Cambodian Artists Collective, Sovanna Phum, in Residence at Keene State College

KEENE, 8/23/06 - On August 29, members of the artists collective Sovanna Phum from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, began a 17-day residency with Sandglass Theater of Putney, Vermont, at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. The companies will conclude their residency with a performance of “The Story of the Dog” on September 14, 2006, at 7:30 p.m at the Redfern Arts Center.

After leaving the Redfern, the production will travel to Putney, where “Story of the Dog” will be seen at the Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival and then tour to Rhode Island, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The play features Sandglass’s award-winning rod puppetry, Cambodian shadow puppetry and dance, and an original musical score played on authentic Cambodian music instruments.

While in residence, Sovanna Phum and Sandglass will conduct lecture demonstrations and workshops in Cambodian music and dance and shadow puppetry. Sandglass’s Eric Bass and Sovanna Phum’s Kosal Mann, co-directors of “Story of the Dog,” will present a documentary film on how the companies came to work together on the piece and arrive at its theme. Fifty to sixty students from Project KEEP, Keene’s after-school program for K-5 students, will attend a rehearsal and participate in a question-and-answer session with Bass and Kosal.

Sandglass and Sovanna Phum also will offer a full day of in-service training in puppetry arts and Cambodian culture to elementary school teachers from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and the Keene area. It will consist of an overview of the project by Bass, an introduction to the sounds and music of Cambodia, introduction to rod and shadow puppetry, and practical activities that teachers can take from these workshops and bring to their classrooms. The day will end with attendance at a rehearsal.

When announcing the residency, William Menezes, director of the Redfern, said, “The project has been three years in the making, beginning with Kosal visiting Putney to meet with Sandglass and study their methods of working. They agreed on the project and the following year Sandglass visited Phnom Penh to begin working on putting the play together.”

The Redfern became involved after Menezes learned of the project from Bass and discussed it with the New England Foundation for the Arts and other arts center directors in the Northeast. All encouraged Sandglass and the Redfern to move forward on the project. In the fall of 2005 Sandglass returned to Cambodia to do further work on the play and develop it for performance in Phnom Penh and to tour throughout Cambodia. Menezes joined the companies in December to attend rehearsals and performances and make arrangements for the residency.

“On my return from Cambodia, Sandglass and the Redfern began writing grants to fund Sovanna Phum’s trip to the Northeast and a tour of the region,” explained Menezes. “I can’t say it was particularly smooth sailing. We were able to secure a grant from the Asian Cultural Council, but still more funding was needed. It wasn’t until the week of August 8 that a major funder made the tour possible, and the visas for the Cambodians weren’t issued until August 18. As you can imagine, we breathed a collective sigh of relief.”

Menezes describes “Story of the Dog” as a “unique and visually arresting collaboration of Western and Eastern traditions that tells its story through imagery, movement, songs, and a minimum of dialogue. It is a cautionary tale for middle- and high-school-age students and adults about how war drives people to act in ways they wouldn’t normally act. The residency will allow Sandglass and Sovanna Phum to put the final touches on the production and prepare it for tour.”

The production and residency activities are funded by the New England Foundation for the Arts, with additional support from Markem Corporation.

For information regarding residency activities, contact Menezes at 603-358-2171. For tickets to the production call the box office at 603-358-2168 or on the web at www.keene.edu/racbp.