Carter Family Marionettes

May 25, 9:32 AMSeattle Events ExaminerNadine Bedford

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Marionettes, with their wooden yet detailed expressions, fascinate some and intimidate others. They have been a global entertainment staple amongst children and adults for centuries dating all the way back to 2000 B.C. in Egypt. Over the past several decades marionettes have made their way to television through the hit show Howdy Doody and films including The Sound of Music and Team America: World Police.

In keeping with traditional Sicilian “Opera dei Pupi” form, the Carter Family creates whimsical worlds for marionettes to play and dance in. The three-foot tall hand-carved marionettes are painted in beautiful colors and decorated in lavish costumes.

The Carters have been professional puppeteers since 1976 and trained with master puppeteers of Romania, Sicily and China. They have presented their plays in five different languages across the world from Scotland to Uzbekistan and been awarded the “UNIMA/USA Citation of Excellence,” which is the highest award in American puppet theater, for three of their productions.

Having founded the Northwest Puppet Center in 1986 in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle, the Carter family presents puppetry through the seasons with over 250 performances done by themselves and selected guest artists each year.

For one day only the Carter family is bringing their award-winning traditional style to Experience Music Project’s Sky Church. On Saturday, May 30 at 1pm and again at 3:30pm, “The Knight and the Mermaid” will enchant audiences with its lavish fantasy-filled story of jousting knights, a lovely mermaid, a witch, a magic turkey and Snori-Bori the dragon. Tickets are free with museum admission.

The art of marionettes and puppetry is one of the oldest forms of entertainment with traditional styles still going strong. Experience true masters of marionettes as The Carter Family Marionettes presents “The Knight and the Mermaid” at EMP.

For more info: 
EMP

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The Muppets Exhibition at EMP