Diane Rains & Stu Janis 2169 Upper Afton Road Saint Paul MN 55119 (651) 739-2572 freshwaterpearls@comcast.net www.freshwaterpearlspuppetry.com Work Samples Video: video clip 1 (higher bandwidth, DSL, ISDN, T1) video clip 1 (lower bandwidth, 56K) video clip2 (higher bandwidth, DSL, ISDN, T1) video clip 2 (lower bandwidth, 56K) To view the work samples, Windows Media Player is required. If you do not have it installed, you can download it for free here: Download Windows Media Player

Freshwater Pearls Puppetry Multiethnic puppetry The real thing! Learned firsthand in England, "Professor Freshwater's Punch and Judy Show" is a traditional puppet farce with a modern sense of humor and Freshwater Pearls' sweetly rowdy style. Diane's ties to British puppetry show in her swift and masterful technique. She is adept with the swazzle, the traditional instrument for Punch's voice. Children find it hilarious! Stu's genial straight man rapport and marvelous, live hammered dulcimer playing complete the magic. Also available are "Just So Stories," a pair of classic African fables told with shadow puppetry. Mysterious shadows and brightly colored images dance across the stage, as the stories of "How the Leopard Got Its Spots" and "The Elephant's Child" unfold. A 45-minute performance includes stories, plus a demonstration of traditional Asian shadow puppets. "Just So Stories" is intended for ages five and older. Available: With advance notice, we can arrange a performance for any time and day of the week, with no mileage restrictions. Space: 10 ft. wide by 8 ft. high by 10 ft. deep; shadow puppet show requires a dark room Fee: $300 to 500 plus travel fee for shows outside the Twin Cities metro area, negotiable

Additional Information:
Freshwater Pearls Puppetry presents puppet shows that are both historically rich and entertaining.

Diane Rains, the founder of Freshwater Pearls, first became deeply involved in puppetry in 1985, when she apprenticed with two women who ran a puppet theater in Minneapolis. After a year of learning to operate puppets and run a performance, she set out on her own. In the late 1980s, she met her husband, musician Stu Janis, and the two collaborated to create several lively programs.

"Professor Freshwater's Punch and Judy Show", one of the two programs that Diane and Stu currently offer, is a carefully researched, very funny version of the British Punch and Judy tradition. These shows date from the 13th and 14th centuries, and they have their roots in a mixture of Commedia dell'Arte and early English puppetry. In 1662, Samuel Pepys wrote about the show in great detail. Many of the characters, scenes, and techniques that he described are still a part of the living tradition as it is practiced in England, although other elements have changed as the form has evolved. Diane and Stu learned firsthand from many contemporary British puppeteers when they traveled to England in the late 1980s to produce a video documentary on Punch and Judy. There they were taught important traditions of costuming, puppet construction, movement, and speech. They were shown how to make a "swazzle", the device that creates Punch's distinctive voice. This technique is only shown to puppeteers who are considered serious about learning to do Punch and Judy. While the British style is at the heart of their performances, Diane and Stu have also learned about related traditions that have emerged as the show has spread to Germany, Indonesia, France, Turkey, Sweden, and other parts of the world. Diane is the U.S. contact for the Worldwide Friends of Punch and Judy, a group devoted to furthering this tradition.

Diane also offers a solo show that combines Indonesian shadow puppet techniques with African folktales. Shadow puppetry is rarely seen in the U.S., so she often brings examples of traditional Asian puppets with her and describes the tradition.

Freshwater Pearls Puppetry performs at festivals, libraries, schools, parties, historic sites, malls, ethnic events, and many other venues. When appropriate, they follow their performances with discussions about the puppets and their history. Diane also presents workshops and performances within the puppetry community.