Review of 1st Saturday Show with Squallis Puppeteers in Louisville, KY

Last month, I took my five-year-old son to the 1st Saturday Show with Squallis Puppeteers. It was our first time going and we were so impressed and had such a fabulous time. He really loves theater arts and puppetry, so it was a perfect mother/son outing for us!

The show only lasts about 30 minutes, so it is a perfect amount of time for younger ones. They design their 1st Saturday shows with younger children in mind and they are suitable for ages 3 to 7 . The show we attended was called “Moose Gets Ready.” My son and I both liked the message behind the puppet show, which was about incorporating getting ready for kindergarten into learning new skills and teaching each other the ABCs and 123s. Teamwork and enhancing your social skills were also highlighted. Before the show, the ladies at the ticket table asked my son to come back and tell them what his favorite character was from the show, and he couldn’t wait to go back and tell them afterwards that it was the Wise Old Tree. He loved how the tree came to life and talked and was really mesmerized by it!

The people who work with Squallis Puppeteers make their puppets and sets all by hand, so they are very creative and elaborately detailed. We especially enjoyed the stage set up and the puppets that appeared throughout the story, including Moose, Beaver, Caterpillar, Owl, and Butterfly. My son said his favorite was the Wise Old Tree. The shows are musical performances and include a lot of audience participation as well.

The shows are $5 per person, and you can also sign up to attend a puppet-making workshop that happens immediately following the show. The workshop is also about 30 minutes in length and costs $5 as well. 1st Saturday Shows withSquallis Puppeteers are located in the Highlands Community Center at 1228 E. Breckinridge Street. It’s a great venue!

More information from the Facebook event page:

“First Saturdays- Puppet Show and Workshop Series
The Series is hosted at the Highlands Community Campus (HCC) located at the corner of Barrett Ave and E. Breckinridge St. We invite the public in to our gym-atorium to participate with our unique puppet performances and workshops for families. This is an opportunity to share live performance with the kids you love, watch their imaginations grow, and collaborate with them on their own puppet projects. Stick around after the show to see what you can make together with “make it and take it” puppet workshops. Shows and workshops each run approximately 30 minutes. Come check it all out!”

“Mission Statement: Squallis Puppeteers uses the art of puppetry to free imaginations, create fantastic characters, and tell the stories that are important to our communities.”

The remaining shows for this year are: http://squallispuppeteers.com/saturday-show-2-organic/

November 5, 10am and 1pm, “Food Fight: Rematch!”
December 3, 10am, “Tricky Fox”
December 3, 1pm, “Bigfoot’s Big Holiday”

Find Squallis Puppetters on Facebook or contact them via phone or email
502-313-9942
SquallisPuppeteers@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/squallispuppeteers/

By guest contributor: Erin