Magical Moonshine Theatre
The Magical Moonshine Theatre has been recognized for fine quality productions with emphasis on puppetry, mask and music since its founding by Michael and Valerie Nelson in 1979. Live programming includes touring performances for family audiences in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. MMT is also a producer of original puppet/mask theatre for adult audiences. In addition to performances MMT offers residency programs and workshops for children as well as theatre professionals. Recorded projects include a series of storytelling cassettes and a Spanish/English collection of traditional Spanish children's songs, recorded in Spain and California.
Recent News (and a bit of philosophy): Michael & Valerie and their puppets in the last 18 months have had three performance tours in Europe (Spain, France, Germany), one in Taiwan, and one in Puerto Rico, in addition to performances throughout the Western states. In spite of all this touring, we are starting to focus more on Northern California performances and events. We are exploring the concept of starting a Puppetry Center in the North Bay, as well as working to support the puppet community in the Bay Area. We believe that puppetry is a great form of arts enrichment for school aged children as it encompasses so many art forms (literary, performance, visual, musical, etc.) We advocate for a return of higher arts levels to California schools and a return to enrichment levels of 5 years ago. We urge our fans to contact their schools and government representatives and urge more funding for the arts.
To navigate through the website, click on the blue underlined text. Use the back arrow on your browser to return. Many photos will enlarge when you click on them. To see the whole page, scroll down. Enjoy.
Calendar of Events - (this link has listings of shows and workshops that you can attend!)
Kids! Puppet Project Pages Features fun puppet projects for kids, parents and teachers! Join the PUPPET PROJECT CLUB!
Giant Mariano Vallejo Puppets (The general celebrates his 200th birthday!)
Benjie Nelson Puppets - (Benjie Nelson, son of Magical Moonshine founders Michael and Valerie Nelson still performs with his parents, but also has his own solo productions, Including the UNI Award winning "Fowl Play.")
More information on Magical Moonshine Theatre - (including frequently asked questions, funding information, the new and more.
Public Performances - (this link will guide you to the large multicultural repertoire of Magical Moonshine Theatre including shows that are bilingual (Spanish/English and others) and non-language dependent (for international touring) as well as smaller programs and seasonal offerings.)
School & Library Programs - (this link will take you to the Magical Moonshine Theatre school offerings, including assembly programs, workshops, and other educational programs.)
PVC Pipe Organ Installation for the 2001 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Links (including other MMT pages like the Kid's Project Pages (bookmark it to go directly there after you have found all these great, free projects), our Gallery of Puppets, MMT Director Michael's other artistic projects, and various puppetry websites of interest.
Magical Moonshine Theatre, Box 1258, Vallejo, CA 94590 U.S.A. - tel: 707-363-4573
Click here to send us an Email: mail@magicalmoonshine.org