Co-Lin presents Puppet Arts Theatre production of The Fisherman and His Wife

Co-Lin presents Puppet Arts Theatre production of The Fisherman and His Wife Picture

Made possible in part by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, two performances of The Fisherman and His Wife will be presented on Thursday, March 7, 2019, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Co-Lin’s Wesson Campus. The production will be held in Rea Auditorium in the Ewing Administration Building. Admission is FREE. For more information call (601) 643-5101 or (601) 446-1270. You may also email shyviqua.brooks@colin.edu.

THE FISHERMAN & HIS WIFE is a well-known fairytale from the collection of the Brothers Grimm, but the theme of greed and uncontrolled wishing for the impossible appears in many other stories across the world. It is the story of a fisherman who caught a golden fish, the Queen of the Sea. At the fish's request, he releases her. The fish offers him to fulfill any wish he has, but he does not have any. However, his wife has many. First, she wants a new house. Later she wants to be a governor, then a queen. At the end, she wants to rule over the land, the sea, the sun, and the moon. The story, as presented by the Puppet Arts Theatre, comes with a surprising and satisfying ending.

THE FISHERMAN & HIS WIFE is set to the music of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and performed with the puppeteers in the full view of the audience, manipulating very large hand puppets. The set consists of two large rotating towers constantly creating new performing spaces.  Children from the audience join the professional cast on stage and perform with the puppets made by the company. The Greater Jackson Arts Council provided a grant to make this production possible.

PUPPET ARTS THEATRE is a professional touring company under the direction of Peter Zapletal, an award-winning puppetry producer and a former puppeteer and animator for Mississippi Educational Television. His television specials have been seen nationwide on PBS.  Zapletal received a master’s degree in puppetry from the Academy for Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic. He will be joined on stage by T.J. McSparrin, a professional actress and puppeteer who has previously appeared at the New Stage, the only Mississippi professional theatre, and on Mississippi ETV. Jarmila Zapletal, a professional puppet maker and designer, created sets for the production.

PUPPET ARTS THEATRE is devoted to bringing exciting and memorable performances to its audiences. Since 1968 this theater has thrilled children of all ages from Boston to Tampa and throughout the Southeast with magical and exciting theatrical experiences. PUPPET ARTS THEATRE is on the Performing Arts Touring Program of the Mississippi Arts Commission.