'Snow White: The Return of the Little Things' Presented by the Puppets of Angel Heart Theatre (UK)

"A visually striking version of Snow White..."

This new steampunk-inspired version of Snow White by Angel Heart Theatre that has been touring the UK during the Winter season, is so very lovely and unique looking. We wish there was more info, photos of footage online. They appear to be close to wrapping this show with only a few performances left and by all accounts, it's worth making an effort to see (and taking any young humans along with you for a great introduction to theater as well.

You can see a few photos on their Facebook page, which shows many other beautiful puppets from different productions as well, all of which seem to have stories carved into them...

Here's the blurb promoting the show:

"Far, far away there lies a curiously mechanical kingdom in which everything ticks but nothing laughs. It is ruled by The Queen Who Never Smiles and she is determined to control everyone and everything, even time itself. Snow White knows what it is like to live in such an unhappy land, and our tale begins when she must flee for her life to escape the Queen's terrible jealousy. Seeking refuge in the mysterious Wild Wood, Snow White discovers she is not the only one who refuses to live in a world without laughter. Under the trees, little steps are being taken to bring about big changes."

Our Doc the Dwarf began life as Doc the Block: rough cut from a block of lime wood on an old Imp band-saw, then carved free-style with a couple of hand-forged chisels, before head, limbs and torso were all stitched, glued and pinned together, after which he was lovingly costumed and finely finished with a twinkle in his eyes. He's a right cheery chap with Northern soul and he'd love to meet anyone from that neck o' the woods

The show, one of three set for Dorset, is scheduled for Winfrith Village Hall on February 14, at 3.30pm.

 

Call 01305 853 783 for tickets and information.

We found mention of an earlier, alternate title: 'Snow White - The Return of the Little People' which makes us even more curious about this show... And we also discovered a wonderful pre-show opportunity (which gives us a teeny bit more info about the production as well):

The Puppetorium Pre-Show Workshop (1.15pm)Inspired by the 'Steam-Punk' look to be found in the show 'Snow White: The Return of Little Things', this accompanying workshop offers a unique chance to join James and Dave in 'The Puppetorium'. Here, marvellously quirky, makeshift (and take-away!) puppets will be created from a variety of found, re-cycled and scrap materials. Everything is provided and safe guidance given. This creatively buzzing workshop is led by two highly skilled makers, with over 60 years experience between them! Places limited. Cost £3. Suitable for ages 7+ Contact each venue for details.

  

 

While there is no video trailer available for their Snow White, you can see some of Little Angel Theatre's work on their show 'A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings' based on the story of the same name by Gabriel García Márquez. It's amazing and beautiful and very unique. This show is one of those theatrical wonders that caught our attention some time ago but beyond collecting notes and images, we never got time to complete the post, so we're very glad we have an excuse to bring it to your attention now! Enjoy:

ABCs 'Once Upon A Time' Series Finale (aka 'The End' - for real) Coming In May (HEAs Guaranteed)

Note: yes we know we haven't included photos from this current season but we haven't ever quite been convinced that it was still OUAT that was being aired, so instead, we're indulging nostalgia for the fans.

It would seem no one on social media is shocked at this news. We knew it had to happen - and soon - but whatever our mixed feelings* about Once Upon A Time, it's the end of an era for fairy tale folk, and for having fairy tales getting some attention in a network series on a regular basis. Though story-wise, we agree it's high time the Happily Ever Afters were given out once and for all, (and those following since the beginning were given a proper wrap up at the end of season 6, with 7 only being a 're-boot'/experiment), it will still be a sad day to say goodbye to a series that has inspired a whole new generation to discover - and love - fairy tales in many variations.

From EW:

After seven years, 156 episodes, and countless twists on beloved characters, OUAT will officially say farewell in a series finale slated for May. Here’s an official statement from (the series creators). 

Kitsis and Horowitz: “Seven years ago, we set out to create a show about hope, where even in the darkest of times, a happy ending would always be possible. But we never imagined the happy ending that was actually in store for all of us – years and years of adventure, romance, magic and hope. We’re so grateful to our brilliant collaborators – the cast, crew, and writers – as well as our partners at the studio and network for making this journey possible. But most of all, we want to thank the fans. Their fierce loyalty and devotion was the real magic behind Once Upon a Time. We hope they join us for these last few hours as we journey to the Enchanted Forest for one more adventure.” 

EW: You already executed your plan for what you envisioned a series finale would be in the season 6 finale. So what’s that feeling like now trying to find a way to wrap everything up in a hopeful way? 

Horowitz: That’s something we’ve thought about long and hard entering this season. For us, the season 6 finale really was a series finale in the sense of ending a six-year story and paying off a lot of that. For us, this is more the feeling of Once Upon a Time, so rather than bringing everybody back to do it again, it’s more about trying to have nods to the past seven years, but really make it about what is that hopeful, optimistic worldview that Once Upon a Time has always embodied. We want to leave the audience with that.

And they promise that there will be many familiar faces returning for the "final-finale" this time, though no confirmation on whom just yet.

* Fan-fiction and cosplay with a budget versus empowering fairy tale based-fantasy that freshens well-worn tales for a whole new generation.

Chervona Vorona Creates Fairy Tale Worlds Infused With Her Heritage

Chervona Vorona isn't new to having her work go viral. It's likely you've seen a few of her images over the years without even realizing who created them. The picture at the head of this post, and the set it's from, are currently making the rounds on the internet, and the papier-mâché beast is certainly an impressive addition to the lovely styling and work of this Ukrainian artist's photography, and well worth the attention. Rather than just focus on this trending set of photos which incorporate her design, creations of costumes, props, her photography and digital work, we thought we'd also hand-pick some other pieces of her work to showcase a little of the variety she's created that you may not have seen before, with an emphasis (for us) on those that evoke untold tales.

Though most of her work doesn't appear to have titles, she calls this first one, "We Are Sewn To Our Land", which is a great expression of her whole artistic approach:

The following are a very brief selection from her various portfolios. Some have multiple pictures in the same shoot, (see the kitsune example below) while others are stand-alones. Either way, we think each of these shows her preference and propensity for creating stories in a frame.

(You can see some of Chervona Vorona's digital process in creating one of the kitsune portraits, in a brief video HERE.)

Here's an excerpt from an interview with Paradox Magazine:

Tell us a few things about your studies and your decision to become a photographer. 

Chervona Vorona: I studied to be an illustrator. But my job is only remotely related to my education. First I worked as a stylist and a decorator, but photography was what I needed to complete my aspirations. 

What is the role of imagination in your work? Your work is full of fairy tale images. 

Chervona Vorona: Fairy tales, this is the most important thing, my main inspiration, therefore, my images are of different ages, but they are all united by magic or a hint of it.
Maybe it’s because of the books read in childhood. Although I now read mostly fairy tales! Imagination is very important in my work! But of no less importance are things like observation and resourcefulness.

Darina (Dary), or Chervona Vorona, as the internet knows her, makes her own props and costumes and apparently often starts with headpieces, building the look from there. Her talents include altering old dresses, like the one for Beauty and the Beast, for which she used an old wedding dress, and the traditional folk-design wings she constructed for her "Wings of Hope" spread), as well as doing the styling of the shoots and digital work afterward.
A nice personal touch is that Dary also uses dresses designed and created by her grandmother, Zoya, who, at 66 was finally able to fulfill a life-long dream, after working most of her years to date in a factory to raise her granddaughter and two other children. The Rapunzel dress below is one of Zoya's creations.

And here are a couple more shots from the striking Beauty and the Beast shoot:

As a bonus here's a very quick video of Dary creating the Beast puppet:

We love how Darina makes creative use of her heritage, often in subtle ways in the intricacies of the designs or placement of things and people, and isn't afraid to try different styles (like this HERE - yes, that Julia Margaret Cameron-looking photo is hers!) as well as 'traditional' ideas of fairy tales, in creating photographic tales and designs. It gives her work a unique and memorable flavor.

You can find much more of Dary's photography on her Facebook page HERE and her Instagram HERE.

Sources: HERE, HERE and HERE