KIDS & FAMILIES

Puppet Showplace Theatre (PST) will present the world premiere performances of puppetry works created by Boston-based artists as part of the theatre’s “New Year, New Shows!” series, running from January 12 – February 3. The series begins with a two-week run of The Yankee Peddler: Stories and Songs from Old New England, by PST Artist-in-Residence Brad Shur and Folk Musician Christopher Monti.  Weekend showtimes are at 1:00 and 3:00 pm; Martin Luther King Day at 10:30 am and 1:00 pm; weekday performances at 10:30 am. Tickets: $12 general; $8 PST members. Puppet Showplace Theatre is located at 32 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445 at the Brookline Village T-Stop. Tickets may be purchased by calling the PST Box Office at 617-731-6400 or online at www.puppetshowplace.org.

Puppeteer Brad Shur knew he wanted to make a show with live music, so he tapped folk musician Chris Monti to collaborate on “Peddler.” Together, they scoured songbooks and dusted off folklore anthologies in search of material that would make for good visual storytelling while celebrating life in the Northeast. After narrowing down an enormous list to 10 songs and stories, the two wove together a run order. Shur created over 100 shadow puppet characters for the production, and Monti provides sound effects on a dozen instruments, in addition to singing and playing guitar throughout.

THE YANKEE PEDDLER: STORIES AND SONGS FROM OLD NEW ENGLAND
Ever wanted to sing along with a sea shanty? Or dive deep into a fox’s den? In a whirlwind tour of New England's lesser-known folklore, audiences will encounter the world’s largest wheel of cheese (sent as a present to Thomas Jefferson by the residents of Cheshire, MA); the giant sailor Alfred Bulltop Stormalong (New England’s own Paul Bunyan!); and dozens of ordinary folk with extraordinary problems. Drawing from three hundred years of stories, songs, and local history, there is sure to be something for everyone on the Yankee Peddler’s cart!

Scenes from “Peddler” were workshopped at the Eugene O’Neill National Puppetry Conference in 2010, and the show received support from the Harris Grant Program of the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.