Taking Turns

Hungry puppet, Puppet Day at Country Cottage Center in Medway

Monkey Makes Mischief in Heaven

I’m happy to be one of more than 100 artists at Arlington Open Studios on Saturday, November 12th, 11 to 5.

Here’s my schedule in Classroom 1, 4th floor at 20 Academy St:

11:30 – mini-show of “Taking Turns” featuring needle-felted puppets, best for ages 3 to 7

12:00 – try your hand at puppet-play with hand puppets

12:30 – mini-show of “Taking Turns” – will Mathilda apologize?

1:00 – puppet-play with hand puppets

1:30 – “Monkey Makes Mischief in Heaven,” a Monkey King story, best for ages 5 and up

2:00 – puppet-play with Bu Dai Xi style hand puppets

On July 13, Peter Lehman’s lute music brought the peaceful sense of a fairy woodland to the Elm Street tent outside Fall River Library.  Children gathered on a rug, ready to meet fairies, squirrels . . . and trolls! In this interactive show, Peter, Ann Wynne and I want our audience members to have opinions — but we were surprised at how strongly they spoke to Skimpa the troll. “No, you can’t push down the tree!” “But I need space for my beautiful new chair,” she whined. “NO!” the children said.

When the trolls persisted in knocking over the tree, our faithful audience helped them plant a baby tree for distraught fairies. And, after trolls, fairies, puppeteers and our amazing musician took their bows, the children arrested the trolls! We know they will take good care of trees in the future.

THANK YOU, FALL RIVER CULTURAL COUNCIL!! This show was supported by a grant from the Fall River Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. And thank you to librarian David Mello for his incredible support of children and those who perform for them.

The wheels are still wobbly, but Skimpa wants a test drive.

So happy to have a grant from the Arlington Cultural Council to create “The Trolls and the Tree: An Immersive Theater Piece for Children” with Ann Wynne and Peter Lehman. In the story, two trolls agree to take care of an idyllic fairy garden. But, when there’s not space enough in the garden for their toaster, TV, and lawn chairs next to the tree, guess which item gets moved?

Many friends are designing woodland seat covers for our show! Here are a few.