The Falcon King

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  Theaterlab

  9 dates listed

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  TLAB SHARES HOSTS THE FALCON KING directed by Gretchen van Lente Get Tickets Using natural and found-material assemblage puppets, The Falcon King tells a tale of confusion, heartbreak, anger and action. The frogs tried to warn them, but when the birds’ babies all start dying panic ensues and they don’t know who’s to blame or who to turn to. Will the cursed King help save them or sit idly by, watching from his castle on the hill? In a world where humans’ war on insects is destroying their The recovery of the Peregrine Falcon from the brink of extinction remains to this day one of the most successful conservation efforts in history. What is most remarkable is that it was done almost entirely through grassroots efforts by people across the country. How can we ensure this never happens again? What did we learn? All puppets in the production are made from found, natural and recycled materials. The story of the play follows the history of DDT and humans’ resistance to its use paralleled with the birds’ almost medieval response, a la the myth of the cursed Fisher King of Arthurian legend. The script is created from found text, including Richard Wagner’s Parsifal, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, T.S. Eliot’s Wasteland, articles from 1950s Better Homes and Gardens, Fish & Wildlife reports, and much more. The reuse of materials in both the puppets and the play is a thoughtful reflection of the ecological themes of the show. The piece has received a Henson Foundation Workshop and Production grant. It has been workshopped at ART/NY studios, at the La Mama puppet slam, Dixon Place’s Puppet Blok, and the International Puppet Fringe Festival. It received a prestigious PATCH residency in the fall of 2026. Research for the show has been conducted at the World Center for Birds of Prey, the Science History Institute, The Othmer Library of Chemical History, and with the Princeton Department of Ornithology. Trigger Warning: This piece contains depictions of animal death. While it can be enjoyed by all ages, we advise audiences be at least 12 years of age and up. A smoke machine is also used in the performance.

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