"A Shoe for Your Foot"

Created by Jan Burger and Donovan Zimmerman
Presented in the Forest Theatre and NC Museum of Art in Aug and Sept of 2007.

The over-arching theme for this show was simplicity and finding the beauty in the everyday. We chose the shoe as an iconic symbol of ordinariness and a need being met i.e.. a foot needs protection and the shoe fits nicely. A hat for your head, a kiss for your mouth, a show for your face... you get the idea. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with the fulfillment of these very basic needs. We feel that a good puppet show is one of them. The whole experience from casting to load out was, for us, very satisfying indeed. If not a bit of a challenge. Some of the details or factoids of the show for those who are interested, are listed here: 1. We began building puppets for the show on June 4th. We opened Aug. 11th. Next year we hope we will start earlier, because we nearly lost our minds. 2.We would not have finished the show had it not been for Federica (our Italian Bread and Puppet veteran), and Elizabeth Albeck (our 1st intern). Both of them are fabulous artists and worked with us nearly everyday. Much of the credit for this show needs to go to them. 3. About 40 gallons of "goop" was used and right around 500 brown paper bags. It was hard at times, because the deadline was always looming, but we got it done. Here's how the show went:

ACT 1: "THE BOAT WE'RE IN" It started with giant feet (cardboard) dancing in and rubbing around in the tall grass. Oooohhh, Aaaaahh! Along comes a bee that gets riled from the feet rubbing in its spot. There is a sting and a tremendous collective OUCH! and the feet retreat. A big blue curtain opens on an old man and woman (hand held masks)  rocking gently on a small boat. The music here is a slow accordion tune written by Alan Best (a.k.a. Pickle Dude) now 15, who has been in every show since we started at the Forest theatre in 1999! Wow!  The starry sky shimmers in the background as the waves roll in the foreground. The Ox and cart constellation is centrally highlighted while the old man fishes and the old woman watches the stars. He catches an old shoe. A rat appears and he becomes determined to rid the boat of this varmint. The boat lurches during a particularly zealous attempt and the old woman is thrown into his arms. Which, awkwardly, seems to spark the old flame between them. They make their way below and... A  song is heard here as the scale shifts to small flat puppet versions, where a tree is representing a sort of garden of eden type thing.

song by Paul Ford
Row, row, row, row upon the open ocean,
chasing the wind, the changing of the tide.
Row, row, row, row upon the open ocean, 
riding with the dolphins on the starboard side.
She gave me her sweet kiss upon the open ocean.
Salty, sweet, delicious, she hooked me with her smile.
With oaken mast and open sail we rolled upon the ocean.
Sunny skies and starry nights, the sailing life.

The old couple go onto a little house and suddenly children begin leaping out here and there. More houses appear, more children and so on... Until the boat is literally full with factories, skyscrapers, apartments, planes, satellites, cell towers etc... The people run back and forth in chaos and confusion as the boat strains under the weight of all that has occurred. A building falls into the sea, a pipe pokes out ominously, and all the rats jump overboard and sail off in a little rat boat. The ship disappears under the waves. Now, as we descend into the deep, the sad and beautiful song of the sea unfolds. Jimmy Magoo. Creatures of different shapes and sizes emerge. 

"The Turtle and the Whale" 

Each night my love asks me to tell her a story to help her get to sleep. One night this story came to me as we drifted off into our own dreams. 

Deep beneath the ocean's waves, there are many mysteries that pass unnoticed by those who dwell on the land. Strange and wondrous creatures that have existed since the Earth was born...

One such being... older than the mountains, was a great turtle.  Her massive body like a continent, teamed with life in myriad forms... Her broad shell, encrusted with coral and plants,   was alive with every color of fish. 

For generations, the giant moved only little...   Ancient bones rested quietly under the tumultuous sea; while above, people carried on unaware.  

It came to pass that she lifted her huge body from the bottom, and swam.  She swam through the wide oceans of the world.  Powerful waves were stirred.  Currents altered in her wake.  

Her journey ended at a place that she remembered from her birth. There she was met by a leviathan. The massive whale's body extended far over the horizon. They fixed each others gaze for a long while. The whale, who was much younger, listened well to the story of the great turtle and received into her body ineffable wisdom. Then, the whale began to sing.       

She sang of long ages past... and of struggle...  of beauty... and of the soul in the Earth... she sang of love.  Rocks shuddered and clouds stood still as the song unfolded. The great turtle released a river of salty tears back into the brine, knowing her story complete and, slowly... sank into the fathomless depths. Contently, returning to the sea's dark embrace. When she had disappeared entirely a deafening silence followed. Then, the mystical song of the whale started again . The vision of the turtle, combined with the whales' vast knowledge, was heard in harmonic resplendence throughout the worlds waters.  

The passing of an age had come at last.  On the surface, a gentle breeze kissed the face of a little girl playing in a open field. 

ACT 2: "THE LIFE OF A SHOE" presented firstly as a Cantastoria, which literally means, singing story. Donovan and Fede' begin pointing, gesturing, and yelling as the band backs them up with singing and rhythmic/musical punctuation. The painted panels or pictures went like this: Part 1 ~In the Beginning the World is Your Stomping Ground.  (youth)

1. Brand New!  (birth.) Sing Brand New.

2. Jumping higher than ever before.  (exuberance). Drum roll and... jump

3. Mud puddles.  (also innocence and playfulness). Beat box with slurpy, sloshy, sound mixed in.

4. Walking.  (The basic element in any shoes' life).  Walking base line jazz. Part 2 ~ In the Middle of the Way Through My Life... I Found Myself (Dante) (middle ages)

5. Foot... Sea (painting of toes going into water) Footsie!  (Interest in others physically). Cooing and stuff.

6. Dancing!  (dancing).  Something like "Billy Jean."

7. Running away.  (The fear and confusion that comes when in love and living).  Drum beat fast.

8. Walking, again, walking.  (Onwards constantly, through life's many changes).  Jazz base line. Part 3~ Tear and Wear... and The Inevitability of Scuffing!  (getting older)

9. Nails! (troubles).  Scream.

10. Rocks! (more hardships) Scream!

11. Other forms of distress!  (she stomps on his foot).  

12. Finally, being forgotten. (old age).         "Old Shoe" by Jimmy Magoo Old shoe, I got you when you were brand new. Through miles of leaf piles and puddles we flew, down broad avenues, your days are all through,  but what do I do... with old shoe... old shoe. 

When the stage clears, only a very large shoe remains. Enter giant Ox pulling a wooden cart, accompanied by 3 attendants, who also have horns and are basically inter-dimensional-earthy-goat -men. The attendants collect the old shoe on to the cart, after making it a nice bed of straw to sit on. The attendants proceed to mend and care for the old shoe; tying laces, patching holes, etc. Finally, they slowly carry it off on the cart, with 4 large flower banners trailing in a New Orleans style funeral march.

song by Jimmy Magoo "Gone, Momma Gone."
Gone, Mama gone (2x)
I didn't want to say goodbye,
oh but I cry, mama cry.
I'm not ready to be alone,
I'm not ready to have you gone.
Gone, Mama gone (repeat to taste)

ACT 3: " THE FRAGRANT WEEDS OF UNIMPORTANCE" A lone Box head enters and looks around somewhat stiffly. Then another, and their meeting is awkward at best.  Slowly as the music escalates, more Box heads begin to fill the stage, all wearing suits and ties. They imitate each other as they pass and move around the stage. Continually trying to outdo or one up the one before. Competition and power dominate the mood as synchronized dance moves are executed. One of them brings in a box that is separate (not a head) and places it center stage. This seems astounding and soon they are all finding and carrying in boxes and placing them very carefully. It momentarily becomes a little suburb when someone gets the idea to put one box on top of another. Practically a revelation, as all join in the business of stacking. A tower is formed. One tries to use the head of another as a piece in the building. Inevitably, the tower falls. There is a moment of frozen shock and awe (to coin a phrase), then they all get back to it with renewed vigor. Intrepid, as box heads are apparently, they build 2 new towers, revisiting the competition theme. Each striving to make theirs the highest... they both fall. Again, as in humanity, repetition and escalation, they begin again but, somewhere off stage. One big box remains and one unconscious box head who presently wakes up.  He carefully opens the box and a lovely green plant form with flowers grows from inside. This inspires, for some reason, the box head to remove his box. The puppeteer (Jay Hamm) is revealed, and as he breaths in the flowers sweetness he is transformed. He hurls is jacket, tie, and box away and begins to leap and dance. Giant trees (15 ft.) enter as the plant reaches its full hight (12 ft.) creating a circle. Jay enters again, summoning the others, who enter, and remove their heads as well. Ties fly and people frolic freely in the enchanted forest they have found themselves in. The music is a sweeping beautiful epic of a melody written by Paul Ford and the band making it live! Then, enter some of the mystical animal spirits who dwell here. An Owl, a Heron, and a huge Elk, all white, silver,blue, and gray, who sweep into the circle and perform their ancient rites in the night.

ACT 4: " THE OPPOSITE OF VIOLENCE"
This part begins with 4 stilted dancers with long poles who slowly, powerfully move around the stage. Claire Hartman, Eli Moore, Fede', and Candace King made the opening choreography which has elements of slow low bends, using the poles as support, as well as high kicks and fast dynamic "fighting." The poles were originally intended to mirror the ancient boat rower "Charon" (Greek mythology) who carried people across the river Styx to the land of the dead. The simple masks are death like and a little scary for sure. Next, cloth figures come in from all over, expressing a faceless humanity. The stilters begin to corral the figures until they find themselves trapped and helpless. The figures escape and an escalation in intensity leads to the them being struck down by the stilt beings. The bodies are slowly released lifeless to the ground from a frozen position. The puppeteers look up at the audience and exit. The stilt dancers slowly "row" across the stage, through the strewn bodies, leaving them laying in the sand for the audience to contemplate. Hands (single hands of papier mache' with cloth body) make their way onto the scene of carnage to often seen around the world. We saw them as family looking for lost loved ones. Finding them in anguish and despair. Kneeling before them and stroking their lifeless faces. They stand as courage and strength are mustered to go on. The 3 attendants enter here and meet the 6 hands and form what we called uber-attendants. The large hands placed at the sides of the masked characters created the illusion they were much more than previously imagined. Coming together, forming connection, community, many thoughts. A giant Mother Earth or Goddess enters and essentially swallows everything up in her massive arms' embrace. When her arms open again all but a few hands have gone to do other things. The hands rise and honor the great mother for her beauty and wisdom and all-encompassingness. They dance in solemn celebration, spinning like dervishes. The ox returns and makes his way through the audience. 

ACT 5: "THE SONG OF THE ORDINARY"                                                         

Song by Jimmy Magoo

From the seed to the tree,
to the child on my knee.
The most amazing things I see,
are ordinary.

As the ox is greeted and petted by surging throngs of people, the goddess has moved forward to the edge of the stage. Her body has illuminated holes where shadows begin to appear. We see the old man and old woman once again, coming full circle from the beginning of the show. They are with their grand daughter who is helping and playing around the farm on an ordinary day. The shoe slips on to the foot of the old man as he goes, after kisses, to work with his trusty old ox. The old man and girl walk through grass, while a fox somewhere nearby watches warily. The old woman feeds geese and the girl finds an old tree she loves with birds tending a nest full of chicks. These images appear overlapping in the 4 different panels in the earth's body. A close up of the branches reveals a spider busy with her web. The farmer ploughs, simple enough. They walk home and food is shared, teeth are brushed, and bed time comes. After tucking in their grand daughter the old couple sit in their old rocking chairs on the porch. So, the final image we see is them rocking, the girl sleeping, a starry sky, and the waves gently rolling somewhere nearby. 

THE END