February 4, 2017 at 2pm, Arlington Center for the Arts, 41 Foster Street

Join Dream Tale Puppets for a joyous romp through the classic tale of poor Jack, the cow and the magic beans. Dream Tale Puppets director Jacek Zuzanski creates the story with physical comedy, hand puppets, masks and a marionette. Margaret Moody provides narration and voices for the production.

Stay after the show to create your own hat or mask with paper strips. (This mini-workshop is included with admission.) Tickets are $7, available at jack-and-the-beanstalk-tickets.eventbrite.com

Dream Tale Puppets was founded in 2003 at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum and now includes actors, puppeteers and visual artists who enjoy working with both traditional and innovative styles of puppetry. Troupe director Jacek Zuzanski is a theatre artist and acting teacher with over 30 years experience in Poland and the US. He earned his MFA from the Ludwik Solski State Theatre School.

Puppeteer and voice actress Margaret Moody loves old stories and the characters that inhabit them. She studied traditional Taiwanese puppetry with the I Wan Jan Puppet Troupe in Taiwan, and often uses its choreography and small puppets in her work with Galapagos Puppets and as a solo artist.

Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 2 pm

Make your own puppet character and start expressing its personality in this 1 1/2 hour workshop at Arlington Center for the Arts.  We’ll use prepared felt puppets and then add paper and cloth features to make lively, sweet, snarky, amazing characters. Children 5 and under should be accompanied by a parent, who is welcome to make a puppet too. Best for ages 4 and up.

Tickets are $5.

This workshop is limited to 25 people. Please reserve your spot through Eventbrite.

Directions: http://www.acarts.org/hours-directions

Mama Leopard gets what she wants by frightening smaller animals — until Rabbit turns the tables on her with the help of her son and the jungle’s two largest beasts, Elephant and Rhinoceros. Leopard learns that cooperating with friends works better than bullying. Maggie Whalen performs this story with stunning puppets she built of fabric and paper mache. “Leopard Learns a Lesson” is based on a Malawi folktale and features original music by Alison Plante. Come for the show, stay to make your own animal puppet and enjoy puppet-play. Best for ages 4 and up.

Maggie Whalen is the creator of Magpie Puppets, a one-woman puppet theater based in Stoneham, Massachusetts. She has been creating and performing puppet shows for children since 1969. In addition to performing, Maggie builds customized puppets for theater and film and has taught puppet-making workshops at schools, community centers, and at Club Med Mini-Clubs in the Caribbean. She is featured on the PBS Curious George show in the Sock Monkey Opera episode.

“Mathilda’s Bath,” Saturday, January 9 at 11am & 2pm

Arlington Center for the Arts, 41 Foster Street

Only Mrs. Piggle Wiggle’s magic can convince the grimy Mathilda to take a bath in this light-hearted adaptation of a Betty MacDonald story. The story features needle-felted pig puppets created by Sandra Pastrana and me,  and lots of gentle humor. Come for the show; stay to make a simple sock puppet and play with puppets afterward! Best for ages 3 to 7.

Mathilda’s Bath is the second show in this season’s Saturdays with Puppets series at Arlington Center for the Arts. The series, which began in 2009, presents lively puppet shows for families on fall and winter Saturdays. Tickets are $7; 3 for $20. To reserve tickets email me at [email protected] or call (781)643-1228.