Blainor McGough is a puppeteer from Portland Maine and curator
of King Friday's Dungeon. KFD had its first run this past November with a
killer local lineup, and a sold-out audience. Blainor is Director at Mayo
Street Arts, an arts venue and community center housed in an old wooden church
in Portland. King Friday's Dungeon slam #2 returns November 3rd. Portlanders are excited for the show, and to
check out other Northeast artists participating in the Northeast circuit in
Fall 2012.
 |
| King Friday's Dungeon, 2011 at Mayo Street Arts. Photographer Annie Seikonia |
Blainor McGough: Oh,
totally - slasher, B-grade, underground weirdness was what we were
going for. Libby Marcus came up with the title of King Friday's Dungeon
during a brainstorming session with me, Julie Goell, and Avner the
Eccentric.
M: Is it true that there is a full scale model of the Neighborhood of Make Believe, as some of your photos suggest?
BM: Indeed. Its sad, really - King Friday is living in squalor - the castle is now a dilapidated vaudeville house and occasional flop-house for traveling puppets and exotic dancers. We recreated it in cardboard for the slam.
M: OMG! How are
you finding acts for this?
BM: We
pulled from mostly local talent, old-time puppeteer friends and new.
Curiously, there's a lot of us up here so it was easy to get a good
crew. We'd love to host more acts 'from away' though.
M: What inspired you to start KFD?
BM: Heather
Henson came for a Portland visit, explained about the Slam Network and
encouraged us to start one here. How could we resist? We've also been
hosting Handmade Puppet Dreams.
M: What slams and cabarets have you been to or performed at?
Visited Roxie Mhyrum and the slam at Puppet Showplace last summer - very
much fun. I used to do different puppet/performance art pieces at the
Casco Bay Cabaret, a cabaret/variety show that took place in Portland
for years...but mostly performed with Shoestring Theater and my own
stuff in the Hurdy Gurdy Puppet Show. That was a long time ago! I love
King Friday's Dungeon because you get to see so many other fabulous
shows in one night.
M: How does what you do at the puppet slam tie into the other kinds of performance
you do? Do you direct other shows there?
BM: Well,
I book and produce performances here at Mayo Street Arts in Portland.
Also I curate SLAP - Superhero Lady Armwrestlers of Portland. SLAP has
many similarities to a slam because there are so many 'performers'
involved - the lady armwrestlers all have an alt-persona with costumes
and theme songs...many of the same booking/production/PR considerations
and a similarly amped level of creativity and weirdness.
M: What other slams or cities would you include as part of your slam circuit?
M: What other slams or cities would you include as part of your slam circuit?
BM: Last
November was our first slam so we're new, but it rocked and we were
sold out. We're looking to get a circuit going this fall with some of
the Northeast slams...Boston, Providence, NYC, Philly.
M: Tell us about a fabulous failure (at a slam) and what you've learned from it.
M: Tell us about a fabulous failure (at a slam) and what you've learned from it.
BM: Well my sets used to be so complicated and heavy - i think i learned
to pare things down and work the moment. But I love seeing other
people's stuff that IS complicated.
M: Who are some other artists on the puppet slam circuit who you are inspired
by?
BM: The Dolly Wagglers are
some of my favs - they're funny, great musicians, and swell puppeteers
overall. Tim Harbeson is incredibly inspiring and magical. He uses objects, sound, and chance; his shows are very mysterious. He and his wife Buffy Miller hosted puppet performances at their Stillhouse Studio in Portland years ago. Cuckoo Carwash is a rare treat, though he rarely leaves the Tri-State area.
M: What pieces do you have in circulation to perform in puppet slams?
M: What pieces do you have in circulation to perform in puppet slams?
BM: I
used to do Pierre In Ze Aire, who did a tightrope act...Also The
Bambolinis - they were Sicillian marionettists who had to work in a
tortellini factory to support their dream of becoming puppeteers. These
days I'm pretty home-based with a little one at home and another one
on ze way. So I like organizing the 'Dungeon here in Portland for now. I teach the Children's Puppet Workshop here at Mayo Street Arts...an afterschool program for at-risk youths.
M: Where can people contact you to perform?
BM: Email me or send a message on our Facebook Page.
