Reckoning Motions drove all the way from Alaska, toting their broad range of puppetry styles that seek to spike the frenzy of 21st century hyper-culture with a dose of intimacy and simplicity. Inspired by an excursion through Europe's puppet theaters in 2005, artistic director Byrna Power retunrned to Alaska to make his own brand of uniquely homegrown not-for-kids puppet theater. In early 2009 Byrne received the Rasmuson Individual Artist Award to create The Great Ziggurat with fellow puppeteers Carsten Hyatt, Krysta Robinson and Anni Harjunstausta. Reckoning Motions' ("motions" being the Elizabethan name for "puppet show") stop in Philly was just one of many on a 60-day tour that took them through the middle and around the corners of the continent before settling back down in their hometown of Haines.

The Great Ziggurat posited a series of ruminations on power and fragmentation, beginning with the biblical story of the Tower of Babel and continuing through Rome, the Middle Ages and the Modern World. Many national leaders, great thinkers and other historical blowhards had their soliloquies sideswiped by marionettes, shadow puppets, refurbished dolls and toys who played the parts in vignettes of other stories involving towers—including Rapunzel, King Kong, Vertigo and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. History, comedy, tragedy, philosophy, romance and mystery all intertwined to provoke and inspire thought, while a tower arose in the middle of the room.

Visit Reckoning Motions here.
Read a review of The Great Ziggurat here.
Check out what's happening at the Rotunda here.