Open Hand Theatre will present Gian-Carlo Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors," a truly magical holiday production with Open Hand Theater's giant puppets, on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Catherine Cummings Theatre at Cazenovia College, 8 Lincklaen Street in Cazenovia. Performances are at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
"Amahl and the Night Visitors" is presented by the Catherine Cummings Theatre at Cazenovia College in collaboration with Open Hand Theatre, and is the first in many productions in a new Kidz Artz at Caz family series.
The show, directed by Geoffrey Navias (production) and Joseph Downing (music), is one hour long and family friendly. General admission is $15 for adults (21 & over); $12 for seniors (62+) and students (13-20); and $10 for ages 12 and under. For ticket information call 315-655-STAR. For additional information on Kidz Artz at Caz children's series, contact Theatre Manager Colleen Prossner at 315-655-7238 or e-mail cprossner@cazenovia.edu.
Open Hand Theater employs masks and puppets together with live actors and music to produce theatrical pieces for children and adult audiences, including performances in schools, parks, community centers, churches and professional theaters as well as its theater home in Syracuse. The Theater also operates highly successful, innovative arts-in-education programs in schools throughout Central and Western New York. For more information about Open Hand Theatre visit www.openhandtheater.org.
In the Dec. 7 Syracuse Post-Standard, critic Neil Novelli wrote, "Open Hand Theater's production of "Amahl and the Night Visitors" is a powerful, stirring work of imagination, and it packs all the emotions of the Christmas season into just 55 spectacle-filled minutes. The work tells a simple story: A crippled boy and his destitute mother are visited by three kings carrying gifts for an unknown newborn child. Gian-Carlo Menotti composed the short opera for television in 1951. It's a funny as well as moving show, and it has been a popular Christmas production ever since, appealing to all ages."
Colleen Prossner said, "We are excited to create a partnership with Open Hand Theatre to present delightful larger-than-life puppetry shows for the whole family. We look forward to offering many different types of family and children's programming in the coming year."