Artist Matt Sandbank will debut his shadow puppeteering performance of “Still Life” at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF) from June 27-29 at 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm.
During the A2SF, aside from the number of musical performances, entertaining children’s events, nightly films and host of food vendors over the three weeks, the event will feature one of their most unique events in artist Sandbank and his performance of “Still Life” a collection of informative, comedic and oftentimes fun short stories told through shadow puppeteering by Sandbank.
Sandbank, based in Durham, NC, says his talents for shadow puppetry began in 2007 while living in a small town in New Mexico, where he learned the art form by watching instructional videos on YouTube. The former Teach for America educator said the art form combines his love for creative writing and theatre, which brings his shows to life. Since beginning his now 15+ year career, Sandbank has performed across the country, including multiple schools, international puppet festivals and many museums.
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“There is an element of shadow puppetry where there’s a thrill of recognition from the audience before anything happens in the skit,” Sandbank said. “Sometimes there’s a sigh or murmuring. I can sense a reaction from the crowd just by recognizing the scenery before the story gets told. There’s a certain amount of mileage you can get just from the introduction of a character before any storytelling happens.”
For his upcoming performance at the A2SF, Sandbank wants to bring his animated figures to the Ann Arbor forefront to entertain the city throughout his scheduled nine performances.
“The name ‘Still Life’ is based on the title sketch, which is about an artist who is trying to paint a still life, and his assortment of objects are not cooperating with him,” Sandbank said. “That was one of the first skits that I created for the show, and it worked as a title for the overall collection because the skits involve an object or a character that moves or comes to life in a way you would not expect. It confounds expectations, frustrates or delights or a little bit of both.”
While the performance is often noted and promoted as being nonverbal, with the storytelling coming from the hand-made puppets, the artist notes that not all performances will be nonverbal, as some will include small dialog and an assortment of musical elements used to set the tone of his stories or highlight his detailed, expressive puppets.
“I use a lot of the same classical music vocabulary that Looney Tunes might use. It is when you hear Peer Gynt in one of the skits; it goes well with nature because we are conditioned to feel through background music we have heard throughout our lives.”
While Sandbank will be in Ann Arbor for three days, starting June 27, he said that he’s excited to see a majority of the city’s highlights, such as dining at Zingerman’s Roadhouse or visiting the University of Michigan campus.
In addition to his performances, Sandbank, on June 28, will visit the Ann Arbor District Library to host a puppet-making workshop, where he will teach anyone of all ages the rules and techniques of shadow puppeteering.
“They should come to see the show because shadow puppetry is simultaneously an antiquated and familiar art form,” Sandbank said. “When the puppets come up on the screen, there will be this thrill of recognition, but there will also be a novelty because a lot of my audiences have not seen a show like this because there just are not that many short-form comedies. They should come and have a wonderful free time at the Annex. I always like meeting people at shows.”
For those interested in Sandbank’s “Still Life” performance, the shadow puppet display will take place at the A2SF on June 27-29 at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. For more information contact the A2SF at 734.994.5999 or info@a2sf.org.
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
