Harrisburg, PA — Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia brings two of the 20th century’s best-known children’s books to life when Live at Rose Lehrman presents “Goodnight Moon” and “The Runaway Bunny” at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 14, at the Rose Lehrman Arts Center on the Harrisburg Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.
The beloved bedtime stories of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd has charmed families for generations. “Runaway Bunny”evokes the same innocence and love of “Goodnight Moon”because this story features a bunny pretending to leave home and testing the strength of his mother's love. Both tales feature endearing rabbit characters, and the soothing rhythms of bunny banter and dream-like imagery are sure to infuse young audience members with a reassuring sense of security.
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia strives to stimulate classroom learning and engender enthusiasm for puppetry. They perform these tales using a Bunraku style of puppetry. Bunraku is a Japanese style of puppetry originating from the traditional puppet theatre of Japan. With Bunraku style, a narrator sings/tells all parts of the story to convey the emotions of the puppet characters. Puppeteers manipulate the puppets with a simple rod that allows them to manipulate key components of the puppet’s figure. Mermaid Theatre adapts and simplifies the Bunraku style. Their puppeteers dress in the traditional black dress and are within view of the audience using rods and puppet techniques to bring the puppets to life for the audience.
Founded in 1972 and in its 37th season, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia has won international acclaim for its original productions with an emphasis on puppetry, and is one of North America’s most respected theatres for the young. Its unique adaptations of children’s literature have delighted more than three million young people on four continents. Mermaid Theatre has also earned international acclaim for its unique interpretations of the works of Eric Carle (“The Very Hungry Caterpillar”), Leo Lionni (“Swimmy,” “Frederick” and “Inch by Inch”), and Sam McBratney (“Guess How Much I Love You”). These widely-traveled productions incorporate innovative puppetry, striking scenic effects, and evocative original music to provide young audiences with an effortless introduction to the performing arts and the excitement of reading.
“Goodnight Moon”and“The Runaway Bunny”have been adapted, directed, and produced by Jim Morrow, with music by Steven Naylor, and original stories by Margaret Wise Brown. This 60-minute musical is recommended for audiences in grades PreK-3 and their families.
Media Sponsors for the event are abc27-WHTM and WITF-TV.
Live at Rose Lehrman will present the two tales at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 14, at the Rose Lehrman Arts Center, on the Harrisburg Campus of HACC. Tickets for this performance are $12 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, and $8 for children (ages 5-12). Tickets are available at the Live at Rose Lehrman Box Office, telephone 231-ROSE (7673) and online at www.LiveatRoseLehrman.org.
