“The Bremen Town Musicians" at the German American Heritage Center -- December 16.
Saturday, December 16, 1 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
With their show's creation supported in part by an Arts Dollars grant from Quad City Arts, the talents of West Liberty, Iowa's Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre bring their family-friendly gifts to Davenport's German American Heritage Center on December 16, the delightful presentation The Bremen Town Musicians accompanied by live music and held in conjunction with a finger-puppet-making workshop following the performance.
In this version of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairytale, Till Eulenspiegel’s donkey retires and makes common cause with a bluesy hound, a rockin’ rooster, and a jazzy cat. Ober the course of their adventure, they outsmart two “granny scammers” caught taking advantage of their former owners, settle in an abandoned cottage, and take their musical act to the streets of Bremen Town. The Brothers Grimm first published this tale in the second edition of Kinder-und Hausmärchen in 1819, with its saga, based on the account of the German storyteller Dorothea Viehmann, and Eulenspiegel's production will be performed with live music – guitar, piano, and singing – by Laura Kittrell and a pair of gifted puppeteers.
Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre was founded in 1974 as a touring puppet troupe. Founding member Monica Leo was joined by Teri Jean Breitbach early in 1975, and the two performed exclusively as a duo until the 1990s, when they began to incorporate musicians and other puppeteers. Eulenspiegel has been active in the Iowa Arts Council’s Artist in the Schools and Communities Program since 1977, and during the 1980s and early '90s, the company was also active in Wyoming’s Artist in Education Program. From 1981 through ‘91, the puppeteers toured on the Iowa Arts Council’s Summer Touring Arts Team, while in 1989, Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Co. was incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt arts organization for the purpose of providing high-quality performances and workshops, educating the public about the art of puppetry, and establishing a regional puppetry center.
Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre presents The Bremen Town Musicians at the German American Heritage Center on December 16, with the 1 p.m. performance followed by a 2:30 p.m. workshop in which family members can create their own finger puppets and take them home. Admission is free but reservations are required, and more information is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
