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closePuppets, theater production worth the price of admission
Tears of Joy, Encore! each have coming attractions
Hugh McMillan
Special to the Gateway
We went theatrical last week. First, there was a fabulous performance at Vaughn Elementary School by the much admired Tears of Joy table-puppeteer team from the Portland area, sponsored for the third year in a row by the Two Waters Arts Alliance.
Captivating puppet artists Hannah Long and John Owicki had the all-school audience mesmerized with fascinating performances. One, “The Lazy Bee,” is a children’s folk tale from Argentina which shows how a bee that would rather buzz around and have fun is denied admittance to the hive before it learns the value of working with other bees.
The other, “When Animals Were People,” is a Mexican Huichol Indian tale that presents various messages: the wisdom of elders, the results of being mean and greedy, and the value of sharing.
The stories, spiced with both English and Spanish, are morality tales, and the kids ate them up.
Several fifth-graders said they liked the show because it was funny. They complimented the puppeteers’ voices, originality and scenery.
Fifth-grader Kaila Edwards said her favorite was wolf because of his funny voice and personality.
Classmate Emma Krist, who works for Vaughn’s I.C.U. Newspaper, said, “It is very funny, and it teaches kids about friendship and responsibility.”
Christian Catterall said, “the wolf was very funny by how he ate the turtle when it dived down, but then he had to barf it back up. The bees, when they kissed, were funny.”
Performance of these gems for the public will be at 4 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Key Peninsula Civic Center in Vaughn. It’s a great thing for parents and grandparents to share with their kids.
Two Waters Arts Alliance suggests a donation of $10 per family to help offset the $1,400 fee.
“We expect a substantial net loss regardless,” said Mark Runions of TWAA. “It’s just one of those things that we willingly underwrite.”
Tears of Joy has been performing puppet shows for 38 years and has received the highest American puppetry award, the Citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry. The company regularly tours the western United States and has performed in Russia and China.
For information, call Runions at 253-884-4807.
‘Magical Land of Oz’
We also caught a dress rehearsal of Encore! Theatre’s upcoming “The Magical Land of Oz.” What an enthusiastic bunch of kids with fantastically clever costumes in a fast-paced production.
Patrick Fitzsimmons, who plays the Cowardly Lion, said he’s doing the workshop because he loves to act, sing and dance, and Encore! allows him to do all three. “I am so happy that I get to be in such an amazing show with such amazing kids and parents,” Fitzsimmons said.
The “Tin Man,” fourth-grader Abigayle Fitzsimons, said she’s been acting for more than two years. Previously, she’s been in “Snow White,” “Charlie Brown,” “Narnia” and “Oliver.”
Olivia Cesarini, 12, who plays the Scarecrow, has been with Encore! for about 10 years. She said she loves acting and has been in more than 15 shows, workshops and dance recitals.
“Acting has always been my passion,” she said. “I feel so comfortable on stage!
“Your character is only as good as you make it,” she added. “That is the main thing I have learned in all my years of acting.”
Now, that’s saying something.
Stephanie Cesarini (Auntie Em), mother of Olivia and Maria (the Wicked Witch of the West), said the family enjoys acting in the plays.
“My girls and I have fun being on stage together,” she said. “ ‘Wizard of Oz’ is going to be a great show! Cesarini’s husband, Drew, makes props; in this case, the witch’s cauldron.
Oz debuts has four matinee performances at 2 p.m. on Feb. 6, 7, 13 and 14 at 6615 38th Ave. NW in Gig Harbor. Tickets are $7, and they’re available at the theater. There are no reservations. All the performers, with the exception of Cesarini, are 7 to 18.