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Madcap Puppets entertain at Austintown library
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .The students of Austintown's Child First Daycare attended the Madcap Puppets events and were able to take a visit to the Madcap castle after the show ended.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .During the story of the Heartless Giant, the Madcap Puppets crew showed the head and eyes of a ferocious giant and let imagination create the rest of the fearsome beast. Aaron Gaskins (left), Jimmy Elko, and Alec Gaskins took a closer look at the giant's head at the end of the show.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .During the German folktale called "The Brave Little Tailor," Madcap actress Breona Conrad (right) asked princess Juliana Hornikel for her hand in marriage.
By SARAH FOOR
This year, the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s summer reading program is exploring the theme of “One World, Many Stories.” To kick off the program, hundreds of guests gathered at the Austintown library on June 21 to explore stories from around the world with the Madcap Puppet Theatre.
Madcap puppeteers Rachel Christianson and Breona Conrad hosted the program “Jack and the Gentle Giant,” where they acted as tour guides through giant stories from around the world.
“In our Madcap programs, our basis always starts with books and then we start to use our imagination. We hope that, whatever you do, you never lose your love of reading or your great imagination,” Christianson told the crowd before the show began.
The first stop on the tour was Germany, where the duo explored the Brothers Grimm tale “The Brave Little Tailor.” Conrad played a tailor who defeated a giant ogre with quick thinking, winning the hand of a princess played by audience member Juliana Hornikel. The next tale explored the Iroquois legend of the Stone Giant.
Volunteer Joey Bondi exclaimed, “I’m not afraid of anything,” and defeated the giant with his stone hatchet.
The last story took guests to the Czech Republic, where Broomhilda the Brave went on a quest to help the Heartless Giant. By showing kindness throughout her journey, Broomhilda was helped by friends and was able to return the heart to the giant.
Joey Bondi played the brave Iroquois warrior and brought experience to his role.
“I love movies, and I act in my own little plays around the house. I tried to really act and give it some personality,” Bondi shared of his experience.
For most guests, it was the wacky cast of puppet characters that kept them entertained.
“I liked when we were introduced to the bean stalk and the Heartless Giant during the show,” shared guest Grace Bushling.