Throughout the weekend, a troupe of UConn students in the Puppet Arts Program entertained the community with a puppetry performance based on Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale, The Snow Queen.
Matthew Sorenson, an MFA candidate, wrote, directed, and designed Legend of the Snow Queen, drawing from the television shows he grew up with, such as He-Man, to give the show more kid-friendly action.
In the story, a formidable journey is undertaken by a young girl named Gerda to save her friend Kai, who has vanished mysteriously. Through a chance meeting with a strange old woman and an enchanted sword, Gerda ventures into a magical world. She is allied with a misfit group of creatures who help her to harness the power of her own unique gifts. Gerda faces the Snow Queen and embarks on a dangerous adventure that leaves her forever changed.
Sorenson wrote the play to inspire children to be able to solve problems with compassion and kindness. He plans to further refine the flow of the performance and then bring it to other theaters around the state.
Esme Roszel ’20 (SFA) sculpted the human faces of the puppets, and the cast – including MFA student Felicia Cooper and Tracy Becker ’21 (SFA) – pitched in to create outfits, set pieces, and props used during the performance. The lighting design was created by Matt Lazarus ’19 (SFA), and an original score was written by Lucky Cerruti, a professional musician from New York City. The production was performed at the UConn Studio Theatre.
