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The Puppetmaster of Lodz Opens Mum's 2004-2005 Evening Series

For Immediate Release: October 8, 2004

Philadelphia, PA – Five years after World War II has ended, a lone escaped prisoner from Auschwitz continues to hide from the enemy. Following his escape on Liberation Day, Finkelbaum, a puppetmaster, has been in hiding in an attic, convinced that reports of the war's end are merely a ruse to lure out and capture Jews in hiding. Over the years, he slowly tries to regain all he has lost—his wife, family, friends and home—by rebuilding them as puppets. Touching, funny, poignantly human and ultimately uplifting, The Puppetmaster of Lodz is one man's story of overcoming tragedy with hope and love.

The production runs October 26th through November 20th. Opening Night is Wednesday, November 3rd at 7pm. Preview ticket prices range from $1 to $6, and tickets to performances after opening are $25. Performances take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, and Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm.

The production features Tobias Segal in the lead role, supported by Alana Gerlach, Robert Heath and Arnold Kendall. Segal was last seen at Mum in the multiple-Barrymore-Award-winning Equus, for which he received the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play.

The story takes place in Finkelbaum's attic hiding place, which is visually represented by a simple chalk outline on the floor. "Other productions of this play in the past have used elaborate sets to make it clear that he was in an attic," explains Mum Artistic Director Robert Smythe, who also directed the piece. "We decided that simplifying things would make his reality much clearer to the audience. For the duration of the play, Finkelbaum literally stays within the boundaries of the chalk outline. It really conveys to the audience the sense that he is trapped within the space."

Contrary to the attic's simple design, the puppets Finkelbaum painstakingly creates are fully and elaborately realized onstage. Nearly 80 individual puppets were built for the production, representing the people closest to Finkelbaum whom he lost during the war. The audience even watches as Segal literally continues to build puppets onstage as Finkelbaum. Indeed, the actor assisted in creating many of those used in the production.

In addition to Smythe and the actors, the artistic team consists of set designers Martina Plag and Brian Jones, costume designer Susan Smythe, lighting designer James Murphy and sculptor/puppet builder Steven Layne. Mirroring Finkelbaum's efforts to build puppets and a puppet theatre solely out of the objects he has available to him, the designers built the sets and props largely out of found objects. Bottle caps, burnt-out light bulbs, spicket handles, old doorknobs, bits of wire, lamp parts, fan blades and more were all used to create the amazing world Finkelbaum inhabits.

Smythe feels that the play is timely and relevant today. "It's never not time to remember the Holocaust. There are some people who think that in this day and age, we all know everything we need to know about it. And yet so many people, especially members of Generations X and Y, don't know the details about what took place. This show tells one individual's story, which brings something as monumental as the Holocaust to an intimate, personal level."

Join Mum for Coffee and Conversation nights on Wednesdays, October 27th and November 10th and 17th. These post-show discussions include refreshments provided by Whole Foods Market and feature scintillating discussions with some of the area's most vibrant professionals. The first Coffee and Conversation will be a Meet and Greet with the cast and creators of the show. Information on guest speakers for the other two evenings will be available at www.mumpuppet.org. Coffee and Conversation evenings are generously sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

Mum Puppettheatre now offers subscriptions! Individuals interested in becoming Mum subscribers can choose from the Evening Series, Family Series and Preview Series ticket options. Subscription prices range from $15 to $60. All tickets single tickets and subscriptions may be purchased at the box office Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm, or by calling 215-925-7686. Tickets can also be ordered online at www.mumpuppet.org. The theatre also offers gift certificates, which make unique presents for all ages.

Mum Puppettheatre makes art that moves, creating theatre beyond the scope of human actors, often without words. We integrate the plastic, visual and performing arts by creating stunning, emotionally compelling and breathtakingly beautiful theatre, using puppets, masks and the human body. Our mission is to collaborate with artists of all disciplines and backgrounds to explore the interdisciplinary nature of puppetry, and share the results with people of all ages, independent of language or culture, on stage, on tour and in the classroom.

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