PUTNEY — Vermont Suitcase Company will screen its feature film debut, New Clothes, at Next Stage Arts in Putney on Friday, June 19, at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
Based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen, New Clothes reimagines the classic fable through the lens of the Vermont touring theater troupe’s fast-paced, inventive style. The film follows two struggling swindlers who scheme their way into a royal palace, hoping to trick the Emperor and his court out of the very clothes on their backs.
Shot in just seven days on the fourth floor of an apartment building in downtown Brattleboro, the film embraces a deliberately handmade aesthetic where painted canvas and cardboard coexist with refrigerators and radiators in a timeless theatrical kingdom.
Since 2018, Vermont Suitcase Company has traveled throughout the state performing accessible, comedic theater in bars, pizza parlors, community centers, and performance venues. Armed with four poles, a curtain, and suitcases filled with costumes and props, the troupe has built a reputation for energetic storytelling and resourceful stagecraft.
New Clothes marks the group’s first feature film project, expanding their signature theatrical sensibility onto the screen while maintaining the scrappy charm that has defined their live performances.
A discussion with members of the creative team will follow the screening.
The event takes place at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 16 and under.
More information and tickets are available at nextstagearts.org.
