The magic of marionettes; there is something so special about watching the small curtain open on a raised stage, and seeing beautifully crafted marionettes act out a story, their puppeteers hidden above and behind them so the audience can be completely swept up in this illusion.

On Super Saturday, March 15, the Columbia Marionette Theatre will present a fast-paced comedic take on the original Brothers Grimm story of Rumplestiltskin.

A poor miller tells the king his daughter can spin straw into gold.  The greedy king imprisons the girl, telling her she must spin all the straw in a room into gold by the next morning or she will stay in prison forever.  She loses all hope, until a troll named Rumplestiltskin appears and spins the straw into gold for her.

Each day the king wants more and more straw spun into gold, and eventually marries the girl, who has had to promise Rumplestiltskin that she will give him her first-born child in payment for saving her.

After her child is born, she begs to be able to keep the child. The troll says that if in three days she can guess his name, she can keep her baby. How can she learn this mysterious creature’s real name?

The Columbia Marionette Theatre was founded in 1988 with the mission to entertain and educate children and adults through the long-standing tradition and artistry of puppetry. By 1995 the group moved to a building specifically designed and built for its use, featuring puppets from a few inches tall to over five feet appearing on a 30-foot stage.

Performances by the Columbia Marionette Theatre will be at 9:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. in the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross.

Order forms will go to several elementary schools on Feb. 24, to be returned to the school office by the Feb. 28. Also on Feb. 24, order forms will be available for pick-up at area libraries, which can be mailed back. An order form also will be available online at TryonSuperSaturday.com.

A round robin ticket distribution will take place at TFAC March 4, after which the box office will be open Wednesday- Friday March 5-7 and March 12-14 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and on Super Saturday itself beginning at 9 a.m.

For further information, go to TryonSuperSaturday.com or call 828-859-8322, ext. 301.

 

– article submitted
by Connie Clark