How Did You Get Here
(2016 - 2019)
A series of miniature autobiographical puppet shows, each created with and performed by the person who is answering the question “How did you get here?”.
They were been shared in a series of workshop performances at Curly Willow Farm in Grindrod (Runaway Moon’s home), Merlin’s Sun home theatre in Victoria, and at a Festival of Suitcase Theatre in Salmon Arm and Hornby Island.
The stories exist both individually and as part of the series.
Miniature Autobiographical puppet shows in suitcases.
Artistic Director, storytelling facilitator and co-designer: Cathy Stubington
Assistant story facilitator: Lorna Tureski
Technical support: Tim Gosley
Assistant directors: Tim Gosley and James Fagan Tait
Design support: Molly March
Festival Stage Manager: Dalynn Kearney
Thanks to the BC Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts
Suitcase Theatre Festival 2019
Twenty-five of the suitcase shows, including several from Victoria, were brushed up to be ready for a weekend festival in Salmon Arm. There were stories in shops, a gallery, a community centre, and a seniors’ residence. It was a wonderful and successful experiment and there were 115 individual presentations!
Runaway Moon’s past community plays have been huge in scale and scope; while they have all been wonderful, they have required an enormous amount of energy. The festival had many of the qualities of a community play while being far less exhausting for the core group.
Artistic Process
People from all walks of life answered “How did you Get Here?” each with a different interpretation of the question. The question has been interpreted in the context of a story of their own life, or of a previous generation, or of a multi-generation sweep, or of how they came to be making the puppet show in the here and now. We developed a questioning and listening system, which helped bring out interesting detail while remaining verbatim.
This variety resulted in an immense variety of storytelling styles.
Each show was co designed with the storyteller, finding a unique way to tell it based on both the teller and the tale! with the consistent parameters of everything coming out of (and going back into) a single suitcase. There were puppet shows, object manipulation, a lighting extravaganza. Two were musicals. There were hand puppets, rod puppets, marionettes, flat paper puppets. One suitcase contained very special clothing.
Many of the shows have a life of their own, being performed at family gatherings large and small, at various fundraising events, and in classrooms.