Wednesday, April 25, 2001
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Wednesday, April 25, 2001 |
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The Center for Puppetry Arts explores Shakespeare and the universe By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
If there is one thing that Sesame Street taught us, it is that we can learn from puppets. The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta continues to prove that point with the return of "Space," a fast-paced, family-friendly frolic through the cosmos. The show, written and directed by The Center's artistic director Jon Ludwing, combines special lighting effects, shadow puppets and hand and rod puppets, to create a voyage through the universe. Your tour guides on this trip are Ot and Eema, friendly aliens who visit Earth and beam the audience aboard their ship. On the journey, audiences see all nine planets, the sun, the moon and other fascinating celestial bodies. There are also a number of special guests on this trek, including Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, Neil Armstrong and other famous astronomers who made historical discoveries through their telescopes. The show also reveals many scientific fscts about planet composition, surfaces, sizes and atmospheres. There are even demonstrations of gravity, light years and more. "Space" runs through June 9. Performances are at 10 and 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday and Saturdays at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for cildren between the ages of 2 and 13. Also beginning this week is Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The show uses merging masks, rod puppets, shadow puppets and found objects to tell this comedic tale. Performances are at 11 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Weekend performances are at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $16, and $14 for members, seniors and students. The show is performed in the Downstairs theater and is suitable for ages 12 and up. Paid admission to each performance also allows access to the museum, which has several exhibits including "Puppets: The Power of Wonder," "Masks: Outer Image, Inner Spirit," "Don't Stop The Carnival" and "Classic Influences on Contemporary Puppetry." Call 404-873-3391 for more information. |
