School Assembly Programs

When Animals Were People
By Nancy Aldrich & Omar Vargas

Folktales from Mexico and Argentina are brought to life in this dynamic new bilingual play. When Animals Were People is the story of Turtle who is cooking a stew to share with Grandfather Vulture. Squirrel is about to join them when Wolf arrives, hungry for Turtle as well as stew. But without Turtle there is no water. Wise, old Vulture instructs Wolf in how to bring back both Turtle and the water. This story is paired with The Lazy Bee, an Argentine fable about doing your share.

• Teaches folktale/fables from Mexico and South America.
• Teaches Spanish words and phrases.
• Tells an “origin” story—how things came to be.
• Teaches how our actions can change the environment.

Stories
Curriculum Guide
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“A wonderful blending of culture and language. A fun way to integrate language for kids and adults. I hope my English speaking students are encouraged to learn more Spanish.” -- 2nd grade teacher

“The performance was great. It’s so impressive to note that even the small details are taken into account with perfection. Great job!”
-- Gladys Munoz, teacher grades 1-3

“Our students loved the performance—they were completely enthralled the entire time.”

 

STELLALUNA
By Emily Alexander

Stellaluna, the enchanting story of a baby fruit bat who falls into a bird’s nest, is adapted from the beloved book by Janell Cannon. Poor Stellaluna tries to adapt to her new home but finds herself the odd one out, hanging by her feet and disgusted by those bugs Mother Bird brings home to dinner.

• Inspire children to read.
  
• Learn interesting facts about bats.
  
• Teaches acceptance of differences.

Curriculum Guide
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“And so begins the re-education of Stellaluna, out of her element and struggling to obey rules for which she’s naturally ill-equipped… Its message of self-acceptance and celebrating differences is warm and clear”.
Catherine Thomas, The Oregonian

Rumpelstiltskin
by Sharon Whitney

What’s a girl to do when faced with the impossible task of spinning straw into gold? Find out in this sparkling adaptation of the classic German folk tale by the Brothers Grimm. Tears of Joy Theatre’s puppets bring the miller and his daughter, the king and the mysterious Rumpelstiltskin to life.

• An ideal introduction to folk/fairy tales.
• Follows fairy tale convention of having things happen in threes.
• An updated version in which the woman solves the problem herself.
  

Curriculum Guide
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Dear Tears of Joy Puppeteers,
Thank you for coming to our school. Rumpelstiltskin was awesome. I liked the shadows, all the voices you used, the lights, the cool props, the story and most of all the sound effects!!!! ---Sincerely, Tyler Gillaspie

“I look for a strong curriculum enhancement component. The Rumpelstiltskin performance tied into our study of traditional tales. It was so professionally done and with a creative interpretation. The students were unanimous in their reviews: ‘Really great show!’.” ---2/3 grade teacher