A Prelude to Faust

Michael Sommers’ critically acclaimed puppet epic returns to the stage! Inspired by Sommers’ longtime obsession with Goethe’s dramatic poem about a man who sells his soul to the devil, A PRELUDE TO FAUST conjures a miniature surreal world of tormented souls, flying spirits and disembodied hands. With virtuosic puppetry and an original score by Michael Koerner performed with a live orchestra, this landmark production is not to be missed!

"Not only is it the sort of show one regrets ending, it's tempting to come back the next night and see what unlikely moments one missed the first time. Apparently the devil really is in the details." - Quinton Skinner, City Pages (2007)

"It appears to be a puppet show, but it's much more than that. It's a social comedy, a morality tale, with some surrealism in the shape of flying human hearts thrown in for good measure." - Euan Kerr, MPR (2007)

A PRELUDE TO FAUST was commissioned by the Walker Art Center in 1998 and was the first production in Open Eye’s historic theatre in 2007. FAUST was also performed at the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater in 2000. Open Eye co-founder Michael Sommers wrote the show after researching the Faust story in Germany and the Czech Republic.

Like any myth, meaning shifts over time, as it has in Sommers’ representation of the immortal tale since the last production more than a decade ago. With this latest production of A PRELUDE TO FAUST, Sommers explores more ecstatic violence and a more intensely heartbreaking love story.