A unique puppet show titled ‘Flogg and Schlepp’ by Kestrel Puppet Players is set to take the stage, bringing a local poem to life through the art of puppetry.
A final rehearsal took place last Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
The show, directed by Rose Scott, is based on a work by Anthony Foliot, affectionately known as the Snowking or the Versifier, from his publication “Liar, Liar Versifier.”
“I’ve always wanted to do a puppet show of one of Tony’s poems because our mandate is to do local stories or original works,” said Scott.
The project, which will take place at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) and was initially planned prior to the Covid epidemic, is finally coming to fruition with performances scheduled for March 22 and 23.
The script is a collaborative effort with Kira Hall, a Yellowknife native and professional performer in Toronto, said Scott, emphasizing the strong local connection.
The show promises a 45-minute journey of fun and local storytelling, highlighting the community’s fabric.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the team’s passion for puppetry didn’t wane. Scott, who crafted the puppets and set, said, “It does take time because you had to build the puppets… We all have other jobs or other things that we’re doing.”
With the pandemic restrictions now a year behind them, she believes ‘Flogg and Schlepp’ will stand as a beacon of the community’s resilience and creativity.
Rosanna Strong, one of the puppeteers, also one of the founders of Kestrel Puppet Players, said the show narrates the story of a bingo heist led by the main characters, James T. Flogg and Nathaniel Schlepp.
“They are the sort of the con men trying to figure out how to do a super bingo heist and so they have all sorts of adventures along the way,” she said.
The group has been rehearsing in a space provided by the Aurora Dancers and will soon move to NACC for the final touches.
Reflecting on the past decade, Strong said, “It’s been a real great pleasure and a real great journey and learning along the way.”
Jennifer Stranart, another puppeteer in the production, also expressed her enthusiasm.
“It’s incredibly fun, and it’s also quite challenging because you need to not act. You need to put all of your intention and all of what you would normally do projecting outward from the stage into your puppet so that it’s the puppet doing the acting,” she said, adding that practising is the key.