Crabgrass Puppet Theatre Presents HAIKU, HIPHOP AND HOTDOGS, 3/31

On Saturday, March 31st, Sandglass Theatre, Crabgrass Puppet Theatre and Puppetwork New England present the last in the Winter Sunshine Series of family performances at Sandglass Theater: "Haiku, Hiphop and Hotdogs" by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre of Halifax, Vermont.

According to press notes, poetry comes to life in Crabgrass Puppet Theatre’s "Haiku, HipHop and Hotdogs!" Thrill to the adventures of "Fearless Flying Hotdogs!" Dance with the "Funky Snowman!" Watch as "The Goblin" overcomes his fear and makes friends with the terrifying boy on top of his bed! Crabgrass Puppet Theatre's new fusion of poetry and puppetry includes poems by Jack Prelutsky, David McCord, CaleF Brown, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, and others. "Haiku, HipHop and Hotdogs" is a tapestry of puppetry and poetry, performed by wandering vendors from a hot-dog cart that turns into a puppet stage.

This isn't puppets reciting poetry! This show creates the world of the poem, the action of the poem, the emotion of the poem, blending poetry and puppet theater. The poems in performance range from gentle strokes of the imagination – to wacky hilarity – to magical whimsy – to a musical finale!

Co-creator Bonny Hall says, "Puppetry is a terrific medium to arouse a child's interest in poetry. The best poetry has the power to create pictures in our heads . . . to make us feel emotion . . . to make us laugh and cry. It's a small step from watching puppeteers bring a poem to life to wanting to read that poem . . . and then wanting to read more, and more and more."

David Regan joins Crabgrass founders Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall in this production. Jamie and Bonny formed Crabgrass Puppet Theatre in San Francisco in 1982. Their performing venues have included the Detroit Institute of Art, the Smithsonian, Paper Mill Playhouse, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They have been awarded two Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA, the highest puppetry award in the United States, and in 2009, Bonny Hall was awarded a Design Commendation from the Arlyn Award Foundation for "The Day It Snowed Tortillas."

Performances are at 2 & 4 pm and tickets are $8. For more information or to make reservations, call the Sandglass box office at 387-4051.

www.sandglasstheater.org

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