Fox and Beggar Theater
Vol 2. No.1
Fox and Beggar Puppet Theater Residency at The Acreage: “The Paper Operetta”
Most days the Acreage is a quiet place. The sound of rustling prairie grass might be interrupted by songbirds, or an occasional outburst from our donkey, Chewey. Earlier this summer the sounds of songbirds and braying donkeys were replaced by tubas, trombones, and operatic voices when The Fox and Beggar Puppet Theater took up residency at The Acreage to develop their newest production, “The Paper Operetta”.
Back in January, Artistic Director, drummer, and puppet magic maker Nat Allister contacted The Acreage about the possibility of creating a show at The Acreage. Nat had a vision and framework in mind for their next act, but didn’t have a location to build, rehearse, and perform the show. In the past, Fox and Beggar retreated to the north woods of Minnesota. Travel time for the troupe compounded by distance from a town to pick up materials and supplies was no longer making sense. He pondered if there was a place within an hour’s drive from the Twin Cities to consider?” Through our friends at Franconia Sculpture Park, Nat learned about The Acreage. A new possibility emerged.
When Nat contacted us were more than intrigued. A month-long residency with a theater company? Camping? A puppet production at The Acreage? This was unexplored territory. Our team was excited by the possibility, so the answer was, “Yes”! Nat arrived in his traveling stage and bandstand, Ganzago, the last week of May to begin the process of creating Fox and Beggar’s newest show, “The Paper Operetta”.
Over the next week more members of the ensemble arrived from all over the country. Portland, New Orleans, Chicago, and of course, Minneapolis. Tents were pitched to house the crew. The Acreage’s Gallery kitchen became the community’s base camp for meals, meetings, and rehearsals. The story line, score, and script were rapidly coming together.
Puppet production was moved to the Greenhouse for freedom of space and ability to make a controlled mess. The production team worked into the night every day to make the life-sized cardboard puppets. The “paper operetta” story line leveraged the simplicity of using cardboard for the 2-D design allowing the team to quickly fabricate and paint the puppets.
June weather in the upper Midwest can be fickle. June also kicks off mosquito season. This year offered a menagerie of precipitation and a fierce mosquito hatch. Both, a consistent companion day and night. Despite of incessant rain, including a near catastrophic puppet melt down following one night’s downpour, the Fox and Beggar troupe persevered. After three short weeks, the score, the script, the puppets, and set were ready for their first performance of “The Puppet Operetta”! To have a stage ready show in that time frame is a truly impressive feat.
The night of the show turned out to be a perfect evening. Even the unruly mosquitos seemed to calm down. The forecast suggested a clear night. The gates were opened, and guests began to arrive, picnic baskets and blankets in arm. By showtime the lawn surrounding the stature of Venus by the pond was filled with laughter and joyful anticipation. It was obvious most of the audience knew what to expect from a Fox and Beggar performance and were eagerly awaiting the magic to begin.
Throughout their three-week residency the Acreage was exposed to the music, glimpsed the puppets being created, and caught a few moments of rehearsal. We had an idea of what was coming, yet wasn’t sure what to expect from the troupe.
Not seeing a Fox and Beggar production prior, we were unprepared for the exuberant energy, wit, humor, and incredibly high production quality. The audience was delirious, even delighted by the show. The forecast showed no rain, but it came anyway. Even a mid-production downpour that temporarily halted the show did little to subtract from the experience. Based on the smiling faces in the audience, the show was a hit. To put this together in three weeks is incredible.
The evening ended with a celebratory dance party in the Gallery accompanied by music from The Gentleman’s Anti-Temperance League. The cast mingled with guests, dancing well into the morning hours. A fitting end to a beautiful experience at The Acreage.
Bravo, Fox and Beggar. Bravo! We hope to see you again soon.
