Pontine Theatre: A White Heron & The Star Splitter

SPECIAL EVENT

City theater in rural Tamworth — don’t miss this unique event! We are pleased to welcome Portsmouth’s Pontine Theatre to Tamworth, with their original and mesmerizing “toy theater” adaptations of A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett and Robert Frost’s poem The Star Splitter.

SOJOURNER STORIES: NEW ENGLANDERS IN NATURE

Sarah Orne Jewett’s A White Heron, published in 1886
A coming-of-age story about a young city girl, Sylvia, who comes to live with her grandmother in the country. She meets a young ornithologist who is hunting a rare bird he recently spotted in the area. Sylvia wants to please the young man by revealing the heron’s location, yet doesn’t want him to take its life. In the end, she embraces her passion for country life and the natural world around her.

This is Pontine’s fifth staging of Sarah Orne Jewett’s stories. Born in 1849 in South Berwick, Maine, Jewett was the daughter of the town doctor. As a child, she often accompanied him on his rounds to rural farms in the area. She would sit and listen to family members talking together while waiting for her father. She came to love the wit and wisdom of these country folks and they became the subject of her writings as an adult.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Frost’s The Star Splitter, published in 1923
Published in 1923, this poem explores the conflict between societal expectations and individual passions. A farmer’s reckless pursuit of a telescope leads to the loss of his farm and home. This loss initially evokes ridicule from the townspeople. However, their subsequent contemplation reveals the importance of forgiveness and understanding. Frost uses the image of a telescope, “a star-splitter,” as a symbol of the farmer’s “life-long curiosity about our place among the infinities.”

Historical note: Jewett (1849–1909) and Frost (1874–1963) were writing, published, and widely appreciated within the lifetimes of our namesake country doctors, the Drs. Remick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“…art has the capacity to reach us on multiple levels at the same time. It’s much more than an intellectual experience, it’s also an emotional experience, can be a spiritual experience, can even be a physical experience. And there are very few times in life when all those aspects of our nature are brought together in the same place and we’re made aware of it. And I think it makes for a very deep bonding experience between actors and audience and between audience members. The fact that that performance happens only in that moment with everybody’s cooperation — it’s priceless. It’s absolutely priceless.” ~ Greg Gathers, Co-Artistic Director of Pontine Theatre

“Pontine Theatre is a small miracle. The theater has used puppets, mime and stagecraft to convey visions of the past to modern audiences for more than 35 years. Artistic Directors Marguerite Mathews and Greg Gathers conspire to fascinate the contemporary mind with original works based on the stories and literature of New England. There’s really nothing else like it anywhere.” ~ NH Magazine

 

Admission: FREE for members, donations welcome | $5 suggested donation for nonmembers
Seating is limited and REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, even if donating via this page.
Registration options: (603) 323-7591  |  info@remickmuseum.org.
This event is suitable for ages 14 and above, interested and patient attendees under age 14 are welcome.
The program is 45 minutes long. Interaction with the artists and viewing of the “toy theatre” is possible after the performance.

Registration and Cancellation Policies

This event is part of our Spring at the Farmstead schedule.

 

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ABOUT PONTINE THEATRE
From the Theatre’s website

“Since 1977, Pontine Theatre has been an active participant in the development of actor-based theatre, creating work that is engaging, innovative and original. Co-Artistic Directors, Marguerite Mathews and Gregory Gathers have produced over fifty original works. Creating and performing these works, Pontine has introduced their unique form of theatre to audiences throughout New England, transforming audience interest in gestural theatre, puppetry, toy theatre and storytelling into enthusiasm for this distinctive synthesis of forms.

“In choosing projects for our at-home performance series and subsequent tours, we endeavor to reflect the interests of the audiences we serve. We are fortunate to live and work in a region with a particularly rich history and a citizenry deeply interested in this legacy. As other cultural organizations work to preserve historic landmarks and significant architecture, we have dedicated many of our performances to celebrating classic works of New England literature: some well-known, others obscure gems. We also create works based on original research that explore various aspects of New England culture and history.

“…Our intimately-scaled chamber productions are an ideal fit for the small-town audiences…. The intimate scale of our productions reflects an aesthetic choice to magnify the theatrical power and artistic integrity of our work through concentrated attention to the details of each element comprising the whole.”

 

LEARN MORE LINKS

+ Watch a toy theatre demonstration — a small-scale, paper-only version of Pontine Theatre’s large, 3-D staging (designed and crafted by the theatre’s co-artistic director Gregory Gathers).

+ Listen to The Rise and Fall of Toy Theatre, a fun podcast episode from Craftsman Magazine. See the modern-day version of Pollock’s Toy Store, mentioned in the podcast, which sells modern versions of the original-style toy theatres.