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The Mermaid Time - Artist Highlight: Alan Syliboy
Alan Syliboy was born and raised in Truro NS, now residing in the Millbrook First Nations community. Alan started drawing at a very young age as a way of comfort in school.
When Alan was a teenager, Shirley Bear was looking for people who could draw in the different native communities. Shirley heard about Alan’s talents and sought to enroll him in an art program in New England.
The program was a 3-week intensive and included working under various artists in Salem and New Hampshire. Alan ventured back to the Maritimes (and Maine at times) to work with native communities learning different artistic mediums. We love Alan’s work and look forward to working with him.
Learn more: http://www.alansyliboy.ca/about/
Photos retrieved from: http://www.alansyliboy.ca/drum-series/
The Mermaid Times - Artist Highlight: Darian
Darian is a true Maritimer, born and raised in HRM. He loves creating, producing, and perfecting music that is compelling and engaging for his audiences. His inspiration to jump into the music industry came from listening to his friend’s freestyle sessions back in 2015. Since then, he has worked on multiple songs, created music videos, and performed at venues in Halifax.
Darian is a graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor’s of Sociology and Anthropology. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree at Acadia University in Divinity. His music has not taken a backseat throughout his educational career, as he still works on creating extraordinary music in his free time.
Listen to his music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnyMWdJT8keBuP4om0Bl_Xg/videos
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/Darian-100700947976672
The Mermaid Times - Artist Highlight: Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire is an accomplished, award-winning jazz singer, arranger, record producer, and voice actress – she is everything. Emilie-Claire has won two Junos and nominated for six in recent years. She combines pop and jazz to create her unique and recognizable sound.
Not only can Emilie-Claire sing, but she has done voice acting for Total Drama, Almost Naked Animals, and 6teen. Voice acting has allowed Emilie-Claire to stretch her muscles in new ways, finding new parts of her voice that translate well to singing.
Learn more: http://emilieclairebarlow.com/about/#more
The Mermaid Times - Artist Highlight: Zamani
ANSMA 2020 Rising Star Award Winner performers her smooth R&B original composition, I Wish.
Zamani is a phenomenal singer/songwriter with emotionally raw music that explores important themes of female identity, social marginalization, and relationships.
Zamani has performed at world-class music events in the US, Caribbean and Europe. Locally, she has performed at numerous events including the ECMAs, Nova Scotia Music Week, Halifax Natal Day Concert in the commons, and TD Jazz Festival.
She is an accomplished artist receiving ANSMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year Award, Jongleur Youth Arts Award, Atlantic Film Festival Award for Best Atlantic Original Score, ANSMA Rising Star Award, and the list goes on.
Learn more: http://www.zamanimusic.ca/about-zamani/
The Mermaid Times - Artist Highlight: Riit
Riit is from Panniqtuq, Nunavut. She creates beautiful Inuktitut lyrics with an electropop twist. Her soulful music and powerful songs resonate deeply with audiences.
In Riit’s debut album are themes of forgiveness, the past and how it relates to the present, and personal disconnection. She also has a few selections on her album paying homage to several brilliant songwriters from Nunavut.
Riit is a nominee for two categories at this year's Western Canadian Music Awards: Indigenous Artist of the Year and Pop Artist of the Year.
Learn more: https://www.riitmusic.com/about
Listen to her music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/51rJGI9Wto6CZqOqLStQxO?si=H05NOYWmTkeGLsFzkm5z_w
The Mermaid Times - Artist Highlight: Tim Myles
"End of The Road" pays tribute to the Indigenous womxn, girls, and two-spirits who have gone missing or have been murdered on Yellowhead Highway 16.
Tim Myles: actor, director, and writer extraordinaire. The incredibly talented Tim Myles received Media Arts Festival imagiNATIVE award 2020 and the LIFT Mentorship Grant from Toronto Film School. An incredible feat for the young Mi’kmaq artist born in St. Bernard’s-Jacques Fontaine Newfoundland.
The grant will help develop Myles’ short film Little Bird, a semi-autobiographical story about an Indigenous man who has just lost his mother and finds the strength within his family while processing the grief.
Myles’s recent project End of the Road, a music video for the Crown Lands, is a tribute to all the missing and murdered Indigenous women that takes place on the Highway of tears (linked above).
For more information: https://www.torontofilmschool.ca/blog/tfs-grad-tim-myles-named-recipient-of-2020-imaginenative-lift-mentorship-grant/
The Mermaid Times: Puppet History - From Mermaid Theatre to the Canadian Museum of History
There’s a unique puppet in the Canadian Museum of History that was created here at Mermaid Theatre. Tom Miller (co-founder of Mermaid Theatre) created a "mouth and rod" puppet for the production of Glooscap's People, Madoonak the Stormmaker (remounted as The Wabenaki).
A mouth puppet has a distinguishable mouth that uses flexible materials which allow for manipulation of the puppet’s mouth.
The rod puppet is a puppet that has a rod attached to the limbs and can be manipulated by the puppeteer to move its arms.
If you want to move the other limbs on the puppet, it will require the help of another puppeteer.
Learn more information: https://www.historymuseum.ca/collections/artifact/231833/?media_irn=326260
Pictures retrieved from: https://www.historymuseum.ca/collections/artifact/231833/?media_irn=326260
The Mermaid Times – Artist Highlight: Muzz Marshall
Yvonne "Muzz" Marshall began training in classical music at the age of 7. When she grew older, Marshall turned her attention towards soul and jazz. The talented singer/songwriter has performed with multiple renowned internationally artists like Mavis Staples, Omar Hakim, Martha Reeves, and (fellow Canadian) Rita McNeil.
Her talent doesn’t stop at singing, Muzz Marshall is an actor, teacher, writer. Her song (co-written with husband Coleman Howe) “Never Too Late”, took second place in the Billboard’s 13th Annual Songwriting Competition (2009).
Not only is Muzz Marshall an inspiration on stage, but she also is a dedicated vocal coach; teaching Canada’s up-and-coming musicians.
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/muzzmuzic/
The Mermaid Times - Artist Highlight: The Swinging Belles
The Swinging Belles is a swing band for children hailing from St. John’s, Newfoundland. The band features primary school teachers (and performers) Laura Winter, Erin Power, and guitarist Duane Andrews.
Their unique upbeat style motivates children and parents grooving to swing country and jazz beats. Not only is there singing and dancing in their shows, but interactive storytelling as well!
The band mostly tours around their home province of Newfoundland, but could also be seen in multiple Atlantic provinces, and as far away as France.
In 2016 they won a JUNO award for Children’s Album of the Year - an incredible feat.
For more information, check out: http://www.theswingingbelles.ca/kids-at-heart/about-us/
The Mermaid Times - Blacklight Puppetry
Pictured: scene from Mermaid Theatre’s production of Goodnight Moon, 2012
Blacklight puppetry is one of our favourite forms of theatre. The fluorescent glow on stage beams from the puppets while puppeteers hidden in the darkness manipulates the object which adds an element of magic and life-like movement to the story.
This creates and immersive world; easy to get lost in a dream-like wonderland.
Innovative blacklight theatre is a delicate process and requires a trained fluorescent painter. The fluorescent painter paints the puppets under blacklight to ensure proper colour pigmentation. If you were to paint fluorescent paint in regular lighting, it will impact the desired colour outcome when used under blacklight theatre. To ensure the quality and integrity of the colour, it must be painted under the special UV-blacklight.
At Mermaid Theatre, we have a studio space dedicated to painting under blacklight - which is unique. Did you ever think Mermaid’s process was so complex? Immense amount of design and detail goes into a single puppet or prop used in our blacklight live stage adaptations.
Have you seen another blacklight theatre production? Let us know!
The Mermaid Times - Origin of Puppets
There is a vibrant and rich culture about the origins of puppets, but conflicting theories still persist. It is hard to pinpoint the exact geneses of puppets and puppeteering due to many influences from several different cultures.
German Richard Pischel (1849-1908) an Indologist, believes they originate from India. The Sanskrit names “sutradhara” meaning he who holds the strings, and “sutraprota” meaning puppet (Union Internationle de La Marrionette - UNIMA).
Another theory suggested by researchers Hermann Reich (1868-1934) and Berthold Laufer (1874-1934), believe there is a dominant Greek culture influence (UNIMA).
Originally puppets were not used as entertainment pieces as they are in some performances seen today, however they were more commonly used for religious/ceremonious purposes, or as ancient idols.
Learn more information (click here) : https://wepa.unima.org/en/origins-of-the-puppet/
Know any other origin stories of puppets? Let us know!
The Mermaid Times - Puppetry & Opera
Combining large-scale puppetry and opera is no easy feat. But leave it to Composer, Philip Glass, Director Phelim McDermott (co-founder of Improbable Theatre), and Associate Director/Set Designer Julian Crouch to re-stage the 1980 version of Satyagraha (April 2008 premiere at The Met; 2018 LA Opera) - a production that has toured the world.
“Satyagraha (Sanskrit for “truth force”) is inspired by Gandhi’s early years in South Africa, where he developed his groundbreaking ideas about nonviolent political resistance. A visually stunning presentation—starring fast-rising tenor Sean Panikkar as Gandhi—links past, present and future to illuminate a powerful meditation on the lasting effects of human goodness.” - LA Opera
Satyagraha Opera (LA Opera) 2018 excerpts Click the link for video highlights.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, produced by the Dutch National Opera is another example of how puppetry can enhance operatic storytelling. The extraordinary vision of bringing new life to opera through the art of puppetry is striking, especially with Julian Crouch (Set/Costume Designer).
Designer, Julian Crouch excerpts Click the link for video highlights.
The Mermaid Times - Jenny Rogers
Jenny Rogers - Sophie’s Choice; www.sophiepress.com
Artist in Residence - Jenny Rogers
We are thrilled to have had the pleasure of hosting artist and creative powerhouse, Jenny Rogers - Mermaid Theatre Artist in Residence at Mermaid’s Loft space for her upcoming project, “Sophie’s Gift” - an exploratory puppetry piece based on Roger’s written and illustrated work. After Jenny’s experience as a “Mermaid Lofter”, she assessed her project with beautiful drawings and articulated her process in a clever and approachable way. Click here to read her full project experience at Mermaid.
Jenny is a recent MFA graduate from the University of Michigan. Roger’s whimsical book can be purchased here https://www.sophiepress.com
About Mermaid’s Loft Residency Program
The primary goal of the Mermaid Theatre Loft Residency is to create a professional development opportunity for emerging and established professionals that is considered unique in Canadian theatre. Participants, with an interest in developing new work, or improve existing work, rooted in object and visual theatre, are encouraged to apply. Mermaid Theatre will provide access to all our facilities including the Loft Space, as well as, access to all Mermaid Theatre personnel who will engage in relevant discussions regarding the specifics of each project. Mentoring will be provided in puppetry manipulation and construction, set and prop design and construction, play development, dramaturgy, organizational planning, administration, and touring.
If you are interested in this program please send us a project proposal and residency dates by clicking here: Contact Us.
The Mermaid Times - Janie Geiser
Image of Janie Geiser - www.janiegeiser.com
Artist Spotlight - Janie Geiser
The Mermaid Times - We realize how important it is to connect with our community and fans even when Mermaid’s puppet factory and theatre are on pause. This is a place for sharing. An outlet for creative speech, puppet chat, working artists, emerging talent, rising stars, mentees, mentors, puppet masters, hopefuls, interested folks, company spotlights, artist features, professionals, and community members both at home and abroad. Most importantly, we’d love to hear from you.
Today, I’d like to feature one of my professors and puppet mentors, Janie Geiser. Janie Geiser is an active puppetry performance artist and filmmaker. She was recently recognized by the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Visit Janie’s amazing creations at www.janiegeiser.com/
-Danny Everson, Executive Director - Mermaid Theatre
From the National Gallery of Art - “A multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes performance, film, installation, puppetry, and painting, Janie Geiser, from the School of Theater, CalArts, and internationally recognized films are known for their recontextualization of abandoned images and objects, their embrace of artifice, and sense of suspended time. In this illustrated talk delivered on May 11, 2019, Geiser explores her most recent films and performances with an emphasis on her collaborative processes and methodologies.”
Learn about Janie Geiser’s Work: “‘Ghost Algebra”;