Michael Curry (puppet designer)
| Michael Curry | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 11, 1967 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. |
| Occupation | Scenic, Costume and Puppet Designer |
Michael Curry is an American production designer who lives in Portland, Oregon. He is also the owner and President of Michael Curry Design Inc. in Scappoose, Oregon,[1] which was started in 1986.[2]
Curry works widely in technical development with such renowned entertainment companies as Cirque du Soleil, the Metropolitan Opera, London's Royal National Theatre, Walt Disney Theatrical and theme parks worldwide. He works regularly with directors such as Robert Lepage, Nicholas Hytner, Julie Taymor and William Friedken. He has also worked with production designers such as George Tsypin and the late Mark Fisher. Michael has been the recipient of many distinguished awards from his peers, including various awards for his puppet and costume work on Broadway, Olympic ceremonies and his continuing creations and work in the field of visual effects and puppetry design. He owns and operates Michael Curry Design Inc., which designs and creates live-performance oriented dimensional characters and productions, such as those seen by worldwide audiences in the 1996, 2002, 2010 and 2014 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, in the 2000 & 2012 Super Bowl, and New York City's epoch 2000 millennium event.[3]
Contents
Olympic work
2002 Winter Olympics
Curry designed the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. The first notable American event following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the ceremony blended light, puppets, and story.[4]
Epcot
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At Epcot, in Disney World, Curry created 120 towering puppets, which he titled the Tapestry of Nations (would later become Tapestry of Dreams), that paraded around the lake when sunset arrived. This parade featured the largest speaker system in the world, featuring 416 speakers and 137 amplifiers.[5] The parade ended in March 2003 in its Tapestry of Dreams form. The puppets themselves have occasionally been brought out for special events.
Theatrical work
Curry works often in theatre, collaborating with the best in the industry. He has worked on Broadway, at The Metropolitan Opera, and at the Royal National Theatre to name a few. He also works as a conceptual and technical consultant in the live performance industry.
The Lion King
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Curry was made famous not only by the Olympic ceremonies he designed, but also for his puppet co-design with Julie Taymor in the highly acclaimed musical, The Lion King. in 2014 The Lion King has become the highest grossing musical in history.
The Magic Flute
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Michael Curry was the co-designer of puppets with Julie Taymor.
Finding Nemo
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Curry designed the puppets used in Finding Nemo – The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom.[6]
Rivers of Light
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Curry helped design the new night-time show at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Rivers of Light.[7]
Frozen – Live at the Hyperion
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Curry designed the puppets that are used in the musical Frozen – Live at the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure.[8]
Cirque Du Soleil
Curry has designed on five Cirque du Soleil shows. KÀ (directed by Robert Lepage at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, and LOVE (directed by Dominique Champagne at the MGM Mirage, also in Las Vegas). He also designed the illusions for, Cirque du Soleil and Criss Angel at the LUXOR 2009. Michael was the scenic and puppet designer for Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson's Immortal World Tour.
Center for Puppetry Arts
Three major pieces by Curry are on permanent display at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia - an interactive full-body puppet of a praying mantis, a 9-foot-tall (2.7 m) animatronic original by Curry called the Trashcan Phoenix, and a user-controlled animatronic puppet of Xelas, a shapechanger from Native American mythology.[9]
Awards
- Emmy Award for the 2002 Olympics Opening Ceremony in Salt Lake City
- Emmy Award for Puppet Design of the 2002 Olympics
- Emmy Award for 1996 Olympics Opening Ceremony (Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program)
- Drama Desk Award for The Lion King (Outstanding Puppet Design)
- Top 100 Honoree by Irish America Magazine, 2000
- Cannes Film Festival, Performance Pieces, Art Director (Best Fiction, Short)
- The American Theater Wing Designer Award for The Lion King
- Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, (Distinguished Achievement) 2000 Mask & Puppet Design, Co-Designer with Julie Taymor, The Lion King
- Entertainment Design and Theatre Crafts International, 1999 EDDY Award (Puppet Designer)
- Featured Artist, Prague Quadrennial (2007)
- Risorgiomento Creativity Award (for lifelong creativity and risk taking in the fields of technical and Artistic Design), 2001
References
- ↑ BizBash Media:Michael Curry Design Inc.
- ↑ ECNext Inc.: Company Profile-Michael Curry Design Inc.
- ↑ Michael Curry: Michaelcurrydesign.com/bio.html
- ↑ Michael Curry: michaelcurrydesign.com/gallery.html
- ↑ Walt Disney World Magic.com: Tapestry of Nations
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- ↑ http://www.puppet.org/museum/permanent.shtml Center for Puppetry Arts - Permanent Exhibit
