By Karen Donato
Special to the Pioneer Times
HOULTON — The students at Houlton Elementary School enjoyed a recent presentation by the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers of Bar Harbor recently. The event was sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Organization.
Photo by Karen Donato
ALL IN THE FAMILY — Erik, Robin and Brian Torbeck of Bar Harbor recently presented the show “Everybody Loves Pirates” for the students at Houlton Elementary School. The program was provided by the Parent-Teachers Organization. The Torbecks make all their own puppets and write their scripts.
The theatre group is made up of the Torbeck family; two brothers and their sister. Erik, 43; Brian, 42; and Robin, 37 grew up in Cumberland, Pennsylvania. As youngsters they often visited family in the Machias area and the beaches of southern Maine. They fell in love with the state. Erik went on to graduate from the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, while Robin attended Colby College in Waterville.
When Erik was in his last year of school he participated in a school project making puppets. After graduation he and his brother began making puppets to sell, but found that it was not that successful. They decided to take the puppets they had made and perform at a local fair in their home state. From this experience they began creating their own puppet shows. Their sister joined the group and assisted with the making of the puppets and adding an additional character to the shows.
It took them four years to get the company off the ground and become full-time. While building their craft they supplemented the shows by doing odd jobs around Mount Desert Island. They have been performing since 2002 and it has now become a full-time career for all three. They travel throughout New England and into Canada.
The group makes all their own puppets, using material, accessories from craft stores and paper mache for the most part.
They perform at schools, festivals, libraries and theatres. They have five shows which include: “The Legend of the Banana Kid”, “The Headless Horseman”, “The Grinch”, “Tales from the Nest” and “Everybody Loves Pirates” which was performed for the local elementary students.
The pirate show is a story of a young girl and her goofy friend, Little Chucky, who find a treasure map and then find a band of bumbling pirates. The show is very engaging for both children and adults.
Following the presentation, the Torbecks showed the students the area behind the framework and demonstrated how they move the props and operate the puppets.
The group has received three citations of excellence from U.N.I.M.A.-U.S.A., the American chapter of Marionettes created by Jim Henson. This award is the highest national award in puppetry. They are also working on videos to educate students about the environment and conservation.
For more information visit www.frogtown
puppets.com.
