THE BANANA PRINCESS

The monk Tang and his disciples find their path to India blocked by a blazing fire mountain. Only a magical fan owned by the powerful Banana Princess can put out the fire, but she doesn’t want to lend it. The disciples use their powers of transformation and persuasion before finally winning the fan. "The Banana Princess" is performed with traditional puppets and choreography. The show is 40 minutes long and features original music by Craig Gordon. Best for ages 5 through adult.

FIRE CLOUD CAVE

The Monkey King brandishes his baton in pursuit of the monsters who have snatched his master, the monk Tang. Will Monkey and his fellow disciples rescue Tang from the fire-breathing monsters who want to eat him? "Fire Cloud Cave" is an episode of the Chinese epic Journey to the West, performed with Chinese hand puppets and traditional choreography. The show is 30 minutes long and features original music by Craig Gordon. Best for ages 4 through adult.

THE GOLEM

The Golem, a 16th century Jewish folk tale, is about a rabbi who invokes earth, water, fire and air to create a golem of clay-a figure similar to man. The golem becomes the rabbi's servant and protector. When a haunted ruin and ghostly dog wreak havoc in a young girl's life, the rabbi sends the golem to help. The golem springs into action, and with his special powers, he defeats the dog and blows the ruin into the sky. 30 minutes. Ages 4 and up.

ESTHER'S STORY

Esther’s Story, a multimedia performance that features a life-sized puppet, is based on a diary that puppeteer Madeleine Beresford's aunt kept from 1939 to 1942. In the diary, she powerfully describes the conflicting emotions that characterized her experience. She was, on the one hand, a teenager just coming into her own, full of excitement about school, boys, family, and growing up. On the other hand, she had polio; she was living in a children’s home in Munich as the Nazis rose to power; and she was Jewish. She died in Auschwitz when she was 18. Grades 3-12.