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COMPANY AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
REVIEWS "Silkworm" Written by Wendy Wrangham Artem Barry and Danielle Le Saux-Farmer play a brother and sister living in Skurahnovtaz who reveal through artfully scripted words and supremely acted vignettes various tales from the village’s past and present. Trees have flesh and fingers, poppy seeds can stop a witch in her tracks, tables dance and (albeit obliquely) tell the future, tulips are black and babies are born with white eyes. While the spirituality continues unabated and the ‘old woman’ next door is viewed with suspicion, we learn of life in the course of the war, of nights of empty air raids, of dwindling supplies and of silkworms. People die, though not due to bullets and bombs, and, as Ildi becomes more and more aware of the mystic nature of life in the village, her long-suffering brother stares at the one endlessly repeated movie on Serb television until he is goaded into telling another story from the days when the great oak was just a sapling... The clash of mysticism and industrialisation is beautifully personified by the authentic push and shove between the steady brother and flighty sister until the abrupt ending one Christmas Eve. Fantastic, in all definitions of the word.
Review by Sile ni Bhroin for Prague TV Wed 28th May, 2008 Having been thoroughly delighted by the Black Hand production of Blow This Popsicle Stand at last year's Fringe, I approached this year's show with high expectations. Silkworm, a self-declared work-in-progress, is characterised by the same clarity and energy as their previous one. The director, Stephanie Demas, has an eye for detail and timing that is quite extraordinary. Silkworm is a tapestry of small stories from a small Hungarian village near Belgrade. The two enthusiastic actors, Artem Barry and Danielle Le Saux-Farmer succeed in presenting a host of characters - sometimes eccentric and sometimes touchingly human. The art of storytelling is central to the success of the show, and storytelling motifs appear in the text and in the simple but effective staging. We hear of the man who made enough money from his fortune-telling to "string his violin and feed his family", of the vindictive mayor's wife who desires a son, we see the poppy seeds used against witches. The material is rich and the company has the energy and the talent to exploit it. As it is a work-in-progress the transitions between the stories are still a little clumsy and I expect that the company will take time to let this show mature, but even in sapling form it is an inspiring and engaging piece. I get the feeling they will grow into a truly innovative and significant company.
"Blow This Popsicle Stand" Review by Steffen Silvis, for The Prague Post A popsicle, Grape, has tumbled from the top of his his freezer-case home into the uncharted Arctic expanse of the freezer's bottom. It's a lonely existence, though Grape's philosophical turn of mind helps him muddle through, though the constant hum of the machine's compressed air hose has pushed him dangerously close to madness at times. Periodically, other stick-people of his kind find themselves in this deep-frozen landscape, such as the smug little multi-flavoured bruiser, Cyclone, and an attractive flirt of equally tantalizing taste, Bubble-Pop, though they will both be eventually rescued. Not Grape, though, as the poor fellow is, well, grape-flavoured. The young Canadian troupe Black Hand Theatre has created this sweet, amusing little live action cartoon as a two-hander for Jayson McDonald (Grape) and the versatile Tyler Parr (as the rest of the dessert tray). The humour is perfectly light, but there's a surprising depth to the piece, with an ending that blazes with hope and redemption. Smartly directed by playwright Stephanie Demas, and boasting two marvelous young actors, Blow This Popsicle Stand is the perfect summer treat. Try it. "Blow This Popsicle Stand" Review by Sile Ni Bhroin for Prague TV Stranded at the bottom of a freezer box, a lonely popsicle (Grape) tries to make sense of his existence. Hypnotised by the constant hum of the compressor fan, his monotony is only broken when other – equally unconventional – characters find their way into his private reality. It is a completely ridiculous concept and a completely delightful show. The two actors, Jayson McDonald and Tyler Parr, are a superb comic duo, handling each new relationship with perfect timing and expressive gestures. At times a (very) tongue-in-cheek Waiting for Godot, at times teen romance, at times a psychological power struggle, Grape’s interactions are hilarious but always human. The brilliantly witty text by Stephanie Demas (who also directed) dances lightly between existential questioning and psychological games – with frequent outrageously funny reminders that we are, after all, talking about popsicles here. The “High-Pitched Ones” or “Little Hands” one encounters “at the top are the children whose arrival signals an escape to the “Outside”. There is an understated current of tragedy in this. The audience knows the characters’ fate and almost wills Grape to remain in splendid – and solid – isolation at the bottom. A wonderfully refreshing show.
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