The PuppetMobile Returns! PUPPET TIME and LITTLE RED'S HOOD Will Resume This Summer

City Parks Foundation has announced two CityParks PuppetMobile free and family friendly original marionette productions - Puppet Time and Little Red's Hood - will resume this summer, kicking off June 9, 2021 with Puppet Time.

Traveling to all five boroughs in New York City, Puppet Time is a variety show featuring songs from past Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre performances including Pippi, Peter Pan, Princess, Emperor & The Duck, Hansel & Gretel's Halloween Adventure, Bessie's Big Shot and more. A full list of dates, shows and times for CityParks PuppetMobile can be found below and at: cityparksfoundation.org/puppetmobile

Little Red's Hood will be featured later in the summer. The show is a fresh retelling of the celebrated "Little Red Riding Hood" tale updated with a modern sensibility that will appeal to children growing up in New York City and will be offered in English, Spanish and Mandarin. The production, which returns to the PuppetMobile by popular demand, features a dozen, hand-made marionettes crafted by the expert puppeteers from the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre. In this story, Little Red is a smart, young city dweller who is obsessed with her smartphone. Wulfric, a misunderstood wolf with a sweet tooth, crosses paths with Little Red on her travels to deliver her Grandma cupcakes and the trouble begins. This story offers a comical lesson on the importance of disconnecting from our digital lives and enjoying real life moments with friends and family. "We are very excited for the PuppetMobile to bring joy to children and

in parks all over New York City this summer, especially after this past year," said Bruce Cannon, Artistic Director of the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre. "We are thrilled to be able to present some favorite performances we've hosted at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Puppet Time. We are also excited to welcome an entirely new audience of families to the Little Red's Hood performances later this summer with some translated in Mandarin and Spanish."

The CityParks PuppetMobile will have 60+ performances over the summer from June through October 2021. Along with performances, puppet making workshops will be offered in Manhattan in July.

In line with the re-opening of New York's legendary Broadway, City Parks Foundation is also excited to announce that the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park will reopen in September with a brand-new original show. Wake Up, Daisy! - an original story and marionette production produced by City Parks Foundation - will make its debut as an original take on Sleeping Beauty, set on New York City's Upper West Side. The story is perfect for today's modern age, teaching the lessons of friendship, courage and female empowerment. Ideal for families with young children, this show kicks off the new spring season with puppetry and original music beginning. The production is recommended for families with children ages 3 - 8.

Wake Up, Daisy! tells the story of Daisy, a lively little girl living in the heart of New York City in an apartment overlooking Central Park. At Daisy's much-anticipated birthday party, she encounters three special guests, known as her "Squad-parents", from Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx who grant her the gifts of courage, knowledge, and a second chance. When an unwelcome guest shows up and casts a curse on her, Daisy's life is forever changed. But through the support of her friends and an adventure throughout the city, Daisy's strong self-determination and vivid imagination may be all she needs to break the curse.

Social distancing and masks will be encouraged at all performances. As New York State and City safety guidelines for public gatherings are rapidly changing, City Parks Foundation will share details about performance and venue safety protocols on cityparksfoundation.org.