The current productions cover a wide range of stories, subjects and
issues. Some are physically larger
than others; some are more complicated to perform. Though all
have been presented to people of all ages, some were definitely created with specific
audiences in mind.
Each play is usually performed with one of several different types
of puppets - string (marionettes), hand or rod. The choice depends upon
which type was thought best to bring each story to life.
The plays are:
Naftali the Storyteller; The Nightingale; Stone Soup; Just So Stories;
The Flight of Icarus; The Steadfast Tin Soldier; Hobnobbin' Goblins;
Tale of the Name of the Tree; The Bugtown Follies; The Legend of Pecos Bill.
Their descriptions are as follows:
In this play based on a story by Nobel Prize winning author Isaac
Bashevis Singer,
a young boy's unquenchable curiosity about the world leads to a life-long quest
to learn stories and legends and to read and collect books of all kinds. Naftali's
journey takes him from his home in a quiet country village to the exotic capitals of far
and wide. He meets kings and queens, poets and peasants. He delights at the
wonders of the circus and the inventions of science. And even as he grows old, his
sense of excitement and his love of life never dims.
Enjoyed by older children and adults.
Performed with a variety of marionettes, hand and rod puppets.
Set in China, this marvelous tale by Hans Christian Andersen, tells
about the special 
friendship
between a mighty emperor and a little bird.When a mechanical nightingale is sent to him as
a gift, the emperor's affections shift, and the real bird is shunned. Darkness falls
upon the palace; the emperor becomes ill. The only cure is true friendship, and of
course, there is a happy ending.
Best for grades 3 and up.
Performed with rod puppets.
A new musical version of the old folk tale
which answers the question, is it possible to make a soup from a stone? The answer
is a resounding "yes." But there's more to it.
Trust, compassion, and generosity are the lessons learned by this
deceptively funny tale.
A soldier, on a journey far from home, comes upon a village of very
selfish people. When he asks for food and shelter, and no one obliges to help, the
soldier amazes everyone with a pot of boiling water and, yes, just a stone.
Best for grades 3 and up.
Performed with large hand puppets.
Greek mythology lives again! The dreamworld
of heroes and villains, gods and monsters,
fortunes
and fates plays out once more
through the magic of puppetry.
Zeus, on Mount Olympus, is the tyrant who toys with the lives
of humans down below. The Minotaur - half man; half bull - chases his prey in
a giant labyrinth. Daedalus and Icarus - father and son - fly with wings made of
feathers and wax. With characters like these, it's no wonder
the stories are forever captivating.
Best for grades 3 and up.
Performed with rod puppets.
Based on a heart-warming story by Hans Christian Andersen, for
holiday-time
or
anytime. Our hero is a brave tin soldier who was made with only one leg (because a
toymaker ran out of tin). He wins the respect of his fellow toys - all except a
disgruntled Jack-in-the-Box, who pushes him out a window in a jealous rage. It
rains and the unfortunate soldier rusts, then falls down a sewer and floats out to
sea. How does he survive? And does he get home?
Enjoyed by all ages.
Performed with hand and rod puppets.
A rousingly spooky (but not scary) Halloween celebration. Elaborate
marionettes (string puppets) expertly brought to life, with an
enchanting musical score accompanying them.
As the midnight moon shines over a wicked countryside, a cast of
ghosts and goblins rise out of the ground and fly down from the sky to do their
haunting best.
Dancing broomsticks, flying pumpkins, bats, rats, a witch, a
wizard, a disjointed skeleton, ghosts and goons and lots more.
Enjoyed by all ages.
Performed with marionettes.
An old Bantu tale about a fruit-laden tree with a complicated
name. The name is important because someone needs to remember it, so that the fruit
will fall and the animal kingdom can be saved from a terrible famine.
The lion sends emissaries to the great Chief of the Mountain, but
each one forgets the name before he or she returns home.
Only the modest tortoise - in whom no one has ever had faith - is
determined enough to save the day.
Best for grades K - 3.
Performed with hand and rod puppets.
Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book, also wrote these
fanciful stories that explain How the Elephant got its trunk; How the Leopard got its
spots; How the Camel got its 
hump; How
the Alphabet was discovered.
Though not necessarily true, they are funny and unpredictable - and
who knows? Maybe the elephant did get its trunk because of the sharp teeth and firm
clasp of the crocodile!
Best for grades K - 2.
Performed with large hand puppets.
Look down at the ground with a magnifying lens and what do you
see? Insects, of course. 
But they're
doing things you wouldn't expect. As a matter of fact, they're singing, they're
dancing, they're clowning around and using their special skills to perform great feats.
They're staging a hilarious vaudeville pageant led by Master of
Ceremonies Bugsby Berkeley, grasshopper extraordinaire. Acrobatic ants, tap-dancing
spiders and butterfly beauties are but part of the wondrous show.
Best for grades K - 3.
Performed with hand and rod puppets.
Born in the 1830's, it's said that he tamed the Wild West and left his
mark on American folk lore. Legend tells us that he was raised
by a coyote, rode a mountain lion, and tamed a
tornado. This is a tall tale about an honest-to-goodness, larger-than-life,
genuine hero, who stood up for all things right.
A rootin' tootin', high spirited adventure about a young man who
becomes the greatest cowboy who ever lived.
Best for grades 3 and up.
Performed with rod puppets.
Entire contents of this site Copyright © 2004 by Robert Rogers. All
rights reserved.
No portion of this site may be reproduced in any form without the express permission of
the copyright holder.