HOULTON, Maine — More than 350 students at Houlton Elementary School enjoyed a performance Thursday, April 27, of the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers sponsored by the Parent, Teacher Organization.
The family-owned touring company from Bar Harbor was founded in 2000 by siblings Erik and Brian Torbeck and Robin Torbeck Erlandsen, who perform at festivals, schools, libraries and theatres throughout the United States and Canada.
The touring group creates its own scripts and sets, with music and sound effects that, in this case, transformed the school’s multi-purpose room into a tropical island on the high seas. The energetic group has received three citations for excellence from UNIMA-USA, the American chapter of the International Union of Marionettes. This is the highest award in puppetry.
The performance of “Everybody Loves Pirates” featured three rough, tough guys, “No Eye,” “One Eye” and “Scully,” the captain and crew of a two-masted schooner. Along with the pirates are good friends, “Li’l Chucky” and his pal, “Lucy.”
The script incorporated plenty of antics and because of its high energy kept the audience engaged. All of the characters and props seemed to take on a life of their own, drawing both children and adults into the storyline. Viewers could almost get sea sick by watching the jet skier bobbing up and down in the ocean waves.
The students were mesmerized throughout the 50-minute performance and full of questions for the troupe after. The brothers and sister incorporate a behind the scenes time at the conclusion of their performances so students learn the various steps of putting such a show together.
They also emphasized the importance of learning how to create stories and plays, and envisioning characters and their actions. Once the play has developed, then it is time to put actions to the various parts. The troupers create most of the props using cardboard, glue, paint, wire and accessories.
The siblings drew from their own childhood experiences and did a great job not only entertaining the audience, but conveying the importance of what students are learning in classrooms. They also stressed how their daily lessons may carry on to a job in the future.
“Lobster Boy” hot rods his jet ski up and down in the ocean bringing on an air of sea-sickness. (Karen Donato)
