Internationally Acclaimed Cashore Marionettes “Life in Motion” November 6, 2011

Lakewood Cultural Center presents

Internationally Acclaimed Cashore Marionettes “Life in Motion”

Unmatched in artistry, grace and refinement of movement, the internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes redefine the art of puppetry with “Life in Motion” presented by the Lakewood Cultural Center at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 6 in the intimate 316-seat theater, 470 S. Allison Parkway at Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue. Adult tickets are $18 and are available by calling 303-987-7845, going online at www.Lakewood.org or visiting the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office. Senior, student and group discounts available. Free parking on-site.

This full-length performance by the Cashore Marionettes is a celebration of life: a series of scenes taken from everyday life and set to the beautiful music of Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss and Copland and delivered with a simplicity that expresses the essence of the moment. “Life in Motion” is a powerful, entertaining, surprising, theatrically satisfying, one-of-a-kind evening for adults and young adults.

Joseph Cashore created his first marionette from clothespins, wood, string and a tin can at the age of 11. It was while playing with this puppet that he was startled by the sudden but momentary sensation that the puppet was alive. This illusion had nothing to do with the appearance of the marionette and everything to do with the quality of the movement. After graduation from college, Mr. Cashore made his second marionette and thought he would try to make a puppet that could sustain and extend that sensation of being alive. For the next 19 years, while pursuing a career in oil painting, Mr. Cashore experimented with the construction of the marionettes and devised totally new control mechanisms. During the late 1980s, Mr. Cashore had a breakthrough. He had always admired Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” and decided to make a puppet that would convincingly “play” the violin solo note for note. “It seemed almost impossible to get the quality of movement that I wanted,” Mr. Cashore explains. “But once I began to solve the technical problems and gain subtle control of the marionette body, I saw that there was the possibility for greater depth of expression with the marionettes.” That puppet, Maestro Janos Zelinka, was the turning point in Mr. Cashore’s career and became the impetus for his present productions. More information is available at www.cashoremarionettes.com.

The 2011-2012 Lakewood Cultural Center Presents season is generously supported by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), with appreciation to the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District,Colorado Creative Industries, to promote, support and expand the creative industries that drive Colorado’s economy, Sheraton Denver West and The Denver Post Community, improving and enriching the lives of those in our community.