I am so excited to announce a new series of photo stories! For the next year I am going to share a behind the scenes look at Carolina Performing Arts. Nearly all of us who live in Chapelboro have had the opportunity to see incredible artistic performances at historic Memorial Hall. But few of us are privy to the hours of long, hard work it takes teams of talented people to bring these performances to life.
 
The first artist I am photographing for this series is Basil Twist, a puppeteer. Most of us are familiar with the age old art of puppetry from childhood. Basil Twist has taken this primal form to an exciting level by combining considerable technical skill with creative use of every possible element. In photographing him, I saw him work with smoke, plastic, light, fans, paper, cloth and, of course, puppeteers to create a dreamlike scene.  I am so excited to see the actual show next spring! He will be here on April 12 and 13th, just in time for my 40th birthday. Yikes!

 


Basil Twist and his crew at Memorial Hall last week during his residency at UNC Chapel Hill.
 


Basil Twist.
 


The crew is made up of puppeteers, UNC staff and students.
Here, they all work together to try to create a tornado of smoke.
 


A member of the crew.
 


Here Twist and the students form a circle of fans to experiment with different methods of combining wind, light and paper.
 


I am so excited to see the finished work. On April 12th and 13th, 2012, he will perform his world-premiere work,
The Rite of Spring, accompanied by a full orchestra in Memorial Hall.

 
Thanks for reading! I am always looking for great photo stories to tell in the Chapelboro area. If you know of someone or something that should be documented please email me at kpophoto@chapelboro.com.

Also, speaking of puppets, the Paperhand Puppet Intervention is starting their 13th summer show on August 10th into September at Forest Theatre on the UNC campus. If you have never seen this amazing spectacle, you must make a point of bringing a picnic dinner, a blanket and enjoying that show.