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Basil Twist

About this Artist

BASIL TWIST is a third generation puppeteer who lives and works in New York City, and is the sole American graduate of the École Supérieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionnette in France. Original creations include The Araneidae Show, Symphonie Fantastique, Petrushka, Master Peter's Puppet Show, Dogugaeshi, and La Bella Dormente Nel Bosco. Collaborations include Behind The Lid, Mandragora, Red Beads, Underground River, and numerous adventures with Theatre Couture. Twist created the puppetry for the world premiere of Paula Vogel's The Long Christmas Ride Home. His work has been recognized with an OBIE Award, three UNIMA Citations of Excellence, two Bessie Awards, a New York Innovative Theatre Award, and a 2005 American Theatre Wing/Henry Hewes design Award, and he is a 2006 Guggenheim Fellow. He has recently been commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera to direct and design Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel for their 2006 season. Twist is the director of The Dream Music Puppetry Program at HERE Arts Center in New York.

09/06