Aurelius
Looking oddly familiar, very tall Aurelius stepped out of the troupe coop in 2004. Everything he’s done since then is filtered through his sincere best intentions, impeccable charm and caviler honesty as a stilt struttin’ n dancin’ man about town, as if it were his life. He’s Geppetto’s puppet self-portrait answer to an unnecessarily sour, ego bruising experience. So by some definitions it is his life.
Aurelius’s name is from Marcus Aurelius, a nickname Geppetto earned from a boyhood mentor named Zac Cande.
These days Aurelious lives for themes. He adapts his hootin’ and hollerin’ good time interactive improvisation for parade, festival, corporate event and fund raising event themes.
A dapper dude, Geppetto carefully considers Aurelious’ attire, sometimes adding items to the already extensive wardrobe. He selects whatever is appropriate garb for the day, or sometimes inappropriate if he’s feeling contrary. He’s worn top hat and tails, old beach comber, cool hippie tie die, dashiki diplomat or colorful Las Vegas sheik.
A graceful goof on stilts, he’s had quite an exciting life too!
For example, at the opening of the 2005 Kingston Artist’s Soapbox Derby, which happens to be an annual highlight of Kingston New York’s event calendar, Kingston Mayor James Sottile pulled rank and jumped through the starting gate early. Right in the middle of the course, he ran over Aurelius from behind! … or rather, he ran under Aurelius!
Pulling the mayor’s pants down even further, the cartoon-like crash happened right in front of thousands of voters and all the local television and print media! Political careers can be destroyed for less!
Although Aurelius’ stilts were totally splintered in the mishap, he and puppeteer Geppetto came out of it unscathed and actually finished the event … albeit considerably shorter, with abundant theatrical fuming and ranting about what the mayor had just done!
Mayor Sottile wasn’t so lucky! Stalled in the middle of the derby route with a totally smashed entry in ront of everybody that counts, he was later ridiculed in the press and on TV with endless instant replys of the story! As soon as his smashed entry, named “Rondout Light†was dragged off the course, he feigned an appointment and split fast, and he hasn’t been spotted at another Derby ever since!
Sottile ended up winning the never coveted 2005 Soapbox Derby Horses’ Ass Award, but he missed the presentation. Hearing the announcement and learning the mayor was ‘in a meeting,’ Aurelius thought, ‘Huh, a 4pm Sunday afternoon meeting?’ and being the good guy he always is, he stepped right up to the podium to accept the award for the mayor in his absence. Civic duty and all.
Aurelious is always easy to work with, happy things are so much fun just living his interactive improvised life, informed directly by his contact with the world.
As a form of atonement, the mayor promised Geppetto a free parking pass for anywhere in the city of Kingston!
