Basil Twistis a New York City-basedpuppeteerwho is known for his underwater puppet show, "Symphonie Fantastique".[1]He was named aMacArthur Fellowshiprecipient on September 29, 2015.[2]
Basil Twist | |
|---|---|
 Twist with a "Video Puppet", 2007 | |
| Born | 28 June 1969 |
| Occupation(s) | Director, puppeteer |
| Website | basiltwist.com |
Personal Life and work
editHe is openly gay and married to Broadway dancerKen Ard[3]
Originally from San Francisco, Basil Twist is a third generation puppeteer. He graduated from the École Supérieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionnette inCharleville-Mézières,France. He is founder and director of the Dream Music Puppetry Program atHere Arts Centerin NYC, which supports and produces new puppet artists. He was a Fall 2015 MacArthur Fellow at the NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts.[4]
Twist has significantly contributed to the art of puppetry since 1998. He creates puppet works focused on their integration with music. HisSymphonie Fantastique,is performed to the symphony of the same name. Twist's version ofMaster Peter's Puppet Showwas created with theEos Orchestraand later performed with theLos Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.[5]Twist's "Dogugaeshi" features originalshamisencompositions created and performed live by master musicianYumiko Tanaka.[6]He also directed and designed Humperdinck's opera,Hansel and Gretel,for theHouston Grand Operaand theAtlanta Opera.[7]In 2010, Twist created the puppetry for the Broadway productions ofThe Pee-wee Herman ShowandThe Addams Family.[8] Twist is known for his original adult puppet mediums and use of abstraction in puppetry."Symphonie Fantastique"takes place in a tank of water. In "Red Beads", his collaboration withLee BreuerandMabou Mines,he created wind puppetry.[9]In "Dogugaeshi" he uses the Japanese art form of sliding screens.
Other works include La Bella Dormente nel Bosco, Petrushka,Hansel and Gretel,Master Peter's Puppet Show, the Araneidae Show, Behind the Lid, andArias with a Twist,among others. He has collaborated with such artists asJoey Arias,Lee Breuer,Kate Bush,Pilobolus,Paula VogelandJoe Goode.
He is considered an important theater artist by critics atThe New York Times,The New Yorker,et al.[10]He has received national and regional recognition through numerous awards, including a Rome Prize from theAmerican Academy in Rome,anObie Award,aCreative CapitalAward in the discipline of Performing Arts[11]and aGuggenheim fellowship,and his work has been presented internationally.[12][13][14]
In 2006, he had a solo exhibition at the Lisa Dent Gallery in San Francisco, CA.[15]
In 2022, it was announced that Twist was leading the puppetry in theRoyal Shakespeare Companyadaptation ofMy Neighbor Totoroat the Barbican Theatre, London.[16]
References
edit- ^Brantley, Ben (3 June 1998)."THEATER REVIEW; Wash Cycle Dreams, Via Berlioz".The New York Times.p. E1.Retrieved12 January2023.
- ^Pogrebin, Robin (29 September 2015)."MacArthur" Genius Grant "Winners for 2015 Are Announced".The New York Times.Retrieved29 September2015.
- ^"Instagram".
- ^NYU Web Communications (29 September 2015)."NYU CBA Fellow Basil Twist and Alumnae Mimi Lien Michelle Dorrance Honored with MacArthur Foundation Grants".nyu.edu.Retrieved6 October2015.
- ^"First, a bit of fantasy".Los Angeles Times.28 September 2006.Retrieved12 January2023.
- ^Spangler, Lois (14 September 2007)."Dogugaeshi".NYTheatre.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^Ward, Charles (1 December 2006)."HGO'sHansel and Gretel:laughs and subversion ".Houston Chronicle.Archived fromthe originalon 5 September 2008.
- ^Hagan, Molly (15 October 2010)."STAGE TUBE: Pee-Wee Herman Goes Biking with Jimmy Fallon".BroadwayWorld.Retrieved12 January2023.
- ^Jefferson, Margo (22 September 2005)."A Girl Caught in an Eternal Family Triangle".The New York Times.Retrieved12 January2023.
- ^Acocella, Joan (14 April 2008)."Doll Houses".The New Yorker.Retrieved12 January2023.
- ^"Basil Twist, Dogugaeshi".Creative Capital.Archived fromthe originalon 8 June 2009.
- ^"New York Obies Theater Awards: 1999".Village Voice.Archived fromthe originalon 6 May 2011.Retrieved6 October2015.
- ^Lipton, Brian Scott (10 April 2006)."Rinne Groff and Basil Twist Win Guggenheim Fellowships".TheaterMania.Retrieved12 January2023.
- ^Hetrick, Adam (2 February 2009)."Arias with a TwistWill Make European and Screen Premieres ".Playbill.Retrieved12 January2023.
- ^"Past Exhibitions: 2006".Lisa Dent Gallery.
- ^Wiegand, Chris (28 June 2022)."Muppet power! RSC uses puppet legends for My Neighbour Totoro extravaganza".The Guardian.Retrieved12 January2023.