Basil Twist's Petrushka

Penn Live Arts

Recipient

Grant Year 2010

Grant Amount $80,000

Status Completed

Updated May 30, 2023

Annenberg Center Live presented the Igor Stravinsky-Michael Fokine ballet Petrushka, the tale of a puppet come to life, as interpreted by Bessie and Obie Award-winning puppeteer Basil Twist. Twist has garnered popular and critical acclaim for his conception of puppets as doppelgangers for human emotions. His ballets are performed by life-size puppets and are intended for all demographics, from drag queens to grade-school children. In Petrushka, Twist pays homage to one of the landmark ballets of the early 20th century, which brings storybook Russia to the stage. A cohort of Philadelphia puppeteers were engaged in workshops and had the opportunity to visit Twist's studio in New York City, where he demonstrated some of his techniques of puppet construction.

Recipient

Penn Live Arts

An urban performing arts center on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Live Arts (formerly Annenberg Center Live) presents touring theater, jazz, and world music. Penn Live Arts engages world-renowned and emerging artists who express adventuresome perspectives on contemporary issues and who further the organization's commitment to artistic and intellectual excellence, diversity, and arts education for adult, student and family audiences.

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