Hello and meow, friends. It’s Cosmo, the Library Cat. Grand County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program is now underway, and we’ve got an exciting new event planned.
Join us on Tuesday, June 11 at 2:00 p.m. at Star Hall for the Great Arizona Puppet Theater’s original production of Rumpelstiltskin. It’s geared towards ages 5 and up. However, all ages are welcome, and it’s free!
Great Arizona Puppet Theater (GAPT) is a professional puppet theater based in Phoenix, Arizona. This summer, GAPT is touring libraries in our area and we’re one of the lucky libraries they’re visiting!
The official description of the show promises that “Laughs, drama and more laughs abound in this unique rendition of the old fairy tale about spinning straw into gold.”
The show is performed with a type of puppet called rod marionettes by award-winning puppeteer Nancy Smith, the founder of GAPT. We sometimes use hand puppets for storytimes at the library, but rod marionettes are much more sophisticated. These puppets are worked from overhead. A stiff rod controls the body and head, while arms and legs are controlled by long strings.
Puppets are fascinating to watch—alluring, even. They dip, they bob, they weave like a toy on a string, just daring you to pounce! A word of caution; if you struggle to control your hunting instincts, a puppet show is not for you. In fact, a dear friend of mine has a lifetime ban from puppet theaters across Europe after an unfortunate incident at the National Marionette Theater of Prague’s production of Three Blind Mice. I’ll probably sit this one out myself, now that we’re talking about it.
We hope you’ll join our Summer Reading Challenge for all ages as well! You can earn virtual badges and tickets for awesome prize drawings just for reading! Find out more at www.tinyurl.com/gcplreads.
Ciao for now. Wishing you great summer adventures!
