1989

PROJECT GRANTS

Brewery Puppet Troupe – Little Davis & Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
Two pieces based on African and African-American folktales as part of a Third World puppet theater residency. ($2,500)

Center for Puppetry Arts – The Comet Opera
A work by Suzy Ferris based on her two-dimensional paper reliefs, directed by Jon Ludwig. ($3,000)

Czech Black Light Theatre – Full Pocket
A new phase of Jitka Exler’s black light theater production addressing the social problems of the day. ($1,500)

Janie Geiser – Stories from Here
An evening of two pieces: The House, an original work by Janie and Neill Bogan & The Fish, based on the Russell Banks story. ($3,000)

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater – The Invisible Child
A piece based on one of the Moomin Stories by Scandinavian author/illustrator Tove Jansson. ($3,000)

New Dramatists – Writing for Puppets Workshop
A workshop for playwrights on writing for puppets led by Jon Ludwig and Janie Geiser. ($2,500)

Jon and Irina Niculescu – The Seasons of the Foal
An expanded American version of Irina Niculescu’s original work about growing up and the journey through life. ($3,000)

Roman Paska – Untitled
A “little mental drama” based on Jan Potocki’s Saragossa manuscript about a character trapped within his own imagination. ($3,000)

Sandglass Theater – The Village Child
An investigation into the spirit of a child who speaks with nature, designed for a cast of two. ($3,000)

Terry Snyder – Voyage to Lilliput
A show without words for two puppeteers and an onstage actor. ($2,000)

Eugene O’Neill Theater Center – The Institute for Professional Puppetry Arts
A continuation of the Professional Puppetry Seminar Series, including a week of master classes at MIT. ($2,000)

Underground Railway Theater – Home is Where
An ensemble production using puppetry and masks to depict the experience of homeless people in modern America. ($1,500)

“When I first became interested in puppetry, I found that the community that existed was like an extended family. While it was international in scope, everyone seemed to know everyone, and also seemed to be quite supportive of each other and of the newcomers, like me, who were venturing into contemporary puppet theater. The Henson Foundation stands at the center of that exponentially expanding community, and offered me vital support early in my career, as it continues to do for both emerging and established artists.”

– Janie Geiser