Demian’s Theater & Film Projects
writer, director, singing voice
Scaredy-Kate & the Monsters
- or - How to Pay the Rent
a marionette opera
Skittish and fearful Kate must take a long, dangerous journey to Foggy Mountain in hopes of finding a treasure which would enable her and her mother to pay the overdue rent. During her travels, three monsters attempt to enslave or destroy her. Through these encounters, she finds the courage to face her deepest fears.

Kate is guided through the forest by her faithful cat, Oh-tot


The monster, Bigfat, intends to enslave Kate and Oh-tot


The Duck and the dragon square off. The dragon, ill-
tempered because he has fleas, intends to eat Oh-tot

Scaredy-Kate & The Monsters was written and directed by Demian. The play’s six string puppets and four hand puppets — each taking between 60-to-80 hours to fabricate — were constructed by Demian.

The music direction was by Steve Bryant. The play contains eight songs, originally written by Josef Haydn for his marionette opera, Die Feuerbrunst (Das Adgebrannte Haus) [The Burning House], which he wrote for the Esterházy monarchy, in 1776-78. The overture and exit music is from the fifth movement of Haydn’s Trio #4.

Scaredy-Kate was performed to a prerecorded sound track featuring the singing voices of Gregg Carder, Demian, Betty Gaskill, Peter Kechley, Charles Sherwood and Kay Shirey. Instrumentalists included Steve Bryant, Doug Hjelm, Fred Inman, Peggy Monroe and James West.

Scaredy-Kate took six months to produce and premiered at Seattle’s 1982 Bumbershoot Festival.
Once performed only as a live marionette opera, Scaredy-Kate
is now being made into a video. Please see the article:
Scaredy-Kate & the Monsters - or - How to Pay the Rent.

All contents © 2003, Demian

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Demian — Sweet Corn Productions
206-935-1206 — demian@buddybuddy.com
P.O. Box 9685, Seattle, WA 98109 — buddybuddy.com/sweet.html