In addition, informative programs by the artist are scheduled in three area communities as part of an extended residency.
     While the Cashore Marionettes are complex in construction, the veteran puppeteer aims for effects that are stunning in their simplicity. He has been awarded the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest honor an American puppeteer can receive.
     "I try in my work to be as simple and direct as possible, to express the theme of each piece with an economy of means," Cashore said.
     The Saturday evening performance, titled "Life in Motion," is the Cashore Marionettes' full-length program for adults. The show consists of short vignettes covering the full range of human experience from comic to tragic moments, with characters and actions that are convincing and engaging, Cashore said. Each segment is performed to evocative music by composers from Vivaldi to Strauss and Copland. Tickets for this production are $18 and $5 for students.
     The Saturday afternoon show is a shorter program called "Simple Gifts," designed for families. Because of the subtlety of movement and expression, the program is best suited for children ages 8 and older. Seating for this special matinee performance is general admission, with tickets for children and adults reduced to $5.
     Advance tickets for the two performances may be purchased at any SUNY Oswego Box Office, online at tickets.oswego.edu or by calling 312-2141.
     Parking for the Cashore Marionettes' performances is included in the cost of the ticket, in the employee lots in front of and just east of Culkin Hall, the college's main administration building off State Route 104.
'Meet the artist'
     Area residents may attend Cashore's informative preview presentations a  7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego, or at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, at the CNY Arts Center in Fulton. At both of these "meet the artist" sessions, the puppeteer will explain and demonstrate how he imagines, constructs and performs with his expressive characters. These illustrated artist talks are geared to interested adults as well as children age 8 and above.
     Adults and art students who wish to pursue Joseph Cashore's technique in greater depth may register for a marionette master class taught at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Salmon River Fine Arts Center in Pulaski. Details on this educational opportunity may be obtained by contacting the center at 298-7007.
     The Cashore Marionettes' community residency is made possible by grants from the Richard S. Shineman Foundation, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour and the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by CNY Arts. It is also made possible by the partnering host organizations.
     Detailed program information, video clips and ticket links for the two on-campus performances by the Cashore Marionettes are available online atoswego.edu/arts.