Ralph Lee's Mettawee River Theater Co Presents BEYOND THE HIGH VALLEY 9/11-20

Renowned puppet and mask maker Ralph Lee, whose creations range from intricate and wonderfully sophisticated puppets to the naughty Land Shark on Saturday Night Live, returns with his Mettawee River Theatre Company to the Outdoor Garden of St. John the Divine for the New York Premiere of "Beyond the High Valley," drawn from a beguiling folk story of the Quecha people, descendants of the Incas of Peru. Performances are September 11-13 and 18-20 at 7:30 PM. As always, Mettawee keeps its events affordable, with tickets only $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. Chairs are set up in the Garden, and audience members are also invited to watch the show on their blankets, beach-style.

In "Beyond the High Valley," the unlikely combatants are a willful giant condor and an intrepid little hummingbird. At the outset, the condor spies a young woman tending her family's llamas in a meadow. He swoops down from the sky, transforms himself into a dashing lover, and carries her off to a rocky crag. She is eventually rescued by a plucky hummingbird, who turns out to be a creature of dazzling ingenuity.

The production will incorporate a range of puppets and other visual elements realized on many different scales, expressing the vast distances, radiant sky, and rugged vertical thrust of the fierce and beautiful highland terrain. "Beyond the High Valley" is based on a folk story of the Quechua people, descendants of the Incas who inhabit the Andean highlands and tropical regions of Peru.

According to Mettawee director/designer Ralph Lee: "This is the first time we have ventured into South America in our search for material to transform into a Mettawee theatre production. The story contains startling primal events which take place against the vast mountainous Andean landscape, where animal and human forces confront and mingle with one another. How could we resist such a compelling challenge?"

Friday/Saturday/Sunday, September 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 at 7:30 PM
Outdoor Garden of St. John the Divine, 111th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
Tickets: $10; $5 for children and seniors
No Reservations - for Information call 212/929-4777

Puppets, masks and set: Ralph Lee
Performers: Kim Gambino, Greg Manley, Tom Marion, Jan-Peter Pedross, and
Monica Santana
Original music: Neal Kirkwood
Musicians: Ilusha Tsinadze (guitar and percussion), Phil Rowan (double bass)
Costumes: Casey Compton