Five Reasons to Visit the Center for Puppetry Arts this Weekend!

Now that my girls are getting a little bit older and can sit for longer periods of time (they’re now 3 and 5), we’ve started going to live theatrical performances.  They love hearing the live music and seeing their favorite characters come to life on stage! This summer, in an effort to beat the intense Atlanta heat, I decided to join the Center for Puppetry Arts.   I had heard wonderful things about this theater but did not realize how truly special it really is until I started attending show this summer and umm now…I’m a little obsessed.

(SPOILER ALERT—I’ve included a great COUPON CODE at the bottom of this post! woohoo!) 

Here’s what I love about the Center for Puppetry Arts:

1. The performance quality is top-notch, especially those performed by the Center for Puppetry Arts players!

   • The recent adaptation/performance of Click, Clack, Moo was unbelievable.  I’m serious when I tell you that it was definitely Broadway caliber.  The songs were creative, educational, and catchy.  My daughters are still singing them almost two months later.  The music was fun and enjoyable for both parents and kids–the farmer played a mean electric guitar!  (yeah, man!) The set was extremely imaginative with a rotating screen-backdrop, giant-sized typewriter keys, and a farmhouse for shadow puppets at nightfall.

2. All performances include the post-show Create-a-Puppet Workshop where kids can build their own puppet!!!

   

3.  Membership Perks:   (We purchased the Family Membership.)

   • Gives you 45% discount on all shows (This brings the ticket price down to the cost of a regular movie ticket)!
   • Includes free parking–in midtown!  (Umm, yes please!)
   • Includes reserved seating in the first three rows! Yes–reserved seating up front, so when you’re running late because the little one didn’t want to put on her shoes, or refused to wear the weather-appropriate outfit you had pre-selected, or (INSERT HERE any of the other hundreds of reasons why kids don’t want to leave the house in order for a family to arrive on time) –DON’T WORRY— you have reserved seating in the FIRST 3 ROWS!  (Collective parental Sigh of Relief…ahhhhh).
   • The warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that you supported the arts and a local nonprofit.

4. The shows are curriculum based and compliment school standards nicely.  You can check out the show objectives  in the Education section of their website.

   • Objectives met for this month’s performance of The Tortoise, The Hare, and other Aesop’s Fables are:  fables and folklore, Ancient Greece, animals, character education, storytelling, puppetry, and classic literature.

5. At the end of each performance, the puppeteers break the 4th wall and explain how each puppet works so the kids can learn and understand the mechanics behind the performance.

   • The Center for Puppetry Arts strives to create a magical and imaginative environment as well as, teachable moments.  My girls now turn everything into puppets and are so proud of themselves when they create new ways to do so. (My older daughter even turns barbie dolls into puppets by adding bigger skirts and costumes)

Now Playing through Sunday, September 20:  The Tortoise, The Hare, and other Aesop’s Fables

Tips and Tricks for a great experience:

1.  This performance is designed for smaller aged theater goers (2 and up) which means more songs, shorter scenes, more interaction, and less complicated dialogue/plots.   We went with a group of friends and the youngest in our group was 5 months, next 18 months, 2 years old, several 4 years olds, and my oldest who is 5.  Everyone loved it! The 18 month old was mesmerized and didn’t take her eyes off the stage the entire time even though it was nap time.  And my 5 year old enjoyed it too (she wasn’t too old).
2. GET THERE EARLY–it’s in the smaller theater, so there are less seats!
3. This performance includes TWO craft opportunities!
   • One is a pre-show puppet craft to use during the performance
   • The other is the standard post show Create-a-Puppet Workshop

The performance is set around a circus where five fables are told as different “circus acts.”   To help the little ones understand the sequence of the show, the circus ring master sings a catchy song  “Five stories, 1-2-3-4-5” as she transitions into the next scene.   The kids really enjoy practicing their counting and singing along with the show.

My favorite part was an amazing shadow puppet scene for the fable “City Mouse-Country Mouse.”  It even included the use of a snazzy, shimmery disco ball!  This ain’t your grandma’s shadow puppets.

And now…for the coupon code!

Have you visited the Center for Puppetry Arts? I’d love to hear how you liked it.  Leave me a comment below.

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HI! I’m a Shana, self-proclaimed Media Mixologist, wife, and mom to two little girls. I love to mix up cocktails of crafts, recipes, wellness, family and business with just the right amount of sparkle to help you shine everyday. So, grab a glass, and let’s celebrate the cocktail of life!