo - The Jim Henson Foundation

Seattle Children's Theatre
F-9
CONTACT
Connie Moffit
201 Thomas Street
Seattle
WA
98109
206.859.4043
commiem@sct.org
sct.org
Project Budget
$439,289
Grant Request
$3,000
501 (c)(3): Seattle Children's Theatre
PAST GRANTS AWARDED
Mwindo
SCT is seeking a Family Grant from the Henson Foundation to support our world premiere of Mwindo, an African
legend which involves many fantastical creatures - creatures who will be realized on stage largely through the magic of
puppetry. Mwindo will feature many puppets, but two puppet characters in particular - the Hawk and Kuti - are especially
vital to the play's important theme of transformation, and will present great challenges and opportunities for both the
craft and the art of puppetry.
VIDEO SAMPLE
Title:
Henson Grant - SCT
Artists: Annet Mateo: Master Puppet Designer, builder and coach for Mwindo
Linda Hartzell: Artistic Director and Director of Mwindo
Description: August 28, 2014
Linda Hartzell, Artistic Director, and Annett Mateo, Puppet Master, introduce SCT, the Mwindo
production and the role and design of the Mwindo puppets.
FAMILY
Seatfle
G:lctrens fl-reafre
201ThomosStreet,seottle,wA 98109
F-9
The Puppetsof Mwindo
production
at
peopleof EastCongo
thatwi haveitsworldprerniere
talefromthe Nyanga
Mwrndoisanancient
in the
on for centLlries
season.Passed
in January
2015duringour40thanniveTsaTy
Theatre(SCT)
Seattle
Children's
playwright
L
West
to
Chery
Afrlcan
American
traditionofora storyteling,SCThasbeenworkingwlthacclaimed
puppets
byAnnett
with
ArtisticDirector,
by LindaHartzel
, SCT's
adaptMlvlrdofor the stage.Theplaywil bedirected
coach.
Designer,
bui
der
and
Master
Puppet
Mateo,SCT'5
production
themesandexciting
resonant
withimportant
M /trdois botha rnorafableanda greatadventure,
people;
andit'sa storyabout
chalenges.lt'sa storyaboutpride,envyandpowerthatspoilthe andandaff ictthe
fi ledwithfantastica
lt
is
also
a
story
and
forglveness.
frorn
compassion
healing
that
cornes
leaclership
and
the
true
realizing
theexciting
cha
lenges,
and
play
in
solvlng
the
script's
a hogre
roLe
Puppetry
wil
andhappenings.
creatures
d r a matiacti
c onof theplav.Mwlndowillfeatu re ma n Y p u p p e t s , wlt h t wo o f t h e p u p p e t c h a ra ci e r s - t h e H a w k a n d
themesof transformation.
viialto the play'simportant
Kuti- beingespeciaLly
withtwo rodpuppets,
for thespiritof the Mother- will be realized
whostands
creature
TheHawk- a symbolic
of the puppetthe beautyanddrarnathestory
willgivethe actions
whosemovement
by a dancer/actor
operated
TheKingisanticipatlng
androbustcreature.
play
the
Hawk,
a
handsome
we
see
the
King
with
begins,
Asthe
demands.
price.
good
Mwindo
isborn- a boywitha
bride
when
whowillbrlnga
a daughter
the bjrthof hisnextchild,expecting
hirnto hatel\4windo
andsetout
andhisfearcauses
child'smindin a man'sbodv- the Kingisangryandthreatened,
Hawk's
jealousy
hunts
Mwindo,
the
greed
him,
and
as
he
pride,
consume
and
overweening
to killhim. TheKing's
on stage
wil be represented
slckly
- a ongwiththe andandits people.Thisdecllne
andshebecomes
heath decllnes,
h ep win
b y c h a n g in g thebodypositionsofihehawk p Ltlp
e t g wild ra p ed o wnf e e b lyt,h eh e a dwi ld ro opi n d e s p a i r .
tfoma
chanBing
with him,righton-stage,
the Hawkpuppeiwil transform
matures
andlearnsforgiveness,
AsNlwindo
a
under new
goldenflyingbird,the symbolof the Motherspirit'sliberation
to a beautiful
sicklycreature
clull,colored
witha
coloron stage,achieved
willchange
actualfeathers
this,the puppet's
leader.To achieve
compassionate
themon eachother.
technique
of superimposing
fiveactorsto
style,requiring
underworld
beast-willbea hugepuppet,backpack
Kuti aterrible,humongous,
andsaveshimisoneofthe story's
the beastandbothconquers
ooerate.Thescenein whichMwlndoconfronts
(e
wil
ta
the
full
siage.Helsso largethathisbodywl L
head
and
arms
Kutiwith histhreatening
highlights.
dramatic
armswith
long(8"-10")artjculated
headandfourimmensely
space,
definedby hisenormous
with negaiive
becreated
grasping
clawsat the ends.Likethe arms,Kuti'sheadwill bearticuatedso it canmove,andhe'l havea arge"fan"
moreimpressive
and
(likea basilisk
Lizard)that
wil popout behindhlmwhenhe'sangry,makinghimevenblgger,
Evenhisfourterribleeveswill blinkl
fearsome.
andsome
someterrifyinS
beings,
andmysterious
creatures:Theworldof Mlvlrdoisfilledwithstrange
Fantastical
play,
puppet
running
ln the
animals
puppets
with
qualities.
wi I setthe sceneof the
Manysmal
ethereal
with mvstical
pers.
A varietvof
or he
hereandtherein Mwindo'spathasobstacLes
appearing
andothercreatures
background
look
inspired
bythe
a
sophisticated
but
a
I
will
have
small
creatures,
puppetry
wil be usedfor the
techniques
d i s tin cti vea r ti sancraftsofA frica,using ma t e ria ls a n d c o lo rs t h a t g lv e t h e f la v o ra n d f e e L o f t h e l a n d ' e a t h e r
pressed
metal,raffja,andwood.
to maIingtheatreand
approach
andcollaborative
theatrewltha respectful
EquitvandIATSE
SCTis a Drofessional
havebeenworl(ng
Linda
and
Annett
so integral
to the telllngof thestory,
newworks.with the puppets
developing
to
developmentscTiscommitted
withthescript's
in concert
the designs
for rnonthsnowto develop
together
p
key
moments
the
ay's
help
develop
workshops
to
of
the
artistsfromtheverybeginnlng
involving
ourcreative
fromthe buid al the waythroughto
considerations
technicaandperformance
holistica
ly,incudingdramatic,
ofthe
the participation
spjrit,andwouldwelcome
in that collaborative
our sponsors
night. we jnclude
opening
your
you
consid_"ration
for
kind
Thank
of Mrvlrdo
for thegreatadventure
Foundation
Henson
1rcatre
SealLe
0ilclrens
Production Budget - Mwindo
Exp9nses
designers)
andArtisticFees(actors,
Salaries
andTraveCosts
Materials
Royalties
(carpenters,
etc )
e ectricians,
Saaries/wagesProduction
(doesnot showBoxOffice/lvlarketing/Admin)
TotalExpenses
549,835
517,006
590,046
S439,289
lnaome
TicketRevenue
& Giftshop
concessions
Eoned lncome Subtotol
MicrosoftSeasonSponsorshrp
Support
ArtswA/otherGovernment
Henson)
incLudes
Support(pending,
Foundation
Boeing(pending)
Support(pending)
OtherCorporate
nd vidualGiving restrlctedfor Mwindo
nd vjdualGrving other
convibutedlntome Subtotol
Totallncome
5196,289
510,000
5206,289
514,000
519,000
540,000
5s0,000
52s,000
525,000
560,000
s233,000
s439,289
Seal*e €r;{arer:s
.Theafre
207 ThamosStreet,Seattle WA 98109
SeattleChildren'sTheatre- Artist Descriptions
Annett Mateo
andcoach
scTPuppetMasterandMwindoPuppelDesigner
Shehasworkedwith
Theater
for the lastsixseasons.
Chilclren's
at Seattle
Annettjsthrilledto be Puppetlvlaster
the
whofounded
Paasch,
puppets
of the lateDouglas
underthe guidance
building
SCTsince2002,originally
to
Festivals
aswe I asbeinghonored
ln National
andRegional
at SCT.Shehasparticipated
deoartment
year'
participate
this
Puppetry
Conference
in the O'NeillNational
by a hightechcareerfor 15yearsasa mainframe
Annetthasbeenanartistall herlifebutwassidetracked
wlthsmaI
andperforming
building
lnclude
designing,
programmer.
Hercreative
endeavors
application
legacy
Youhaveseenherworkat
in between.
andinc!dingeverythinS
to giantsizedfestivalpLlppets
theaterpuppets
t h ea terbig
s an dsmalbothlocallyandacr o s s t h e c o u n t ry a s we la s a t ma n y o f t h e f e s t iv a ls of t h e r e g i o n a n d
Lab,the
of MonkeyWrenchPuppet
y at ibraries
andpuppetslams.Annettisoneofthe co founders
occasional
puppet
builder,
dlrector,
was
also
rnanaging
Puppet
Nite
She
procluce
less
annual
Drunk
the moreor
fo kswho
af Frankenacchia
artistfor MonkeyWrenchPuppetLah'sprcduclian
andgraphlc
for over20yearsandhasbeenanactlvememberof
Fremont
comrnLlnity
of seattle'5
Annettha5beena resident
in
aswe I asparticipatlng
asoneof itscharter boardmembers
for manvyears,Serving
ArtsCouncil
the Fremont
produced
throughout
eachYeaf.These
artscelebrations
thevarietyof comrnunity
to organize
andhelping
Garage
sale,andTrolloween.
Annua
MayDayfestival,
andPageant,
so sticeParade
the Fremont
eventsinclude
BC,the
Festivain Vancouver
suchthe ///L/m/nores
festivals
in othercommunity
Shehasalsobeeninvolved
in
Mln
n
e
s
ota
Ma
y
Da
y
f
e
s
t
iv
a
inseattle,andthe He o rt o f t h e B e o s t a n n u a
Festival
U n ive r sitystr eet
book
Beduty,
a selfpublished
Eternol
AncientTechnology;
of lo nterns:
ln 1997.Annettwasco author/illustrator
types.
variety
of
lantern
for a
instruction
andillustrated
containing
a briefhistoryof lanterns
LindaHartzell
SCTArtisticDirectorandMwindoDirector
Programs
slnce1984.She
anditsEducation
of seattlechl dren'sTheatre
Lindahasbeenthe ArtisticDirector
of the Distlngllished
andwasa recipient
of washington,
fromthe universiiy
herBAin Education
received
has
directed
63 playsfor scT,45of
in 1994.Hartzell
Awardfromuw col egeof Artsandsciences
Achievement
TheLion'TheWitchdn!1The
Lindad:recled
to SCTproductions,
ln addition
whichwereworldprernieres.
at
productlor,
Dat
& Ziggy,whichprerl;ered
a
new
toddler
and
developed
Stage
attheSy.acuse
Wardrabe
and
the
Australian
Intiman
Theatre,
af wraihat
shedirecledTheGrapes
Theatre.
PrevioLlsly,
children,s
chicago
af
the
Elves.
of
Afternaan
ve'|'ierc
onthe boardof
shewasformefLy
society.
andchoreographers
on the Boardof stageDirectors
Lindaserves
States
of the LJnited
Group,andservedonthe boardandisa formervicepresident
cornmunications
Theatre
L
in
d
a
ha
c enter for thenternationalA ssociation o f T h e a t re f o rc h ild re n a n d Y o u n g P e o p e (T Y A / U 5sAb)e. e n
the children's
andhasreceived
Theatre,
of the co legeof Felowsof theAmerican
invested
asa membeT
Distinguished
honored
with
the
has
been
Award.
she
coreyMedallion
of Amerlca,s
TheatreFoundation
in theArts
Achievement
outstanding
withartsFund's
Awardof llw,s col egeof Artsandsciences,
Achievement
AwardfromTheatrePugetsound
Achievement
Falls
Sustalned
ArtsAwardandthe Gregory
award.the Mavor,s
3ea'ffle &ilarens
-lireatre
201Thomasstreet,Seottle,WA 98109
SeattleChildren'sTheatre- CompanyDescription
of al ages
the mission
"to providechlldren
hassetued
s Theatre(SCT)
For40years,SeattleChildren
Since1975,SCThas
theatre,with a focuson newworks,andtheatreedLlcation."
to professional
access
of
the
mostrespected
performing
Park
Zoo
into
one
at the Woodand
grownfroma smaI organization
sCT
on the campus
ofSeatte Center,
in Arnerica.
Located
professional
for chidrenandfamilies
theatres
wel
as
an
Alvord
Theatre,
as
the
275-seat
Eve
programs
Martin
Theatre
and
the482 seatCharlotte
programs,
applo{imately
annualy serving
Educatlon
Outreach
andnumerous
DramaSchool
extensive
farniiesandteachers.
children,
130,000
playwrights
acclaimed
quaitytheatrefor ouryounBaudiences,
SCTcommissions
Tocreatethe highest
Equityactorsand
andtheworldto createnewworks Byemploying
States
fromthroughout
the LJnited
opportunity
to understand
andmaximize
the
experience
we ensurea professional
craftspeople,
ATSE
andcritical
thoughl Bytheendof our2014-15
independent
theatrewhilestimuatingimaginative,
productions
plays
produced
including
115wold premiere
240
morethan
SCTwil have
season,
years,
andaddingto the
overthe
morethanfivemillionchlldren
entertaining
andeducating
inspiring,
wor dwide
repertoire
of playsfor youngaudiences
for
productions
in a rangeof styesandsuitable
fivemainstage
ln 201415,SCTwill be presentlng
works
of
of
classic
productions
fresh
lnterpretations
groups.
will
offer
several
These
different
age
glant
rnonstef,
puppeidesigns
including
a
literature,
somelivelysonganddance,andamazing
children's
magical
catanda cowthatjumpsoverthe moon
on stage,a veryspecial
a hawkthattransforms
25- November
9, 2014
/ovl (ages5+):September
TheGodenof RikkiTikkl
2014- WorldPremiere
(all
December
21,
November
13
ages)l
ond
Hls
Cof
DickWhittinqton
Premiere
22- February
15,2015 World
9+):January
MwindalaEes
Moonlages3+): March5-April 19,2015
Gaodniqht
RabinHood(ages8+)t Apri 16 May17,2015
principal
thatwe havethefinancial
chalengeisensuring
SCT's
at the heartof our mission,
With"access"
for:ll chldrenand
accessibie
and
andkeepthemaffordable
resources
to offerandgrowour programs
n theatre
whohavefewerandfeweroptionsto participate
chlldren
disadvantaged
famiies,including
(SCAP),
to
our
tickets
Program
subsidized
Access
ourSchool
Children
Through
andartseducation.
for
withfreetickets teachers
classrooms,
playsaremadeavaiableto allwesternWashington
mainstage
resources
to supportc assr0om
educational
companion
SCTalsocreates
Students,
andlow'income
the
public
complement
provided
These
resources
and
the
freeon lineto teachers
whichare
curriculLrm,
(such
as
givinga behindthe scenes
Look
at stagecraft
productions,
themes,
e ucldating
mainstage
part;cipatlon
we are
Additionally,
chi
dren's
io
engage
puppetry)
providing
and
activities
exercises
and
program
which
outreach
our Education
by expandinB
workingto meetthe growingneedfof access
andteachers
to servestudents
ourcapacity
y
by
increasing
into
the
schools
dlrect
arts
education
brings
in low incomeschooldistricts.
youngaudiences,
SCTisgratefuto the
theatreto our region's
Aswe lookbackon 40 yearsof bringing
ly,to our loyal
especia
staff
and,
funders,
trustees,
- to the artists,
manypeoplewho madeit all possibie
Thankstoalll
whoturnout againandagainto seeour productions
audiences,
P uppet s of
lrwlNDo
By Annett Mateo
eattleChildren'sTheatre
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