Friday, March 29, 2024

NCRL puppeteers perform for Leavenworth library patrons

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Children and their families gathered at the Leavenworth Public Library on July 9 for a performance from the North Central Regional Library (NCRL) summer puppeteers.

NCRL hosts a family-friendly puppet show every summer and the library’s troupe of puppeteers visit every branch throughout the region. The 2019 puppeteers are comprised of first-year performers Alexandra McGee, Bailey White, James Bench and Dillon Clare, a second-year puppeteer.

Clare opened the show with a set of rules for the audience to follow, such as the children can attack the stage if all of the adults in the library could perform a headstand at the same time, and kids can pet the puppets if it snowed. While most of these rules were unattainable, Clare gave one important rule that everyone could follow - to have fun.

During the first minutes of the play, children met Mr. Rat, an important author, who claimed to be have penned some of the most important stories, though White pointed out she had not seen his name on any books in the library.

Mr. Rat introduced one of his characters, Young McDonald, played by White. Young McDonald was in the middle of a crisis and unsure he wanted to become a farmer and wanted to try different jobs like an astronaut, chef and yoga teacher.

McGee helped Young McDonald to his career and gathered audience input by asking children questions like what occupation they wanted to pursue, and their favorite foods. Eventually, Young McDonald settled on his true calling - a farmer.

The next scene featured Mr. Rat renting an air bed and breakfast from Mrs. Hen, also played by McGee. Unhappy with being stuck doing chores, Mrs. Hen, with the audience’s help, tricked Mr. Rat into tricked him into completing the work disguised as an “authentic country experience.”

Following the scene, Mr. Rat introduced an intermission game show - “The Wheel of Fate.” White would spring the wheel and it would land on a space, resulting in her and the audience acting like different animals.

The final scene featured Clare as the Big Bad Wolf on trial and White as a prosecuting attorney. During the trial, McGee questioned the defendant about his involvement in destroying the houses of the Three Little Pigs and impersonating Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.

The Big Bad Wolf, who owned a construction company, explained the Three Little Pig’s houses actually belonged to him. He added that Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother was his roommate and only wanted to try on her bathrobe as he had a taste for “luxury, post-bath apparel.” The show ended with Mr. Rat making a promise to read every book in the library.

To prepare for the show, White and the other puppeteers spent a week writing the script and rehearsing before taking the show on the road.

“We took different children books and put them together, and had fun with it,” White added.

For McGee and Bench, who have performed in high school theater productions, puppeteering was new to them.

“It was a unique experience,” added White, who had no theater credits on her resume before joining NCRL’s puppeteer troupe.  

Leavenworth library who missed the puppet show, or folks who enjoyed the first performance, can look forward to NCRL’s puppeteers returning to an encore performance later in the summer.

For more information about the NCRL’s programs, visit ncrl.org   
 

ncrl, puppeteers, leavenworth public library

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