The Monadnock Folklore Society presents a Crankies and Puppetry Slam on Friday, July 10. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. with performances by Storm Welch, Madison J. Cripps, Mackenzie Doss, Kay Kinderman, Garrett Cameron, Natalie Backes.
What is a crankie? It’s an old storytelling art form. An artist makes a long illustrated scroll that is wound onto two spools. The spools are loaded into a box which has a viewing window. The scroll is then hand-cranked while the story is told, a song is sung or a tune is played.
Admission is $20 in advance or $25 at the door. A child age 16 or younger is free with a paying adult.
- Mackenzie Doss is a Southwest-born writer, director, educator, fabricator and puppeteer. She received her MFA from the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts Program in 2022 and is the current Managing Director for Sandglass Theater in Putney, VT.
- Madison J. Cripps is a puppeteer whose talent has captivated audiences for almost two decades. Through his meticulously crafted marionettes and storytelling, he creates a unique connection that transcends time and space, leaving spectators spellbound and their imaginations ignited.
- Kay Kinderman has a special place in her heart for the detailed and the small and the intimate, dancing with the notion of grief and love being inseparable.
- Storm Welch is the visual artist, illustrator, vocalist, writer, and shadow puppeteer of the Crankie “Hares on the Mountain” as well as many other Crankies. A traveling artist, Storm originally hails from the Monadnock Region of NH and currently resides in Brattleboro, VT. They take inspiration from living folk traditions across the northeast and adapt and arrange Appalachian and European folk ballads to visualize stories about loss, queerness, change, and most importantly, more than human brethren — flora and fauna. “Welcome Home” is a puppet slam organized by Storm with a traveling circus tent proscenium built in collaboration with Hannah Ellingwood of Gnome Studio.
The event takes place in the historic Nelson Town Hall in Nelson at 3 Nelson Common Road. For more information, call 603-762-0235 or visit www.monadnockfolk.org. The Monadnock Folklore Society has presented contra dances and concerts of traditional music since 1982. This Crankie project is supported by a grant from Arts Alive.