My Grandfather's Prayers

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1 Lisa Sturz / Red Herring Puppets CONTACT Lisa Sturz 130 Lynn Cove Road Asheville NC Project Budget Grant Request $28,000 $7,000 PAST GRANTS AWARDED 2000 Seed (1k) - Still Life 1991 Project (1k) - Facing Both Ways lisa@redherringpuppets.com redherringpuppets.com 501 (c)(3): Jewish Community Center of Asheville My Grandfather's Prayers My Grandfather s Prayers is based on the life of Cantor Izso Glickstein ( ), a Jewish Ukrainian prodigy who finds his way to Boston where his powerful voice expresses the passion and determination of a people holding on to faith and tradition through the violent diaspora of the twentieth century. The show employs shadow puppets, scrolling backgrounds, marionettes, and poetic text to accompany the rich musical journey. VIDEO SAMPLE Title: My Grandfather's Prayers 9/11/16 Artists: Lisa Sturz, creator, designer, builder, puppeteer Rebecca Williams, director Emily Bader, puppeteer, sketch artist Description: The video contains footage from our recent presentation of the work-in-progress at the Asheville JCC. This is not a polished performance quality video, but a good indication of where the piece is heading. PRODUCTION

2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: My Grandfather s Prayers is an adult puppet production based on the life of Cantor Izso Glickstein ( ), a Jewish Ukrainian prodigy who settles in Boston where his powerful voice expresses the passion and determination of a people holding on to faith and tradition through the violent diaspora of the twentieth century. The story is told from the point of view of his granddaughter Lisa Sturz, a professional puppeteer, coming to terms with her own Jewish identity, spirituality, and responsibility to promote moral and social justice. Performances will include a facilitated discussion on relevant themes such as thriving in the face of adversity, secular ambition vs. religious devotion, the imprint of our ancestors, anti-semitism, cultural identity vs. faith, refugees in crisis and their inherent gifts, and the power of art to connect, differentiate and transcend. The stage is set with a Torah Ark for the toy theatre where most of the action takes place. Lisa brings out a Torah which transforms into a scrolling background. It is painted with transparent watercolors and lit from behind. Articulated shadow puppets animate the story. There are additional arched shadow screens on either side of the Ark. Handheld images of backlit photographic transparencies in various shapes (Jewish star, heart, commandments) travel through the performance area. At times, the action moves in front with 3D Czech-style marionettes. An essential component of the production is the soundtrack. It contains extant recordings of Chazzan Glickstein from the 1920 s, rhymed narration, dialogue, Opera, ancient Hebrew chants, Jewish folk music, and sound effects. As the narrative unfolds, Izso s soulful voice brings us back to a 19 th century Ukrainian shtetl. At age eight, the young boy is kidnapped and brought to a synagogue twenty kilometers away to sing for the High Holidays. He is returned days later with two hundred rubles. When their snug village of Kishinev is ravaged by the first Russian pogrom, the family of seven flees on foot to the outskirts of Budapest. There, Izso accepts the patronage of a wealthy admirer to pursue piano and vocal training. After graduating from the prestigious Academy of Music, he is recruited by the Hungarian Opera Company as their lead tenor and performs in most major European cities. He is exposed to a high level of art and culture, unimagined by a young man from the Pale. He secretly marries a gentile opera singer with whom he fathers a son. His father threatens to disown him if he does not abandon his secular life. As he figuratively drops this bomb, Hungary enters the First World War. The stage turns into a battlefield and the lovers are separated. After the war, Izso is appointed Chief Cantor at the Dohany Synagogue, the largest in Europe with a congregation of over 12,000 worshippers. Amid growing anti-semitism and financial instability, Izso accepts a position at Temple Mishkin Tefilah in Boston where he becomes a musical legend recording for Victor and Columbia records, singing for a weekly radio program, and mentoring young students including Leonard Bernstein. Izso volunteers at area hospitals, becomes head of the New England Cantor s Association, works with Zionist causes, and organizes humanitarian relief efforts. He marries his first cousin and fathers three children, but longs for his lost love and lives a complex double life. Grateful for the opportunity to be an American citizen, Izso helps Jewish emigrants find solace through sacred song.

3 MY GRANDFATHER'S PRAYERS: EXPENSES CONSULTANTS 1750 LABOR Rehearsal Director -Rebecca Research & Development 2500 Puppet/set Construction 3600 MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT 3900 Puppet Supplies 1500 Lighting 300 Research Materials 500 Projector & Camera 1600 SOUNDTRACK 3700 Vocal & Music Performers 2000 Archival access & permissions 500 Recording Studio 1200 PUBLICITY 1850 Photgraphy & Video 1250 Postcards & Press kits 300 postage 300 Administrative 1500 Travel 1500 Office Supplies 500 Rehearsal Space 1000 Misc TOTAL EXPENSES INCOME FOUNDATIONS Henson Foundation 7000 Amy Mandel/Katina Rhodes 5000 Centennial 7500 SPONSORS 2500 Asheville Puppetry Alliance 1000 Individuals 1500 PERFORMANCE FEES Booking & Ticket Fees 5000 IN-KIND 1000 Rehearsal Space 1000 TOTAL INCOME 28000

4 BIOGRAPHY:. Red Herring Puppets, is an UNIMA award winning national touring company based in Asheville North Carolina. They collaborate with schools, theaters, libraries, feature films, opera, symphonies, museums, and special events. Lisa Aimee Sturz, Artistic Director, has been a professional puppeteer for over forty years. She has received a California Emmy and has worked with Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Imagineering, Jim Henson Productions, Julie Taymor, NBC, PBS, the Ice Capades, and many more. She builds large scale figures for museums, aquariums, and theme parks including the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and Silver Dollar City. She has served as Puppetmaster for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Indiana University's Jacob School of Music and the Atlanta Opera. Film and TV Credits include Elmo in Grouchland, Muppets from Space, Howard the Duck, the Flintstones, Ninja Turtles III, Puxxle Place, Murphy Brown, RoboCop, Roger Rabbit, and Batman Returns. Lisa has a B.A. in Theatre and Religious Studies from Grinnell College, an M.A. in Experimental Theatre from the University of Connecticut, and an M.F.A. in puppetry from UCLA. She has conducted hundreds hands-on school residencies and has taught at San Luis Obispo and Warren- Wilson College. Her work has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jim Henson Foundation, the Kramer Foundation, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Asheville Area Arts Council and many more. Rebecca Williams is a director, performer, and writer with over 25 years of experience creating original performances for the stage. A graduate of the Trinity Rep Conservatory, Rebecca is cofounder of Serpent Child Productions, a multi-media non-profit professional arts organization that specializes in creating work based on the stories, history and lived experiences of specific communities. Serpent Child s work has received grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, James L. Knight Foundation, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, The Virginia Commission for the Arts, The North Carolina State Arts Council, The North Carolina Humanities Council, Oklahoma State Arts Council, The Asheville Area Arts Council, Friends of Mountain History, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Choctaw Tribal Council, and Alternate ROOTS. This is Rebecca s fourth time working with Lisa Sturz and Red Herring Puppets. She most recently directed Red Herring s production of Little One Inch and was also a collaborator and performer with Greed.

5 MY GRANDFATHER S PRAYERS Izso as a rock star Traveling transparency Izso crossing bridge to Budapest. Lisa with torah which transforms into scrolling background Izso travels to America Combining marionettes with shadow puppet as Izso s father finds out about his Opera career. Statue of Liberty welcomes Izso to America Izso is Chief Cantor at the Tabak Temple, the largest synagogue in Europe.

In November 1948, Leonard Bernstein toured war-torn Israel during its War of Independence to perform and conduct a series of concerts with the Israel

In November 1948, Leonard Bernstein toured war-torn Israel during its War of Independence to perform and conduct a series of concerts with the Israel Philharmonic. The nascent nation was gripped by young