NACL hosts an exercise in puppetry and imagination

HIGHLAND LAKE, NY — The world premiere of the Grand Falloons’ “Soutine and Singer: A Puppet Trilogy,” a musical theatre performance for all ages based on stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer, will be held at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, November 10 and 11, at the NACL theatre.

The performance is a theatre/puppet show that uses a mixture of physical actors, puppets, original music and a set based on the paintings of the Russian artist Chaim Soutine. The show is directed and adapted by Stephen Ringold, co-founder of The Grand Falloons, based in New York City.

Ringold and Kim Winslow, founders of the Grand Falloons, work for the Big Apple Circus clown care unit, who visit sick and dying children in hospitals.

Isaac Bashevis Singer’s publisher granted the company permission to work with three stories from his “Zlateh the Goat” collection. The scenic element, multi-dimensional landscapes and the puppets are based on the landscapes and portraiture of post-expressionist painter Chaim Soutine. This show will combine the work of these two great, Jewish, 20th century Eastern-European masters with the liturgical influence of Elizabeth Swados’ music, the traditional klezmer foundation in the work of Frank London, composer for the Klezmatics, and the populist instincts of circus and vaudeville. The puppets and sets are designed and constructed by Therese Schorn, Kim Winslow and Deborah Berkson.

The Grand Falloons hope to create a powerful synergy leading to a vital musical theater—populist yet spiritual, emotional yet intellectual.

Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for children. It is also acceptable to pay what you can.