January 27, 2020
Eli Portugal, 1960-2020
Our dearly beloved partner puppeteer from Mexico left this planet on Jan. 13 in her home, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, surrounded by her parents, siblings, daughter, and grand babies. Eli and Monica first met in 1994 in Japan, where they were both part of the I Love You Puppetry Festival. In 1995 and 2000, Eli and her company, Arte Escenico Mojiganga, toured Iowa with Eulenspiegel. Between 2007 and 2019, Eli and Monica created five bilingual shows and toured them all around Iowa and to Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Orleans Jazzfest. Eli touched the lives of children all over the region, especially in West Liberty, where she taught Mexican crafts, songs, and games to all of our children. She will be deeply missed!
June 4, 2019:
The Big Election! Fun, Fantasy, and Voter Education!
Who will win the big election for Leader of the Beasts? Will it be Benny P. (for Progress) Beaver or Terry E. (for Environment) Turtle? Listen to their stump speeches and decide who YOU want to vote for! But how about that colony of ants? There are a zillion of them; they could change the outcome! And Worm: will her vote count for anything? Madame Owl will keep you informed with her reports from the top of a tree!
Eulenspiegel Puppets performs a brand new story about Johnny Appleseed's true adventures and his relationships with the settlers, the Native Americans, and the animals and plants around him.
Who will win the big election for Leader of the Beasts? Will it be Benny P. (for Progress) Beaver or Terry E.
Listen to Prokofief's beloved music as you watch Peter outsmart the wolf! Eulenspiegel Puppets use beautifully crafted large tabletop puppets and rod puppets to tell this classic tale of a young boy, his grandfather, his pets, and the creatures that live in the meadow and the forest.
Freedom Star: Gertie's Journey on the Underground Railroad uses near lifesize handheld puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets, and hand-dyed scenery to tell a dramatic and moving story, based on local history, of a young girl who escapes from a farm in Missouri and makes her way through Iowa on her way to freedom.
