Ranka's
Marionette Theatre

Answers

1. For what ages do Ranka’s two shows work best?

Animal Stories is aimed at elementary school audiences only (K to 6). Ranka’s Musical Revue, on the other hand, is very successful with adults as well as children.

We have taken extra care in the Letters and Quotes sections of this website to show that Ranka’s Musical Revue truly appeals to all ages. If this claim strikes you as a mere cliché, we encourage you to visit both of these pages:

• Letters from Educators (regarding school-age audiences)
• Press and Client Quotes (regarding adult audiences)

2. How long are Ranka’s shows?

School Assemblies: Ranka’s school assemblies are 45 minutes long.

Special Events: Depending on the event, Ranka’s show runs between 30 and 45 minutes.

3. What is the cost of a performance?

Current prices for both school assemblies and special events are listed in Booking Information.

You can also find current prices for each assembly program at:

School Assemblies > Musical Revue

School Assemblies > Animal Stories

4. For what size audience can you perform?

School Assemblies:

• Musical Revue: On an average school stage, for 350 students. Without a stage, approximately 300 students (using our riser).
• Animal Stories: On an average school stage, for 350 students. Without a stage, approximately 150 students. (See Answer #5.)

Special Events: Depending on the staging, for up to 2,000 people.

Ranka’s characters are large and tall (between 3 and 5 feet), so they project very well. (See, for example, the photos of Ranka with her characters on our Home Page.)

5. What do we need to provide for Ranka’s performance?

School Assemblies:

• Musical Revue: We supply all equipment, including sound and lighting systems. We prefer a stage, but if there is no stage, we are happy to use our own riser (at no extra cost).
• Animal Stories: We supply all equipment, including sound and lighting systems. A stage is also required with more than 150 students. (We cannot use our riser for this program, but Ranka can perform at floor level for audiences of 150 or less. These precautions ensure that everyone can see the animals that crawl!)

Special Events: Although we usually rely on the sound, lighting, and stage provided at most special events; for small parties, we can provide our own lighting and sound systems, as well as our own riser.

6. How far can you travel?

School Assemblies: We principally travel within a 150- to 200-mile radius of Santa Rosa, California, where we are based. (This area certainly includes the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, and the outer borders of this area are roughly defined by Greater Sacramento, Stockton, Merced, Salinas, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and San Francisco.)

When we are able to book multiple days in the same area, we can travel further.

Special Events: The distance we can travel is limited only by the event’s budget.

7. How far in advance do we need to book?

When you are booking a specific date, it is always wise to book as early as you can. It never hurts to call us at the last minute, however. If we are available, we can set up a show with as little as a day's notice.

8. Does Ranka create her own characters?

Ranka not only creates her own musical and animal characters, she also designs and constructs the props in her show, including the emblem at the top of this page, musical instruments (even the piano), backdrops, and trees.

You can find a simplified illustration of how Ranka makes her puppets at School Assemblies > Musical Revue > Puppet-Making Demonstration.

9. Why do you sometimes refer to your characters as marionettes and at other times as puppets?

A marionette is just one type of puppet. There are many types of puppets, including: hand puppets, shadow puppets, rod puppets, and stringed puppets, which are often called marionettes.

A marionette is generally defined as, "[a] jointed puppet manipulated from above by strings or wires attached to its limbs." (American Heritage Dictionary) Unlike traditional marionettes, Ranka’s characters are sculpted from blocks of foam rubber instead of wood.

You can find a simplified illustration of how Ranka makes her puppets at School Assemblies > Musical Revue > Puppet-Making Demonstration.

10. How long has Ranka been doing this?

Ranka started cutting paper figures from her own drawings when she was a little girl. Before long she discovered that if she moved them to music, they seemed to come alive. Ranka started working as a professional puppeteer in her early 20s. You can read more about Ranka’s artistic background at Ranka Gatu: Artist & Performer.