Center of Puppetry Arts Splashes into Summer with Return of "Little Pirate Mermaid" | Arts & Culture

Argh, Mateys!

Center for Puppetry Arts sets sail on adventure with a nautical twist on a classic tale

ATLANTA (June 6, 2012) Flap your flippers and get ready to make a splash!  From the imaginative mind of Artistic Director Jon Ludwig comes a whale of a seafaring adventure based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale with a swashbuckling musical twist. What’s in store for the Mermaid Princess turned helpful pirate and her buccaneer beau? Take the plunge and see this exciting marionette adventure featuring a bountiful ocean of puppets, unique characters, original music, stunning stage effects, and bubbly action! The Little Pirate Mermaid runs June 14 – July 15, 2012 as part of the Center for Puppetry Arts’ 2012-13 Family Series.

Performing The Little Pirate Mermaid are puppeteers Reay Kaplan, Julie Scarborough, Amy Strickland, and Tim Sweeney. The music is composed and performed by John Cerreta, puppets are designed by Jason von Hinezmeyer, sets are designed by Rochelle Barker, sound is designed by Gregory Montague and Mimi Epstein, and lighting is designed by Liz Lee. 

The production premiered in 2009 to rave reviews, garnering an UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence, considered one of the highest honors in American puppetry. Atlanta Journal-Constitution critic Pierre Ruhe gave the 2009 production an “A”, stating, “The musical is the Center for Puppetry Arts at its best…The musical lasts just an hour, and like all great children’s theater, it speaks on many levels. Indeed, Ludwig, the puppetry center artistic director, has created a rhyming adaptation that is nimble and clear, yet rich in allusion.”

Hopes are as high as the crow’s nest that this summer’s production will again captivate audiences. Featuring over 40 handcrafted puppets, the show takes advantage of marionettes as they are a perfect medium for creating a sense of weightless, “underwater” floating. The magic continues as the story goes above the water for lots of pirate ship fun, including a naval battle, an attack by a monstrous squid and hilarious antics between the sailors and pirates. By combining a well known fable with some high seas adventure, Center for Puppetry Arts crafts a show that is completely shipshape and a thrill for boys and girls of all ages.

The Little Pirate Mermaid is presented in the Mainstage Theater, June 14 – July 15. Show times are as follows:

• Tuesday – Friday*: 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
• Saturday: 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Sunday: 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

*There are no performances on Tuesday, July 3 (Museum and Workshops will be available), and the Center is closed Wednesday, July 4.

Single show tickets include museum admission as well as the Create-A-Puppet Workshop, where kids can make their own Manta Ray Marionette Puppet.

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR $9.25 (MEMBERS) AND $16.50 (NONMEMBERS) AND CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE AT WWW.PUPPET.ORG OR BY CALLING THE TICKET SALES OFFICE AT 404-873-3391.

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