The Springfield Museums have announced their lineup of performances and activities for the upcoming school vacation week, April 21-25, 2014. This year’s Puppet Festival will feature performances by some of the region’s finest puppet ensembles, along with live animal demonstrations, interactive displays, planetarium shows, and hands-on art opportunities. All activities are free with museum admission unless noted.

This year’s festivities get off to an early start on Friday, April 18 with a performance of Spring into Easter by The Wayne Martin’s Puppets at 1 pm, plus a full day of activities. Then the fun gets into full swing on Monday, April 21 with family-friendly puppet shows daily in the Davis Auditorium of the D’Amour Museum of Fine Art. Scheduled performances include:

• Mon., Apr. 21, 1:00 pm – Puppet Showplace Theatre presents Robin Hood.  A rollicking retelling of the classic tale of a bandit who takes on the local authorities represented by an evil sheriff.
• Tues., Apr. 22, 1:00 pm – VT PuppeTree performs Swimmy and The Swimmer. Based on the picture book by Leo Lionni, this original shadow puppet show tells the story of the sole survivor of a school of fish swal¬lowed by a tuna, and includes an important environmental message.  (Limited to 100 audience members.)
• Wed., Apr. 23, 1:00 pm – National Marionette Theatre presents Beauty and the Beast. The classic story of prince changed into a hideous beast, with love the only means of reversing the spell.
• Thu., Apr. 24, 1:00 pm  – No Strings Marionette Theatre performs Bully! For the 3 Wee Big Pigs. Pablo Pigcasso, Beverly Swills and I. M. Pig endure the pushy antics of the Big Bad Wolf and learn how to deal with bullying behavior.
• Fri., Apr. 25, 1:00 pm – Crabgrass Puppet Theatre presents Jack & the Beanstalk. The tallest of all tales, complete with stunning scenery, beautiful puppets, a rhyme-spouting giant, a growing beanstalk and a delightful musical score.

There’s more puppet fun on Wednesday and Friday, with a menagerie of strolling puppets throughout the museum galleries by Caravan Puppets (11:00 am-12:30 p.m. each day).  The week also includes a full slate of family activities, including live reptile demonstrations on Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 am-noon in the Science Museum’s Live Animal Center; and the Watershed on Wheels (WoW) Express, the Conte Fish and Wildlife Refuge’s traveling conservation exhibit on Monday-Thursday from 11 am-3 pm. Rounding out the week’s activities will be the following daily events (Monday – Friday only).

• Seymour Planetarium Shows at 11:15 a.m., noon, 1 & 2 p.m., Science Museum
• Art Activities, 11:00 am-3:00 pm, GWVS Studios or Science Workshop
• Gallery Science Demonstrations 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Science Museum
• Art Discovery Center, Noon-4:00 p.m., GWVS Art Museum

The Museums’ vacation week activities are sponsored by The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation of Western Massachusetts.