Currently Franklin - Original Commission - Franklin and Marshall College - 2005
History / Description
When Benjamin Franklin was a young boy, he loved the sea and longed to be a sailor, but his father didn’t want Benjamin to drown at sea, so Benjamin Franklin had to find the curiosity and adventure of the sea someplace else … Sebastienne Mundheim’s lyrical story of America’s most well-known founding father follows Franklin from his early childhood through many of his accomplishments as printer, inventor, and diplomat. A set made entirely of paper, dancing printing presses, giant buckle shoes, ethereal movers, comic actors, light and shadow play, and an eclectic soundscape use this American icon to explore the aesthetics of storytelling and ask questions about American identity.
Video
Performance Stills
“Full of charm…information and ideas. Suitable for children, as well as everybody else … it is a pleasure to see so much imagination …”
- The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Brilliant performance … genuine visionary … I’ve LEARNED”
- Mike Zuckerman, Franklin Scholar, University of Pennsylvania
“Brilliant set work ... ingenuous interpretative movement … wonderfully creative puppetry …”
- The Philadelphia Weekly
“ ...unquestionably one of the most creative and engaging pieces of theatre I have ever seen.... while the individual elements of Mundheim’s shows are familiar---puppetry, simple lighting and sound, dance and movement, handcrafted props, voice, masks, poetry and narrative---it is their seamless and unexpected combination, as well as her wholly original aesthetic sensibility, that create a sense of surprise and revelation. These visual and material effects are anchored in a subtle and intelligent script that is both accessible and challenging to children and adults ... I highly recommend it.”
- Eliza Jane Reilly, Director for Center Liberal Studies, Franklin and Marshall College, 2006
“...As the President of the Friends of Franklin, an international organization that promotes and explores Franklin’s legacy, I highly recommend “Currently Franklin” to people of any age, and for that matter even if they do not understand English, visually it’s a gem.”
- Roy Goodman, Curator of Printed Materials, American Philosophical Society, 2006
Collaborators
Originally commissioned by Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
Creator: Sebastienne Mundheim.
Original workshop/development/performance with Fulton Family Ensemble, Lancaster, PA.
Sound Design: James Sugg and Sebastienne Mundheim.
Cast/Collaborators Summer-Fall 2006: Karin Bookbinder, Kate Carr, Charlie Delmarcelle, Aaron Mumaw, Sebastienne Mundheim.
Special Thanks: Kerry Sherin-Wright, Writers’ House Franklin and Marshall College, Myra Bazell, Madison Cario, Sara Labov, Jamie Labov, Alexandra Hanes, Kaitlin Dunn, Michael Zuckerman, Chad Kinsey, Gina Renzi, Andrew Zitcer.
Thoughtful Input: Barry Kornhauser, Charlie Delmarcelle, Kate Watson-Wallace, Whit MacLaughlin, Michael Zuckerman, Jennifer Snead, Travis Mesman.
Production/Research Assistants: Kaitlin Dunn, Sarah Giovaniello, Alexandra Hanes, Travis Mesman, Malese Schick, Kim Traube, Lindsey Winkler, Zachary Yorke, Elizabeth Zuckerman.
Funding and Presenting Support include: The Writers’ House of Franklin and Marshall College, The Philips Museum of Lancaster, PA, The Fulton Family Ensemble of the Fulton Theatre, The Community Partnerships Program of the University of Pennsylvania, The Rotunda of the University of Pennsylvania, The Stonington Opera House, Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, Lights of Liberty, Sigi Berwind, Ted and Stevie Wolf, and Gerry Lenfest.