Free Live shadow play by Fred C. Riley III’s performance of Odd Savy: The Ground
Join us for our monthly ShadowLight program at Red Poppy Art House with Odd Savvy’s performance of “The Ground”!
Odd Savvy’s “The Ground” will feature shadow puppetry and movement performance elements. Come out and get a sneak peek at a brand new show being built for premiere this August. Fred C Riley III will present a short excerpt from his upcoming production, “The Ground.” Afterward, he will walk the audience through the process of creating the work. There will be materials available so everyone can try their hand at making and moving a shadow puppet of their own, or you can try out the puppets from the show.
Appropriate for children and families. Puppet-making supplies and instruction will be provided by ShadowLight.
This program is part of ShadowLight artists in residence at Red Poppy Art House. It is a Free Monthly program with hands-on workshop activities for families on the fourth Sunday of each month.
Featuring Artists:
Fred C. Riley III of Odd Savvy
Sunday, May 26th, 2024
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Admission: FREE and Donation
Click here to RSVP!
This event is appropriate for both children and adults.
Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
This event is free to the public.
Due to limited capacity, RSVP is strongly recommended.
ABOUT ODD SAVVY:
Exploring the edges of narrative and movement is the driving force behind this new theater company.
There is so much in us that is out of the reach of language. So many things our minds can hold that can’t be contained in words. These new works are meant to show the greater essence that unites us all. I am moving past the intellect to an emotional core. I feel that using only the figure's breath and gesture gives me more direct access to an audience’s emotional core. I use as plain a figure as possible to give enough space for everyone to be able to project themselves onto. I have done abstract theater in the past and want to develop that language more deeply. I have found that being emotionally honest while being clear and clean with my movement can be a powerful force in awakening passions in the audience that they didn’t even know were there. I believe there lies potential in puppet theater to touch us with the same mysterious hand that music does. These new works are sonic visual poems.
We can find a direct line to the seeds of the soul in movement.
ABOUT FRED C. RILEY III (Founder/Artistic Director):
In 2023, Fred was the Associate Puppet Designer of Toto for A.C.T.’s The Wizard of OZ and puppet Designer (and trainer) for Shotgun Players’ Wolf Play. He was Puppet Coordinator, Performer, and Puppet Fabricator for Shadowlight Productions’ Sojourner ZY. Fred has worked and toured in the US and internationally. He cast and trained puppeteers in Japan and choreographed puppets for Ping Chong’s Kwadan and Obon. He was the assistant director and performer on the 2019 UNIMA award-winning Feathers of Fire. He has taught puppet theory and manipulation and directed and written for The Center for Puppetry Arts. He is now a core member of Shadowlight Productions and Artistic Director for Driveway Follies (a Halloween marionette review). His movement company, Odd Savvy, was awarded a production grant in 2024 by The Jim Henson Foundation for his new work, The Ground.
Jon Ludwig, Ping Chong, Janie Geiser, Yeng Feng, Josef Krofta, Larry Reed … These are just a few iconic directors Fred worked with and learned from over many years in puppet theater. He has performed marionettes from 9 feet to 7 inches tall. He has performed rod, moving mouth, Czech black, tabletop, mask, and every combination thereof. He has performed shadows with press screens, overhead, and 30-foot wide cinematics. He has directed and written for the Center for Puppetry Arts and many others. He choreographed for Ping Chong and Company. He has taught movement and puppet theory. He has voiced many puppets and has done voice-over work for many companies. He has recorded and done sound design. He is so grateful for all he has been able to do and accomplish.
This next chapter is about using all these skills toward something new and more personal. He wants to work from an emotional core, blending the styles and forms he has learned into a new landscape for the stage. Finding the essence of life force has been the root of all his work for decades. Breathing through these figures to listen rather than to tell.
For more information, visit the project website https://oddsavvy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odd_savvy/
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Red Poppy Art House has partnered up with ShadowLight Productions for free monthly programs by ShadowLight artists for children and families. With instruction and guidance by ShadowLight teaching artists, attendees will be given the opportunity to make a shadow puppet, learn performance techniques, and use our screen and lights to perform their own short plays. This event is appropriate for children ages 3 to 12.
This FREE event creates an opportunity for youth in our neighborhood (Mission), who may otherwise not be able to attend such an event for lack of funds, to have access to art education with high-caliber teaching artists. By providing an opportunity to watch, interact, and play, we are encouraging participation and engagement with a vital storytelling art form. Storytelling is an important skill; it helps us to understand ourselves and one another, encouraging empathy.