Swiss silent-theater troupe Mummenschanz will visit Penn State April 8 with its newest production “You & Me.” The show will feature some of the group’s classic sketches and found-object masks and costumes. Credit: Photo provided. All Rights Reserved.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mummenschanz, Switzerland’s famous silent minimalist prop-theater troupe, will perform “You & Me” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 8, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
“You & Me,” which has been on tour since 2016, features a “greatest hits” of the ensemble’s 100-plus sketches, as well as new skits created by troupe co-founder Floriana Frassetto. The company last performed at Penn State in 1997 in celebration of its 25-year retrospective.
Watch a preview of “You & Me.” Credit: Mummenschanz Tour Us.
Mummenschanz — founded in 1972 by physical artists Frassetto, Andres Bossard and Bernie Schürch — was a response to European white-faced pantomime and the work of French mime Marcel Marceau.
“We knew that no one could overwhelm more than him or be better than him, so we decided to look for our own way in and our language,” Frassetto told TheaterJones.com.
The trio, after years of training with circus, clowning and movement experts, took Mummenschanz on tour to North and South America. The company performed for three years on Broadway and appeared on television’s “The Muppet Show” and “Sesame Street.”
Much of the company’s success and charm is a result of its masks and props, often created out of everyday objects and intensified using shadow and light.
“Mummenschanz succeeds brilliantly because of its originality, exceptional ingenuity, sense of surprise and deft satirical touches,” wrote a reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle.
For more information about the performance, visit Center for the Performing Arts online or call 814-863-0255.
Kids Connections, which takes place one hour before the show and is free for ticket holders, includes mask-making provided by artist Holly Foy and a creative play workshop with Cynthia Mazzant. Foy recently costumed the State College Delta Program Middle School’s production of “The Lion King Jr.” and Tempest Productions’ “Medea.” Mazzant is the co-artistic director of Tempest Productions and executive director of the Central PA Theatre and Dance Fest. Due to space and time restrictions, Kids Connections participation is limited.
Audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available for this performance at no extra charge to ticket holders. Reservations are required by Friday, March 23. Phone 814-238-0132 to reserve this service.
McQuaide Blasko Endowment provides support for the presentation.
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“Mummenschanz succeeds brilliantly because of its originality, exceptional ingenuity, sense of surprise and deft satirical touches,” wrote a reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Credit: Marco Hartmann. All Rights Reserved.
Laura Sullivan