Premiere of "Story of the Dog" Opens Season 2006-07 at Redfern
KEENE, 9/3/06 - The United States premiere of the Cambodian folk-tale “The Story of the Dog” will open the Redfern Arts Center’s 2006-07 Presenting Series at Keene State College. The production is a unique three-year collaboration between Vermont’s Sandglass Theater and Sovanna Phum, an artists’ collective from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. “Story of the Dog” will be seen Thursday, September 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern’s Main Theatre.
“Story of the Dog” combines Sandglass’s award-winning rod puppetry with the talents of Sovanna Phum’s spectacular shadow puppetry and Cambodian dance and an original musical score played on authentic Cambodian musical instruments. Sovanna Phum’s company consists of five dancer/puppeteers and two musicians. Sandglass Theater contributes three performers and one musical director. The production is co-directed by Sandglass’s Eric Bass and Sovanna Phum’s Mann Kosal. Sovanna Phum will make its United States debut with the Redfern Arts Center performance.
“Story of the Dog” is a cautionary tale about how war can lead people to act in ways they would normally never do and end in disaster for the lives of many. This story is particularly unusual for Cambodia because blames war for the criminal conduct of good people. Kosal, Sovanna Phum’s artistic director, says, “Most Cambodian stories blame individuals and judge them. This story recognizes their plight and blames the effect of war for the disintegration of society.” It was a story that Kosal had wanted to do for some time with his own company but by collaborating with Sandglass Theater, his dream became fact.
The production is a celebration of how art can bridge differences, create understanding, and become a teaching tool for people of different backgrounds. “Story of the Dog,” is being rehearsed at the Redfern for two and one half weeks and supported by its staff. The production is being prepared for a tour of the Northeast (including the Puppets in the Green Mountain Festival) after the Keene premiere. The Redfern’s technical supervisor, Jeremy Robarge is the lighting designer for the Keene performance and tour.
The corporate sponsor for the “Story of the Dog” is Markem Corporation. Additional funding is provided in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) as part of the NEA Regional Touring Program. NEFA receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), with additional support from the state arts agencies of New England.
Tickets are available through the Brickyard Pond box office, 603-358-2168 or on the web at www.keene.edu/racbp. Prices are $17 and $14 for the general public, $15 and $12 for seniors and KSC faculty and staff, $9 and $7 for youth 17 and younger, and $5 for KSC students with ID. Tickets for all of the Redfern’s presenting events and for departments of Music and Theatre and Dance are also available. Patrons can still purchase 20/20 memberships that enable them to receive a 20% discount in all Presenting Series performances.
