Video

Birdmen Promo Video
i-PUPPETS Promo Video

2023/2024 Tour Dates


March - April, 2024
Tour dates in Europe
Mixed rep
Europe

Please check back soon for newly announced tour dates!

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Press

Beautiful, moving, and mind-blowing.”

– Seven Days
full article (PDF)

“Magisterial! “

– Mundial (NL)
full article (PDF)

Repertory

Three gigantic, stilt-walking puppets resembling birds from prehistoric times will roam through your city, capturing your imagination and delighting you with their antics. How you interactive with them is up to you – from afar or up-close, it’s your decision. But watch out! They are playful and eager for attention. 

Lightened eyes look at you. Investigators of this planet, explorers of our time. Controlled on a different level: a
collective brain? They are looking for something…and find you! Strange, funny or terrifying? Like scouts of the present time.

The artistic quality of the objects and the costume design are an integral part of each show and cannot be underestimated. The performers are hidden, have become invisible to the public eye behind a mask or in the structural body of a creature, bringing to life their characters from the inside out.
It took many years of playing street theatre to finally discover what it is to be a puppeteer. Sometimes you will see puppets emerging as part of a larger performance, sometimes it will be the main act. But it is always incredible to see how the public loves it. People lower their voices, want to touch the puppets, or even start addressing them like they are having a natural, real conversation. This is what makes it so magical to work with puppets.

Like in a trance these sheer size BLUE BIRDS are wandering around. From high above these longnecks are watching down at you. There is no way you will miss them, when they start marching into the crowd. Their approach is friendly and prudent, but they surely are curious. Their long, long fingers are ticklish and their tall heads keep on nodding. Suddenly, they freeze to a halt, and tracking their leader calls they proceed in a stunning slow motion.

The Aliens are blue, water bird-like creatures with distinctively long necks. The actors are not on stilts but wear flippers. The height, approx. 3 metres, is attained by the long characteristic necks: a special construction connecting the bird head to the player. The actor himself is hidden inside the costume.

  • Music installations are installed in the costumes, playing sounds and mystical sound scapes.
  • Azurro (see characters), a blue character on stilts; a herder of the Aliens can be added to complete the visual excitement.
  • A fire player with hand flares can be added by night. The hand flares provide a mysterious lightning effect.
  • For special occasions 4 golden Aliens are available.

They are presumed to be extinct, nonetheless the biggest beasts that ever walked the earth return to the twentyfirst century. With a deafening roar these Sauruses charge through the crowds, looking for food to calm their hunger. People jump swiftly out of their way having never seen such giant beasts before.

There is a widespread sigh of relief as the Sauruses start eating plants. Ah vegetarians!

Now people risk moving closer to view these prehistoric beasts better; the Sauruses are playful and spontaneous, snapping at hands and sweeping their tails. After a while they move on, lined up neatly, their heads bobbing in an easy rhythmic manner, behind them a stunned audience stands and watches in amazement as the beasts slowly disappear.

Bios

Founded in The Netherlands in 1991 by Hesther Melief and Tonny Aerts, Close-Act Theatre specializes in large-scale, interactive performances.

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