News & Events as told by Bonnie Sue Stein

AUDIENCE The New Yorker, review by Vinsome Cunningham

Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, general, News & Events

The New Yorker

September 26, 2022 Issue

Old Stories, Retold, Reveal New Truths

By Vinson Cunningham

Recently, I saw the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre’s short-lived but wonderful production of “Audience,” by the great Czech writer and statesman Václav Havel, at the Bohemian National Hall, on the Upper East Side. The play, which is semiautobiographical, depicts a writer named Ferdinand Vanek—a stand-in for Havel—who is consigned to working in a brewery after running afoul of the Communist regime. He engages in a long, comic, increasingly menacing conversation with the facility’s brewmaster, showing how even innocent-seeming language can be made to bend to the authoritarian Big Lie. Two performers, Vit Horejs and Theresa Linnihan—who also conceived the production—manipulated a battery of puppets, giving silent but substantial (often hilarious) form to the entire terrorized social world of the brewery. Through the fog of official obfuscation, this sly production seemed to say, the real story makes its way out in even the smallest gestures.

Here’s hoping that’s true. Stuck at a hinge in history, we’re cloaking ourselves in new fables, making desperate, wholesale attempts at self-reinvention through the slipperiness of stories. Voices like Havel’s, and like Karski’s—spiky with undigestible and often incommunicable truths—will have to keep struggling to be heard. ♦

Published in the print edition of the September 26, 2022, issue, with the headline “In the Retelling.”

NYSCA Restart Grant!

Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, general, News & Events, Vit Horejs

We are proud to be recipients of the New York State Council on the Arts Restart NY Live Performance Grant.

The funding will allow GOH Productions to bring some of our pandemic virtual programs LIVE to venues and locations around New York City and Upstate, including Naptime Stories for the Absurd Times, with storytellers and musicians, and performances by our roster of amazing artists.

  • Lisa Gutkin (violin) and Lisa Alcott (banjo)
  • Shoko Nagai & Satoshi Takeishi
  • Vit Horejs

Stay tuned for events as they unfold!

Here are some of the activities we are doing as part of Restart NY!

#restartNYgrantee! Twitter @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.

–International Puppet Fringe Festival,”Czech Tales with Strings” Aug 13, 14, 15 with musicians Tine Kindermann, Shoko Sagai

–LUNGS Festival in the Lower Eastside: Fri, Sat. Sun, Oct 1, 2, 3 with musicians Shoko Nagai and Satoshi Takeishi

–Oct. 10, NYC, Upper Westside, Columbus Ave BID, 10/10/21, 12:30 pm

–Oct 12, NYC, 7pm, Upper Eastside “Pesek and Kochicka” (The Little Dog and Cat), 4pm, Rooftop 72nd St/5th Ave

–Sat. Nov. 6@ 3pm, Stony Point, Cold Spring, NY, “Czech Tales with Strings” with musicians Frank London and Tine Kindermann

—Sun. Nov. 7, Green Kill Gallery, Kingston NY, “Czech Tales with Strings” with musicians Frank London and Tine Kindermann

—Sun. Nov. 14 @3pm, Cold Spring NY, “Naptime Live” with Vit Horejs, and musicians Lisa Gutkin (violin) and Lisa Alcott (banjo)

To our friends and supporters during the Covid Era

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Greetings friends,

At GOH Productions, we continue to do our best, like everyone around us, to stay focused on what is essential during this unprecedented time.

We have taken part in some awesome online programs; and our artists and leaders are trying to stay positive.  I personally am staying informed, by joining citywide and smaller cultural zoom calls; while seeing where our programing might land in the next year or two.

We mourn the loss of friends and colleagues; and we work in solidarity with movements for justice in society and culture in every walk of life.

And we mourn the loss of our gorgeous dance studio at 55 Ave C, which was lovingly transformed in 2010 by Chris and Martha Tornay from a decrepit storefront.  We had a great 10 years in the space.

We are confident that the theater and performing arts world will come back, but in the meantime we offer ONLINE, VIRTUAL programming with some of our artists, who are able to do this extraordinary transition.  Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, led by Vit Horejs is continuously presenting stories with some puppets and ‘live’ online music; Carrie Beehan/Trystette has the Pande-mic program which features many of our GOH artists; and East Village Dance Project continues online dance educational and performance programs by young emerging dancers.  Art in Odd Places annual Festival will take place in May 2021, instead of Fall 2020, but forges on!

Please do stay in touch.  Call or write.  Be part of the change we need.

with love and care,
Bonnie Sue Stein, Executive Director

Johannes Dokchtor Faust at Theater for the New City! 3/21-4/7

Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, general, News & Events, Vit Horejs, , , ,

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
Crystal Field, Executive Artistic Director, Presents:

Johannes Dokchtor Faust

MARCH 21 – APRIL 7, 2019 / THURS-SAT at 8pm; SUN at 3pm

TICKETS

Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre (CAMT) re-imagines its perennially popular “Johannes Dokchtor Faust, a Petrifying Puppet Comedy,” translated and directed by Vit Horejs. The story of the learned Johannes Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for ultimate knowledge, is staged with age-old technical tricks of Czech puppetry, including fire and thunder, hellish gargoyles and underwater creatures. A classic of the Czech marionette repertoire, the play traditionally contains satirical pokes at contemporary authority figures, such as a king, a congressman, or a local mayor.  The company’s adaptation was initially developed in 1990 and its topical references are updated to the current topsy-turvy political climate.

With Michelle Beshaw, Deborah Beshaw-Farrell, Vít Hořejš, Jane Catherine Shaw and Ben Watts, Music: Melissa Elledge, accordion

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY | 155 FIRST AVE | NEW YORK CITY

 

Centennial Heritage Festival

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  CENTENNIAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL OCTOBER 6-27, 2018  NEW YORK CITY TWO VENUES!camt-postcard6x11-draft15-printerready2

Oct 6-7 FESTIVAL TIX

OCT 11-27 MARIONETTE THEATRE TIX

Bohemian Hall and Jan Hus Church!

SAT, Oct 6th & SUN, Oct 7 | 11:30 am to 9pm |BOHEMIAN NATIONAL HALL | 321 East 73rd Street | NYC
OCTOBER 11 – 27  | JAN HUS CHURCH | NYC 

We celebrate two auspicious anniversaries: the Centennial Anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia (1918) and the Millennial Anniversary of the unification of the Lands of the Czech Crown, under Duke Oldrich (1018).

Featuring Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre in the US Premiere of the mainstage marionette production, “Duke Oldrich & Washerwoman Bozena: the True Story,” and a one man family “Water Goblin” and Czech and Slovak fairy tales.  Plus music concerts, film screenings, a folk songfest sing-along, traditional costumes and Czech delicacies!

Introducing, in her first US appearance, the folk singer and musician, BEATA BOCEK, who will be performing in Oldrich & Bozena, as well as in full evening concert.

10/6-7 Bohemian National Hall,  321 E 73rd Street

Oct 11-27 Jan Hus Church, 351 East 74th Street through October 27.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE   (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Saturday October 6
11:30am Water Goblin and other Czech & Slovak Tales (THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT)
1:00pm – Documentary and Animated Films
2:00pm – Traditional modrotisk (indigo) textile print presentation by Petra Valentova Gupta, followed by participatory hands-on block printing for families.
4:00pm – “Feels Like Home” Folk singalong w/ traditional music and dance
7:00pm – Oldrich and Bozena, The True Story (Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre)

Sunday October 7
11:30am – Water Goblin and Other Czech & Slovak Tales/ Czech Fairy Tales in English performed by Vit Horejs
1:00pm – Strings! Camera! Akce! (Action!)
Film screenings of Animated and documentary puppetry films
2:30pm – Oldrich and Bozena, The True Story (Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre)

4:00pm  – A DANCE LESSON WITH LIMBORA DANCERS
A presentation about Slovak folkdance tradition with a dance lesson for the audience.

6:00pm – 8:00pm TWIN CONCERTS

6:00pm “Tribute to the Art of Folk Song” with New York Voices including: Hanka G, Gabriela Mikova, Katerina Vizina, Klara Zikova and more.
7:00pm – “Beata Bocek in Concert” (musician, vocalist) in her US debut Born in the Polish minority region of Silesia, Bocek’s trademark songs are performed in a variety of languages including an invented one to emphasize minority status.

OCT 11-27 | JAN HUS CHURCH | 351 E 74th St, NYC
Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre

Saturdays: October 13, 20, 27  
11:30am   Water Goblin and other Czech & Slovak Tales,
one man show by Vit Horejs and folk marionettes
2:30pm    Duke Oldřich & Božena: the True Story

Wednesdays to Fridays: October 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26
7:00pm  Duke Oldřich & Božena: the True Story  

Buy tickets HERE for The Centennial Heritage Festival, Bohemian National Hall

Buy tickets HERE for Czechoslovak American Marionette Theatre at Jan Hus

The festival is produced by GOH Productions in cooperation with Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA), Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU), CzechMatters, and the Slovak and Czech Consulates in New York.

DanceFEST LES 2017

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Screen-Shot-2016-06-28-at-6.52.05-PM_948

Saturday, June 3, 2017, 4pm to 8pm and Sunday, June 4, 4pm to 8pm

Join the El Jardin del Paraiso and Avenue C Studio Group as we  launch a new annual dance festival featuring Lower East Side groups, East Village dance youth, professional companies, duos, and soloists.

Performers include: BM Movement, East Village Dance Project, Rod Rodgers Dance Youth Company,Sarazina Stein, Amanda Klajbor, Anna Wotring of nAdA. Yoshiko Chuma, Lauren Kravitz & Shantel Prado, Katharine Pettit Creative, Lower Manhattan Arts Academy, Lynn Needle/Art of Motion Dance Theatre, Billy Blanken / Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre, Christopher Nunez, and more….

The two-day festival will host dance workshops and performances from 4:00 p.m. – 8 p.m

photo: BAIT by Lauren Kravitz and Shantel Prado

Mitsuo Tamura (Nov. 20, 1947-Nov. 21, 2014)

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tamura1993-by-the-ocean-225x300MITSUO TAMURA

Producer, Director, Artist

Director of Station LTD, Tokyo.

I am going to Tokyo to bid farewell at a gathering on March 27, in honor of Mitsuo Tamura, a longtime collaborator and friend of GOH Productions.

Mitsuo died on November 21, 2014, a day after his 67th birthday. Farewell Mistuo! We recall more than 20 years of working together.  Forever in our hearts.

Gathering information (Japanese only)

photo of Mitsuo 1992, by the ocean in NY.