Grant Awarded For Ashland University's Marionette Presentations
The Ashland University Spectrum Series was recently awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Performing Artists on Tour (PennPat) to support its upcoming presentations by THE CASHORE MARIONETTES. Featuring a school matinee performance, a master class and evening public performance on Tuesday, Feb. 28, this project is partially supported by PennPat, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; and The Pew Charitable Trusts; and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
Unmatched in artistry, grace and refinement of movement, the internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes redefine the art of puppetry. The moving and humorous performance has astounded audiences in Europe, the Far East and across North America including stops at the Kennedy Center, Annenberg Center, Kravis Center and many others.
In the performances, Joseph Cashore presents his collection of marionette masterworks. Characters of depth, integrity and humanity are portrayed unlike anything else in theater today. The performances are a series of scenes taken from everyday life and set to beautiful music by composers such as Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss and Copland. Through a combination of virtuoso manipulation, beautiful music, theatrical illusion and artistic insight, the original vignettes provide an entertaining and sensitive vision of what it is to be human while exploring a range of emotions with characters and actions that are amazingly convincing. The marionettes are engineering marvels and the quality of movement is extraordinary. Audience members are promised a powerful, entertaining, surprising, theatrically satisfying, one-of-a-kind performance.
Cashore has received numerous awards for his artistry, including a Pew Fellowship for Performance Art, based upon his artistic accomplishment; a Henson Foundation Grant, an award intended to help promote puppetry to adult audiences; and a Citation of Excellence from the UNIMAUSA,the highest honor an American puppeteer can receive. The Cashore Marionettes are so well conceived and projected, the movement so convincing, the illusion so powerful, that the result is a compelling and unforgettable theatrical experience.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 28 in Hugo Young Theatre, CASHORE MARIONETTES will present "Simple Gifts," a school matinee performance for grades two through eight. A limited number of seats are still available for the matinee at $2 each. Immediately following the school matinee at 10:50 a.m. in the Studio Theatre, Cashore will conduct a master class involving hands-on activities dealing with all aspects of marionette development. The class is free and open to the public. The evening public performance "Life in Motion" begins at 7:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre. Single tickets for the Cashore Marionettes evening performance are $5 for general admission and $2 for Ashland University students. Tickets for the evening performance are now available for purchase through the Ashland University Box Office at 419.289.5125, noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, or online (additional fees apply) at www.ashland.edu/tickets.
Produced by the College of Arts and Sciences, Ashland University’s premiere Spectrum Series has presented internationally recognized figures in the arts for more than 30 years to enhance cultural experiences for the University community and surrounding areas. For more information about the Spectrum Series’ performances and master classes, visit www.ashland.edu/spectrum or contact Tricia Applegate, coordinator of performing arts publicity and events, at 419.289.5950 or tapplega@ashland.edu.
Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.
