Performances
Suitable for Preschool Audiences (ages 2
and up)
The Puppet
Man
The Puppet Man is a hand puppet
presentation done in a very traditional,
European style. With the puppeteer
(Michael) wearing the walk-around stage,
the presentation consists of a variety of
humorous skits, sometimes requiring
audience members to help out or make
suggestions to help the puppets solve
problems. This presentation can be
geared to few-year-olds or older,
elementary aged children. Different
themes can often be accomodated.
Little
Elephant Has A Ball
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This table top presentation was
designed for the Puppets In The Preschool
Conference at Contra Costa College, and
was created to be developmentally
appropriate for preschool
audiences. In the story, Little
Elephant finds a ball, but when she goes
to play with Monkey and Zebra, she
discovers that they are much better
players than she is and at first would
rather play without her. With the
prodding of Lion, the animals learn how
to play together and appreciate each
one's different skills with the
ball. This funny and tender show
includes live music on the ukelele and
singing with children learning the songs
and hand plays to join in, as well as
helping the animals figure out how to
solve their problems.
New for
Summer, 2012:
Puppylocks and the Three Bears
What if Goldilocks
was not a little girl at all, but a
golden, mischievous little dog? That is
exactly the case is this very funny
retelling of the traditional fairytale.
Watch this impish little dog not only do
everything wrong in the Bear's house (she
even refuses to obey the puppeteers as
they try to get her to act her part in
the story!) Can anyone bring this cute
and crazy canine under control?
Puppylocks is presented with traditional
Bohemian style marionettes on a tabletop
stage.
The
Grasshopper and the Ant
This retelling of the Aesop's fable about
the grasshopper and the ant is done in
the style of Victorian Paper Theatre,
where the characters and scenery are
paper art created by Michael
Nelson. In our telling of the
classic tale, the fairies and gnomes help
to order the natural world by planting
mushrooms or snipping off colorful leaves
in the fall. Over the course of one
year we follow Gary the grasshopper who
learns to make music on grass and
practices his playing while his friend
Amy the Ant stores up food for the
winter, warning him that he had better
prepare for winter. When winter
finally comes, things look bad for Gary
until his musical ability is brought to
the attention of the Queen of the Fairies
who values his talent and has him play
for the Winter festival. With live
music on the dulcimore, live singing,
beautiful lighting and art work, and
ending with a grasshopper limberjack
dancing to a tune, this is a cycle show
that goes through the seasons with humor
and wonder. Best for ages 3 and up.
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