Mortal Beasts & Deities
Joyous purveyors of Earnest Frivolity, Felicitous Discord and Controlled Mayhem

Northeast summer & fall 2009 Season

The Mortal Beasts & Deities’ 2009 summer and fall season was super full. Lots went down. Lots went up. There were so many shows, so much travel all over the northeast, and an abundance of splendid fun meeting and working and playing with and for countless appreciative folks.

The sun mostly shone on MB&D, but of course it was generally a wet summer so there were a couple of rain cancellations too. Amazingly, when wet weather was predicted, the Mortal Beasts & Deities more often than not successfully squeezed their outsized dancing games into the cracks between the downpours.

There are simply not enough superlatives, nor enough time, to plunge into the whole northeast season. So, starting in the spring where the last update left off, Geppetto will skip like a stone across the glistening water, reflecting on highlights of the season roughly in chronological order.

Norfolk Connecticut

The Norfolk village green was greening with springtime leaves and grass in early June as one of the Mortal Beasts & Deities’ giant doves soared amongst congregants of the Norfolk Congregational Church and local villagers in a peace festival and flag ceremony accompanied by the delightful music of Lizzie West and Baba Buffalo. Thanks for the dance Dick, and thanks Tina and parishioners for the faith, and thanks Kathy for the able ground crew work and photos. Thanks to all for an incredibly beautiful, spiritual and inspiring morning!

Lakeville Connecticut

It was a very cool evening at the Project Troubador Grove Festival in Lakeville Connecticut with Geppetto, Daniel, Emily, Jeffrey and Jim frolicking. MB&D earned another mention and photo in the Lakeville Journal newspaper by shadowing the reporter… that is, Daniel literally aiming Gabriel’s enormous shadow on him! At the end of the evening Geppetto and Jeffrey presented a slide show and reflections on last year’s Guatemala Belize Literacy Tour

Shelburne Falls Massachusetts

Later in the summer Geppetto soared Hawk above the Deerfield River Fest in Shelburne Falls Massachusetts, accompanied by both Old Oracles, Robin’s giant water bird, Maya’s giant Sturgeon with its important past, present and future story, and too many other puppets to list. The entire time the show was moving above the bridge and streets the police officer on duty was pleading to pick up the pace. Regretfully Geppetto has no good images of that beautiful afternoon.

Falls Village Connecticut

Geppetto gave back to the hometown at Music Mountain with the help of his brother Rick, Kyler, Cormac, Anne and Kelly. Some of these performers had no idea when they woke up that morning that they’d end up playing puppets that afternoon. It was a delightful afternoon with so many smiling faces, cut a little short so Geppetto and MB&D could race up to Boston that evening.

Boston Massachusetts

The Boston Globe noted, with a color photo, that Geppetto played with Handsome Chuck and the Boston Circus Guild to create a Circus Night at McFadden’s Bar in Boston. There were acrobats, sword swallowers, living statues, clowns, jugglers, and of course stilt dancers yucking it up with thousands of revelers and tourists all around downtown Boston’s State Street and Fanuel Hall marketplace. Once the work of promoting McFadden’s was done and their bar was fill with patrons, Geppetto headed to the next stop, down to Providence Rhode Island.

Kingston New York

Returning to the always outrageous Kingston Artist’s Soapbox Derby for the 6th consecutive year was another highlight of 2009. This year new performers Erin and Keith enthusiastically played with Geppetto presenting MB&D’s raucous Stilt Band. As the opening act of the derby they created a splendid cacophony down Broadway to the applause and cheers of anxious fans. It was the first appearance of MB&D’s giant drum kit, and perfect that buff-like-an-old-bull Keith was able to handle them so well; although it did become very obvious that the drum kit’s supporting harness was headed back to Geppetto’s drawing board. Later the trio danced and played on stilts for hundreds of spectators for a couple hours, on the crushed bluestone around the bandstand of Kingston’s historic Rondout waterfront, which for stilt dance connoisseurs, is the absolute nicest stilt dance surface this side of Belize.

Rockport Massachusetts

The Flock of Doves spent a delightful afternoon soaring over Millbrook Meadow on Peace Day with residents of Cape Ann and parishioners of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockport Massachusetts. Cape Ann is Geppetto’s old stomping grounds and there were several old friends who came out for the afternoon, along with lots of wonderfully welcoming new people too. Performing with Geppetto in the homecoming show was Lieutenant David and MB&D newbie trouper Daniel. The ceaseless energy of these two troupers at the end of the day enabled them to present an improvised exhibition of contact improv dance, much to the amazement of the dwindling audience and the accompanying drum circle. Special thanks to Tanny for the connections that got MB&D invited to this delightful little show, and special thanks also to Kate for driving all the way down from Maine to witness it, and thanks also to Geppetto’s old friend Colleen for taking lots of great photos.

Litchfield Connecticut

The White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield hosts their annual Family Fun Day in September each year, and this year was especially sparkling fun! Erin, Maya, Robin and Moti spent several arduous hours puppeteering the Flock of Doves and Hawk. Geppetto would like to make special mention with gratitude to Maya for her graceful role as lead dove, and also to Moti, for his talented testosterone driven rendition of Hawk. The giant birds had several scary encounters with a team of skittish draft horses pulling a hay wagon around the bucolic venue. The abnormally large birds frightened the considerably heavier but dumber horses, and it turned out to be one of those rare cases where avoidance tactics actually worked best. As always, there were many memorable interactions with hundreds of beaming people, and the invite is already in for a repeat performance next year.

Cambridge Massachusetts

If brassy funky rhythms and bohemian circus is your thing, then HONK! is a not to be missed event! At the 2009 HONK! festival the Mortal Beasts & Deities played hard in Somerville and Cambridge dancing with Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band and Madcap Rumpus Society, along with more than a dozen other honk bands from around the world. MB&D’s fun began with a parade from Davis Sq down Mass Ave into Harvard Sq as the dancing Stilt Band costumed in tall sized gold fringed dashikis. Lita Love was marvelous playing gold leaf maraca, and Moti banged ballistic on a bonking tambourine, and Lieutenant David kept rhythm with the giant black and gold drum kit and his hard head, shielded its new gold and black helmet and goggles. Geppetto honk-hooted MB&D’s hugenormous black and gold horn. Later on the outsized musical instruments were put away and working out of the MB&D staging area outside the Brattle St Tea Room, the stilt dancers spent the rest of the afternoon dressed in their tall tuxedos and gowns entertaining hundreds of thousands of revelers by dancing with the honk bands playing on several stages and street corners around Harvard Sq. Twisting Geppetto’s arm to expand MB&D’s repertoire, Lieutenant David performed for a bit with his juggling clubs, the first public MB&D juggling since Panajachel, and very likely to become a more frequent act. Special thanks to Trish for the sherpa work and great photos, and also for scoring some cheap costume stuff in second hand shops while there.

Scarsdale and Millerton New York

There were two wonderful shows that MB&D unfortunately has no decent pictures of, a rare occurrence. MB&D has an extensive picture catalog with images from almost every show since 1995. (There were cameras there…. anyone able to share?) But both of these shows were none-the-less memorable and worth mentioning.

The first was in Scarsdale at an event called Camp-A-Paloosa, a fund raiser for United Way. At that show Moti and Geppetto soared Hawk and a Dove for a short while, until it began to rain and the puppets had to be stashed under cover. They then donned stilt dance costumes with umbrellas and went out to dance to the especially good music the rest of the afternoon. Geppetto’s favorite band was ‘Pancho and the Kid,’ led by Chris Barron who is famous for his 90’s hit band ‘Spin Doctors.’ Interesting how Barron’s voice and signature sound permeates both bands. It will not be surprising if very soon ‘Pancho’ returns Barron to the hit charts.

The other memorable but poorly documented show was at a barn dance in Millerton. A Rooney Tunes Productions fund raiser for national Rex Foundation and local Webutuk Schools music programs, Geppetto performed solo stilt dance there. The main act was a fabulous on-the-rise band called ‘Moonalice.’ They are a ‘Grateful Dead’ type jam band with six rock-n-roll hall of fame candidate musicians. That night the rhythms and vibe of the room perfectly matched Geppetto’s dance mood, as well as the audience’s. Geppetto was exceedingly proud there to pull a full double spin clockwise on one stilt, then after one step, a full single spin counter-clockwise on the other stilt. His exhilaration was amplified by the fact that the complicated move actually remained in rhythm from beginning to end, and tied seamlessly to the rest of the dance. While some in the audience may have been impressed witnessing it, none were likely as impressed as Geppetto was himself, since he’d been reaching for that move to work for years. Sweet. Hopefully, more to come???

Brooklyn New York

Brooklyn Botanic Garden knows how to put on a festival! MB&D’s second year performing at the BBG Ghouls and Gourds festival was splendid and this event has moved into one of ‘MB&D’s-favorites’ status. The venue is gorgeous, the ample crowds supremely appreciative, and the facilities, event producers and staff all top notch. MB&D’s appearance included several soars of Hawk and the Flock of Doves through the crowds on the cherry esplanade, and then later, the Stilt Band led a costume parade winding through the gardens. The MB&D puppeteers in Brooklyn that day were Lieutenant David, Maya, Maximum, Lita Love, and Geppetto as ground person for the birds and later as lead stilt band dancer. An especially well matched cast, each member was intently invested as a team and felt acutely responsible for fulfilling Geppetto’s sometimes complicated artistic visions. Witnessing countless precious moments, Geppetto was ecstatic by their performances individually and also as a troupe. So was Brooklyn Botanic Garden, already making it very clear they want MB&D back again next year!

New York City

There is something inherently exciting about New York, but the New York Village Halloween Parade has to be the most excitingest event in the city. It is the largest night parade in New York, with TV coverage of the millions of people watching from the sidewalks and participating in the parade every year. MB&D’s charge is to lead the front pod of the parade on stilts, sharing the coveted position with the stilt dancers from Bond Street Theater. Stilt dancing this year, MB&D’s 7th consecutive NYC Halloween Parade was Geppetto, David, Erik, Robin and Erik’s buddy Dan who was recruited at the last minute as MB&D’s invaluable ground crew sherpa. There had originally been 13 MB&D stilt dancers lined up, but all of MB&D’s performers have busy and interesting lives that sometimes get in the way of playtime (how many boring people do you know who will agree to dance on stilts or in puppets and make fools of themselves in public?!?). Anyway, on Halloween only 5 could actually make it, even though 13 costumes were planned. This year’s parade theme was ‘Terra Incognita’, which was an interesting theme to answer in a matching yet individually significant way. This year’s costuming was the result of dozens of emails, calls and sketches exchanged between Geppetto and courageous MB&D stilt dancer Robin, a retired theater costume designer (and dancer). After scrounging hats and vests and a few hundred neckties, costumes were made to present the vision at the edge of known earth, as oversized dancing creatures sporting flashing spinning tendrils. They worked very well, although not so well wet. The only down side to this year’s parade was that 1/3 of the way up the 6th Avenue parade route it began to sprinkle rain. Half way up the route it began pouring. MB&D and Bond St consulted and decided to stick it out, deciding not bail, but the stilt dancer’s survival on the suddenly slippery surfaces required shorter steps and less exuberant and rambunctious moves. It was a way cool event and always is, but the best part this year was that considering the rain slicked city streets, no one crashed.

The World of Clowning

The Mortal Beasts & Deities does not offer clowns per se. It’s not likely you’ll ever see a red nose at a MB&D show. However, the fun fact is that the sensibilities of the clown, the way clowns always interacts with the complications the world presents in a sincerely inquisitive and humorous way, is essential to MB&D in fulfilling the troupe’s goals, which are to bring a positive influence on the world through their art. This year Lieutenant David and Geppetto have thoroughly enjoyed playing and learning in three intense clown workshops led by exemplary clown teachers Laura Gielan and Beneticta Bertau of Walking the Dog Theater out of Ghent New York. Recently the MB&D duo completed their third workshop, and while it is frightening to think any clown could graduate from any clown school knowing all there is to know about clowning, what has happened as a result of all this study is that MB&D’s performances have been armed now with bigger quivers filled with smarter bomb arrows to better conquer their goals and expand their horizons, and hopefully the horizons of those they encounter. Thank you for the investment, David, and thank you Laura and Benedicta and all the fellow clowns in training, for the inspiration.

Onward and Upward!

After Halloween and all the clowning around there were a couple other small appearances, including the hometown Outerspace Party, an always fabulous private party most creative tri-state area folks look forward to each year (CT, MA, NY). And now Geppetto is preparing to spend each December weekend in two churches in Fort Lee and Cliffside Park New Jersey creating a giant puppet nativity service performed by congregant puppeteers. After that MB&D catches a Caribbean cruise to Grand Turk, San Juan and St Thomas and the Bahamas. Then there are several shows booked in Florida including three Mardi-Gras shows. Plans are forming for MB&D to head north for a show in Ashville North Carolina in March, and to arrive back in the northeast in early April in time for a tentatively scheduled show at Real Art Ways in Hartford, oddly enough named ‘Odd Ball’ which sounds perfect for MB&D. But of course, Geppetto knows you’ll stay tuned for details as they’re announced.