Center for Puppetry Arts to Present CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE, 7/9-26

Get ready for a brand-new barnyard tale like you've never "herd" before! Featuring Farmer Brown and his clever, comical cows, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type grazes the Center for Puppetry Arts stage with its debut June 9-July 26. Directed by the Center's artistic director Jon Ludwig, this bovine bunch illustrates what happens when cows learn to type and chickens go on strike!

Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is adapted from the award-winning children's book for the puppet stage by Ludwig and resident puppet builder Jason Hines. This fun farm tale features rod marionettes and rod puppets performed by veteran puppeteers Brian Harrison, Mandy Mitchell, Amy Sweeney, and Tim Sweeney, with narration and original musical accompaniment by Dolph Amick. All of the puppets, props and scenery were created onsite by the Center's talented artists.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, written by Doreen Cronin with illustrations by Betsy Lewin, is a New York Times bestseller and a 2001 Caldecott Honoree. The book is also on the National Education Association's list of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" and the School Library Journal's list of "Top 100 Picture Books of All Time."

To research and develop this production, the Center partnered with Georgia State University's Early Childhood Education department and Georgia Organics, a nonprofit that promotes sustainable foods and local farms in the state. GSU paired the Center with several preschools and elementary schools where Ludwig and the Center's education director Aretta Baumgartner presented in-classroom activities. Through sing-alongs, discussions, drawing and other educational exercises, more than 200 preK-3rd grade students influenced script development as well as puppet, scenic and costume designs. Each student was awarded a free ticket to the show in appreciation for their significant impact on the production. Georgia Organics advised Ludwig on elements of the script that involved farming; the show's artistic team also toured nearby organic farms for design inspiration.

"The children's input was instrumental to the creation of the show," said Ludwig. "We were also able to create content with local farms and organic farming advocates to emphasize healthy eating and an understanding of where food comes from."

Recommended for ages 4 and up, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is presented in the Mainstage Theater June 9- July 26. Visitors can enjoy discount preview days on Tuesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 10.

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