Victory Gardens Theater On Stage

Hard Headed Heart

Hard Headed Heart
July 8 – August 8, 2010
Richard Christiansen Theater

By Blair Thomas

Blair Thomas, Chicago’s most acclaimed puppet master, returns this summer with Hard Headed Heart, a wonderful trio of interconnected solo shows including:

The Puppet Show of Don Cristobal – Based on the bawdy script by Federico Garcia Lorca, this play, performed with wooden hand puppets and a drum kit, is a humorous retelling of the traditional trickster Cristobal’s wooing and marriage to the delectable Dona Rosita.

St. James Infirmary – Based on the traditional New Orleans folksong, this is a clever, romantic show performed with rod marionettes, a motorized paper scroll and a one-man pit band.

The Blackbird – Based on Wallace Stevens’ poem “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” The Blackbird is an engaging, inventive shadow puppet show performed on a set of four rolling paper scrolls, lit entirely by lamplight.

“the technique and commitment on display is nothing short of staggering.”
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

Ticket Price: $25 all performances

Sponsors:
Blair Thomas & Co. acknowledges support from the Alphawood Foundation, Arts Work Fund, The Boeing Company, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The MacArthur fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Jentes Family Foundation, Ilinois Arts Council -- A State Agency, and the Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation.

About
Cast/Creative Team
Performance Schedule
Press/Reviews
Photos

For anyone who loves the performing arts, Blair Thomas & Co. provides magical theatrical experiences and illuminating connections to unique cultural traditions by combining live music, narrative literature and handcrafted objects.

As co- founder of the highly successful Redmoon Theater, Blair spent a decade leading a vision to create large-scale spectacle theater. He was the principal creator behind all of its productions, parades and pageants, including Frankie & Johnny, Moby Dick, Frankenstein, the Winter Pageant, and the All Hallow's Eve Halloween parade until he left in 1998. Blair then served as co-curator for both of Chicago's International Puppet Festivals in 2000 and 2001 and became an Associate Adjunct Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In 2002, Blair founded Blair Thomas & Co. to create a distinctive Chamber Puppet Theater. With the company, Blair has toured to Boston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix, Madison, Bloomington, Mexico, and Spain, and has built a repertoire of work for adults and for children. He was awarded the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for New Performance in 2002 and 2004, and was hand-picked to serve in the inaugural position of Jim Henson Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland in College Park for the 2006-07 academic year. For more information, visit blairthomas.org.

Blair Thomas (Adapter/Puppet Design/Performer) most recently completed a 7 stop neighborhood tour of Hard Headed Heart last fall, which culminated in a sold-out performance at the Richard Christiansen Theater. Victory Gardens’ audiences also know Blair as co-creator of the theater’s smash hit holiday musical The Snow Queen with folk music legend Michael Barrow Smith and director Frank Galati. Last fall he conceived, designed and directed The Ox-Herder’s Tale, a Buddhist parable and Cabaret of Desire, a staging of six short works by Federico Garcia Lorca. For the past few years he has been performing an original adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant that he and Michael Smith created for Chicago Children’s Theater. His other recent credits include A Rabbit’s Tale, a puppet pantomime staged to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, and Master Pedro’s Puppet Show with Chicago Opera Theater. Currently, Blair is developing a stage adaptation of Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick as a chamber puppet cantata. He has also been commissioned by Chicago Children’s Theater to develop an adaptation of award winning Brian Selznick’s book Houdini’s Box for production in January 2010. Blair, a graduate of Oberlin College, is currently an adjunct Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Dawn Akelis (Stage Manager) has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Directing from Millikin University and was awarded the Professional Intern Program for Stage Management at The Julliard School, NY. Her professional career in Stage Management has led her to work with The Red Kite Project, Chicago Children’s Theater, Blair Thomas & Co., American Girl Theatre, The Goodman Theater, R.Ed.I. Arts and Education Foundation along with other Chicago theatres and projects.

Performanc Schedule

July 8 - August 8, 2010
Thursday at 8 pm; Friday at 9 pm; Saturday at 6 and 9 pm; Sunday at 4 pm
Please note there is no 6pm performance on Saturday July 24 and the evening performance will start at 10pm.
There is also no performance on Sunday, July 25.
Press Opening is Friday, July 9 at 9 pm

Reviews

“...the technique and commitment on display is nothing short of staggering."
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

Please check back for more press coverage closer to the first performance.

Hard Headed Heart Photo Gallery