ORA FRUCHTER

Doppelskope 

Doppelskope is the brainchild (and heartchild) of Ora Fruchter and Stoph Scheer. When we met in a clown class in 2009, Ora was a detail-oriented visual theatre artist and Stoph was a frenetic physical performer, but we both wanted to make open-hearted new theatre that approached life’s darkest problems through comedy. When we started working together, our aesthetic hybrid evolved to fit our unique skill sets, including puppetry, clown, improvisation, magical illusions, music, circus and philosophy.

 

Doppelskope creates highly visual and interactive performances that explore topics from existential dread to ecological crises. We believe that the stories we tell about the world can change the world. We believe audience interaction empowers audiences to realize they can affect the world as they affect our plays. We believe in the intelligence of children and the whimsy of adults. Our shows celebrate life and inspire connection, discovery and community. 

 

We named ourselves Doppelskope, a misspelled portmanteau of “doppelganger telescope” (imagine a telescope so powerful you can see the back of your own head).  “Doppel” means “double” in German, so Doppelskope also means double-scope, or “two viewpoints” - a reminder of how important collaboration is to us.

 

Our early adult-oriented shows - including An Existential Sing-Along, Shrink: Puppet Therapy, and The Apocalypse Show - were developed through performance in variety settings, which allowed us to continuously experiment and discover what works best for us.  

 

Then, along with our resident composer Toby Singer we created three off- the-wall, family-friendly, fairytale musical comedies. These shows explore environmental justice (Gruff!), the relationship between humans and technology (Grimm!), and the complex social ramifications of commerce (Growl!). 

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Gruff!, Grimm!, and Growl! (“The Grilogy”) premiered at Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre from 2014-2016. In 2017 Doppelskope produced Gruff! in NYC to critical acclaim which led to an Off-Broadway run at the McGinn/Cazale Theater.

 

The Lily Theatre in Indianapolis and the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine have licensed and presented their own productions of Gruff! 

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Doppelskope received a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant  for our most recent show The Amazing Story Machine. The New York Times described it as “endlessly inventive” during its initial NYC-run at The Tank. The Amazing Story Machine was subsequently performed at Symphony Space, The Jim Henson Carriage House, Puppet Showplace, and Sandglass Theater, with future performances TBA.

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Learn more and watch videos at www.doppelskope.com

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Listen to songs from Gruff! on Bandcamp

Listen to songs from Grimm! on Bandcamp

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