I’ll perform “Cow and Mouse’s Picnic” at Arlington Center for the Arts today at 2 as planned. Please join me if the weather doesn’t get in your way. Safety first, always. Stay to play with puppets and have some coffee or tea! Tickets $7 at the door.
Arlington Center for the Arts is at 41 Foster Street in Arlington and has ample parking.
At “Making Puppets Together” on December 3 I had the fun of watching parents make puppets along with their children. Lots of look-alike puppets, a family dog, and some robots, too. When I asked to take photos of puppets only for privacy reasons, the kids, moms and dads immediately dropped to the floor and held their puppets up high. They’ve drilled a “best practice” for photo privacy.
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.
Saturday, February 6 at 11am & 2pm
Arlington Center for the Arts, 41 Foster Street
Tickets $7, 3 for $20, cash or check at the door
Welcome the Year of the Monkey with a story about the Monkey King himself. In this episode of the epic Journey to the West Monkey is thrilled to have a job in the heavens. But when he is left out of the Jade Emperor’s banquet, he flies off to make mischief in the banquet hall and in Lao-tse’s studio. Margaret Moody performs the story with acrobatic Taiwanese puppets. Stay after the show to dance with a lucky lion and try out traditional hand puppets! Best for ages 4 and up.
If you’d like to reserve tickets, email Margaret at [email protected] or call (781)643-1228.
“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.
