Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes
Ronnie Burkett
Ronnie Burkett has been captivated by puppetry since the age of seven, when he opened the World Book Encyclopedia to “Puppets”. He began touring his puppet shows around Alberta at the age of fourteen and has been on the road ever since.
Recognized as one of Canada’s foremost theatre artists, Ronnie Burkett has been credited with creating some of the world’s most elaborate and provocative puppetry. Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes was formed in 1986 and has stimulated an unprecedented adult audience for puppet theatre, continuously playing to great critical and public acclaim on Canada’s major stages, and as a guest company on numerous international tours abroad.
Ronnie has received numerous awards in the Canadian theatre as a playwright, actor and designer for his work with Theatre of Marionettes, including the 2009 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, The Herbert Whittaker Drama Bench Award for Outstanding Contribution to Canadian Theatre, and international recognition including a Village Voice OBIE Award in New York for Off-Broadway Theatre, The GLAAD Award for Outstanding Theater, Broadway/Off-Broadway, and four Citations of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry from the American Center of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette. In 2019, he was appointed as an Officer of The Order of Canada.
Ronnie’s highly acclaimed and wildly popular improvised marionette vaudeville cabaret The Daisy Theatre has played seven consecutive sold-out touring seasons including Los Angeles to New York, Vancover, Toronto, Sydney and Auckland, and follows the international successes Penny Plain, Billy Twinkle, 10 Days on Earth, Provenance and the “Memory Dress Trilogy” of Tinka’s New Dress, Street of Blood and Happy. Little Dickens (The Daisy Theatre version of A Christmas Carol), premiered in 2017. In June 2019, Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes premiered a new audience-interactive production, Forget Me Not. In 2022, The Loony Bin premiered, Ronnie’s first solo salon handpuppet show since he was a teenager. In 2023, The Daisy Theatre cast takes on Shakespeare in Little Willy, and work has begun on Ronnie’s dream project Wonderful Joe for a spring 2024 premiere.
Wonderful Joe
“Paint gold in the part of me that is broken. Let my faultline shine, these golden precious scars are fine, divine, and mine.”
Joe and his dog Mister lose their home, and facing separation, head into the world for one last grand adventure together. The world seems broken, but Joe sees magic in the mundane, beauty amidst brutality, and life in the lost and lonely. He and Mister encounter Mother Nature, Santa Claus, Jesus and the Tooth Fairy, witness a troupe of homeless players in a cardboard theatre, and show a disenfranchised teen how to jump over the moon in a playground rocket ship. A seemingly simple tale of a simple man, Wonderful Joe is a love letter to imagination, hope, and the art of filling broken hearts with gold.
Ronnie Burkett brings this story to life with his signature style of beautiful puppetry and solo performance, with a glorious score and soundscape by John Alcorn.
16+
Marionette, Costume & Set Design by Ronnie Burkett
Music by John Alcorn
Production Manager/Artistic Associate: Terri Gillis
Associate Producer: John Lambert
Production Credits
Created and Performed by Ronnie Burkett
Music composition and lyrics by John Alcorn
Production Manager/Artistic Associate – Terri Gillis
Stage Manager/Technical Director – Crystal Salverda
Associate Producer – John Lambert
WONDERFUL JOE was Co-commissioned by Stanford Live (Stanford CA, USA), UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance or CAP UCLA (Los Angeles CA, USA) and TO Live (Toronto ON, Canada), with developmental support from Theatre Network (Edmonton AB, Canada) in association with Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes.
Ronnie Burkett received development support for Wonderful Joe from the Canada Council for the Arts Explore and Create Program.
Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes is exclusively represented by
John Lambert & Assoc., Montreal, Canada (www.johnlambert.ca)
Marionette and costume design - Ronnie Burkett
Costumes - Kim Crossley
Puppet Studio - Alexander Mantia, Aidan Sparks, Angela Talbot, Dina Meschkuleit, with Martin Herbert, Andy Hayward, Shanna Miller, Justin Mezzapelli and Brigitte Sampogna
Shoes – Camellia Koo
Marionette Controls – Greg Ballora (after Luman Coad)
Marionette Stringing – Marcus Jamin
Majordomo – Robbie Buttinski
Scenic Construction by Shop Dogs, Montreal
Scenic painting – Daniel Barkley
Model and drafting – Aidan Sparks
Music production, arrangements, vocals, keyboards, and digital programming –
John Alcorn
Featured vocals – Coco Love Alcorn
Mixing and mastering – Jeff Wolpert, Desert Fish Studios