The Springfield Museums have announced their slate of activities for the upcoming school vacation week, April 15-19, 2013. The week-long program, titled Puppets Around the World, 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 the price of museum admission unless noted otherwise.
Family-friendly performances scheduled in the Davis Auditorium of the D’Amour Museum of Fine Art include:
- Mon., Apr. 15, 1 pm – The Firebird by The Puppet People. Inspired by the Russian folktale, this magical puppet fantasy features beautifully handcrafted marionettes, lavish costumes, and vivid sets, set to the music of Stravinsky's evocative ballet of The Firebird.
- Tues., Apr. 16, 1 pm – Shadows Around the World by Nappy’s Puppets. Of the many forms of puppetry, the most magical and cinematic is shadow puppetry. Shadows Around The World explores the history of shadow puppetry and its development throughout the world as an art form.
- Wed., Apr. 17, 1 pm – Professor Pennywhistle by Robert Rogers Puppet Company. Professor Pennywhistle’s curiosity and enthusiasm takes him to the most exotic places. The performance is a celebration of diversity and the common things that people share all around the globe.
- Thu., Apr. 17, 1 pm – Anansi: Spiderman of Africa by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre. A side-splitting selection of famous folktales from Africa starring Anansi the Spider, one of the classic trickster characters in world folklore whose appetite always overrules his intellect.
- Fri., Apr. 18, 1 pm – The Dragon King by Tanglewood Marionettes. An underwater fantasy based on Chinese folklore, this production tells the tale of a wise Grandmother who journeys to the bottom of the sea to seek the Dragon King, and the answers to why he has forsaken the land above.
On Wednesday April 17 and Friday April 19, Teaching Creatures will present Animals from Around the World: A Live Animal Demonstration from 10:30 am-12:30 pm. Also on the week’s agenda is an appearance by the Watershed on Wheels (WoW) Express, the Conte Fish and Wildlife Refuge’s traveling conservation exhibit, scheduled for Tuesday April 16 and Wednesday April 17 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 am, noon, 1 & 2 pm, Science Museum
- Art Activities, 10:30 am-1 pm, GWVS Studios or Science Workshop
- Gallery Science Demonstrations 11 am-2 pm, Science Museum
- Art Discovery Center, Noon-3:45 pm, GWVS Art Museum
Puppets Around The World vacation week activities are part of the Museums’ School Vacation Fun programs, which are sponsored by Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. MassMutual is the 2013 Premier Sponsor of the Springfield Museums.