News Release

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South African, Malian companies
bring true tale of ‘Tall Horse’ to UNC

CHAPEL HILL — Sogo Jan was a gift, in 1827, from the Pasha of Egypt to King Charles X of France.

The giraffe was one of a number that the African kings of yore gave to foreign leaders, contributing to a European obsession with all things African.

"Tall Horse," the story of Sogo Jan and much more, will come to Memorial Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill next week, with some characters portrayed by humans and others by giant and exquisite puppets.

The performances, part of the 2005-2006 Carolina Performing Arts Series, will begin at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 and 3 p.m. Nov. 6.

The Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa and Mali's Sogolon Puppet Troupe collaborate on the production, which combines South African artistry with centuries-old cultural practices from Mali.

Memorial is one of just six U.S. venues to land "Tall Horse," which has been performed since Sept. 30 at Williams College in Massachusetts; the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York; the Byham Theatre in Pittsburgh; and the Power Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

After Nov. 6, the companies will travel to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., for their last U.S. dates on the current tour.

Sogo Jan is 16 feet tall, "inhabited by two men walking with unexpected grace and animation on stilts," wrote New York Times reviewer Charles Isherwood. "Constructed of a delicate exoskeleton of thin wooden rods wrapped in airy fabrics evoking the animal’s patterned skin, it glides with the undulating, slightly awkward languor of the real creature." She cranes her neck; her ears flap.

Based on a true story, "Tall Horse" explores Africa's influence on the West from an African perspective.

"From our Eurocentric point of view, intrepid explorers have been discovering Africa since the 15^th century," wrote TheaterMania.com reviewer Sandy MacDonald on Oct. 4. "Khephra Burns’s script for ‘Tall Horse’ turns the tables, showing us how a young giraffe – and her handler, a former slave – discovered and influenced Europe in 1827."

The increasing flow of African cultural and artistic influence in Europe paved the way for developments in dance, music and sculpture in the 20^th century.

Except for the guillotine, when youngsters’ eyes might best be covered, "Tall Horse" is family-friendly, MacDonald wrote.

Single ticket prices range from $28 to $50 for the public and are $10 each for Carolina students. Tickets are available by phone at (919) 843-3333 or from the Memorial Hall box office on Cameron Avenue, open Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Carolina students should call the box office for purchasing information. Series subscriptions also are available.

The box office will open from 10 a.m. until intermission on Nov. 5-6. For more information, e-mail performingarts@unc.edu or visit www.unc.edu/performingarts.

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Note: Company members are available for phone interviews on Oct. 27-28 and Nov. 1-3. Among potential interviewees is Sandile Matsheni, who plays the role of Sogo Jan’s handler, Atir. To request interviews, call Deirdre Valente at Lisa Booth Management Inc., (212) 921-2114.

Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/memorial/handspring_puppet_company.jpg
Website: www.handspringpuppet.co.za/html/tallhorse.html
Carolina Performing Arts Series contact: Jennifer Smith, (919) 966-3834 or jwsmith@unc.edu
News Services contacts: Print, L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589; broadcast, Karen Moon, (919) 962-8595