Public invited to 'Give a Puppet a Hand' work sessions

The public is invited to join in “Give a Puppet a Hand” work sessions for the upcoming “Ancient Wings: A Crane’s Story” play featuring puppetry, dance and scenic projections to be performed in late April/early May at UW-River Falls. The work sessions are set from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, and from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, April 7.

R.S.V.P. to robin.e.murray@uwrf.edu for the location of the sessions if you plan to attend.

Designers and crew will be adding wing decorations, making origami cranes, creating other creatures, decorating dancer hats and constructing flat cardboard puppets during the work sessions. Anyone age six and up is invited to come help out. Elementary age children must be accompanied by an adult. Come to either or both work sessions.

“Ancient Wings: A Crane’s Story,” will be performed by the University Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on April 25-27 and May 2-4 in the Blanche David Theatre in the Kleinpell Fine Arts building on campus. There will be an afternoon performance at 3 p.m. on April 27.

Admission is $10/adult, $8/seniors, and $5/students and children. The original script was conceived by UWRF theatre professor Robin Murray and developed collaboratively with students, citizens and faculty from all over the St. Croix Valley watershed.

The story follows the parallel lives of a young girl, her grandmother and a Sandhill Crane. Puppets of multiple scale and type, along with dancers help tell their stories.