Punch 2011
“…funny, fantastical, and slightly freakish…”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer
A radical reimagining of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. From Italian street theater to the Ballets Russes, from The Punch and Judy Show to The Simpsons, the commedia characters are part of our culture – high and low. Miller Rothlein plays with those archetypes, turning Pulcinella into a joy-tinged grotesquerie. Composer Zeena Parkins joins Miller Rothlein as they use microphone, whammy pedals, and eggs to playfully scandalize.
Premiere: 4/21/2011 Philadelphia International Festival of Arts, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA
Concept and Direction: Amanda Miller and Tobin Rothlein
Choreography: Amanda Miller
Video and Visual Design: Tobin Rothlein
Composer: Zeena Parkins after Igor Stravinsky after Giambattista Pergolesi
Lighting Design: James Clotfelter
Costume Design: Maggie Baker
Costume Construction: Natalia de la Torre
Dramaturgy: Tobin Rothlein
Production Manager: James Clotfelter
Sound Engineer: Ben Riesman
Original Cast: Dana Dlugosz, Amanda Miller, Paul Struck, Andre Zachery, and Caleb and Malcolm McCreary
Music Performed by:
William Winant – tympani, concert bass drum, crotales, junk metal, marimba
Kristin Slipp and Gabrielle Herbst – vocals
Zeena Parkins – harp, accordion, keyboards, electronic processing
Sara Perkins and Jeff Gauthier – violins
Maggie Parkins – cello
Music Production:
Preshish Moments: MAX programming
Quentin Chiapetta/Medianoise: recording and mixing in Brooklyn
The Norman Conquest: recording in Oakland
Jeff Gauthier/Studio Cyptogrammaphone: recording in LA
Commissioned by the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA)
Co-Produced by Mariene de la Cruz and Lee Snyder
“Punch challenges us to ask why we are so attracted to such an often malevolent, rebellious figure… Miller and Rothlein embrace the zany spirit of commedia dell’arte, but also… inject[...] gender parity through strong, alluring women who are the physical equals of the male characters.” —Broad Street Review
“It’s not usually done… they embraced the freedom to fashion something completely different.” –Bucks County Courier Times
Electronic Supporting Materials
