Puppet powered storytelling on the North Shore
You’ve probably read Hansel and Gretel, the Three Little Pigs and Cinderella but what about the African fairy tale How the Zebra Got Its Stripes?
Performing on the North Shore later this month, puppeteer Miryana Heath will bring to life the classic tale about a rambunctious young zebra and a mischievous magical spider.
Using cleverly designed zebra, lion, cobra and spider puppets, the 45-minute show is aimed for kids aged four to eight, says Heath, but parents and siblings will also get a kick out of it.
How the Zebra Got Its Stripes is an African folk tale about Dube, a small zebra whose pranks finally get him in trouble.
“The lion is now very, very upset and Dube has to hide. But how do you hide a zebra in the flat savannah?” Heath asks.
In the end, the audience will learn how zebras got their fancy, intricate stripes, setting them apart from other African animals.
But the stripes aren’t just nice to look at. They help Dube hide in the vast desert from the angry lion he bugged one too many times.
At just 12 years old, Heath made her first puppet to show her Serbian classmates.
Ever since then, she has fallen in love with telling children stories as a performer, instructor, writer and puppet-maker.
Standard folk tales, however, are not for this puppeteer.
Heath bases her stories on classic fairy tales from different cultures, weaving in ethnic music to make it a multimedia show.
The show takes place Sept. 29 at 10:30 a.m. at the Silk Purse Arts Centre in West Vancouver. Tickets are $5 for kids and $8 for adults. Cookies and juice will be available after.
For more information or to sign up, call the West Vancouver Arts Council at 604-925-7292 or visit silkpurse.ca.
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