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Kids' Imaginations Get Fired Up with Timeless Tales Both New and Familiar

For Immediate Release: January 14, 2005

Philadelphia, PA – Fables both foreign and familiar are brought to life in Mum Puppettheatre's latest Family Series production! Featuring "found-object" puppetry—using everyday items as puppets—and Mum's unique brand of wordless performance, a glove can become a swan, a dustmop can turn into a goat, and other ordinary objects help bring timeless tales to life, sparking children's imaginations. Along with lively music and sound, the performers create a truly extraordinary experience that will captivate the hearts and minds of both children and parents alike!

The show runs February 19 through March 13, 2004. All tickets cost $15. Performances take place at Mum Puppettheatre, 115 Arch Street, on Saturdays at noon, 2pm and 4pm, and on Sundays at 2pm and 4pm. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm, at 215.925.7686, or visiting www.mumpuppet.org.

The show, developed and directed by Mum's Artistic Director Robert Smythe, is performed by Robert T. DaPonte and Nako Adodoadji. Both artists are new to Mum Puppettheatre, and their involvement demonstrates Mum's continuing commitment to working with new and emerging performers. "An important part of the work we do here at Mum is to nurture up-and-coming performers, or veteran actors new to the craft of puppetry, and teach them new skills to use in their work," explains Smythe. "This allows us to develop ongoing fruitful relationships with performers while enriching the local talent pool."

The show was originally produced under the name "Friends, Fables and Fun" in 1998. "We're bringing this show back because it's a wonderful way to introduce both children and parents to found-object puppetry," says Smythe. "It's not big or loud or splashy. It's a gentle, fun show that provides a welcome respite from flashy holiday spectaculars that feature huge casts and flamboyant sets."

Known as a "trunk show," Ugly Duckling and Other Stories features two performers with two large boxes onstage, which transform into whatever is needed during the show, from a table to a pond to anything in between. The performance consists of six separate pieces, some of which (like the title piece) will be familiar to audiences, and some of which will be less well-known. These timeless, entertaining stories range from silly to profound, and all are told entirely without words—the one exception being the vignette "The Turnip," which features nonsensical gibberish-speak.

The pieces feature puppets in the form of ordinary, everyday objects—a woman's purse, for example, represents a cow, while a rubber glove becomes a chicken. Some audience members are even called upon to perform these parts, blurring the line between the performance and the audience. "Combining simple stories with found objects and involving the audience in the performance helps spark children's creativity and helps them look at their world in a whole new way," explains Smythe. "We want kids to look beyond what they see, to ask questions, to be inquisitive, and most of all, to take these new ideas home with them and let their imaginations run wild."

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It's not too late to subscribe to the rest of Mum's Family Series! For just $5 more than the price of a ticket to Ugly Duckling and Other Stories, you can become a subscriber and see two delightful shows that the whole family can enjoy! Subscribers receive numerous benefits, including discounts at area restaurants. Subscriptions are $20 and include one ticket to Ugly Duckling and Other Stories and The Adventures of a Boy and His Dog on the High Seas. To purchase a subscription or get more information, call 215.925.7686 or log on to www.mumpuppet.org. Mum also offers gift certificates, which make a unique and memorable gift for all ages.

Mum Puppettheatre makes art that moves, creating theatre beyond the scope of human actors, often without words. We integrate the plastic, visual and performing arts by creating stunning, emotionally compelling and breathtakingly beautiful theatre, using puppets, masks and the human body. Our mission is to collaborate with artists of all disciplines and backgrounds to explore the interdisciplinary nature of puppetry, and share the results with people of all ages, independent of language or culture, on stage, on tour and in the classroom.

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