March 18, 2009

• Features troupe of antique marionette puppets

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Alys Stephens Center's ASC Kids' Club presents Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre's "Czech & Slovak Tales" with storyteller and puppeteer Vít Horejš, at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 18, at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S., Birmingham. Tickets are $7. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org for more information. Sponsors are Jane Stephens Comer, The Birmingham News, Viva Health and UAB.

Using a troupe of antique marionette puppets, director Vít Horejš tells Czech fairy tales replete with kings, clever village maidens, witches and spirits.

For 50 years, the antique marionettes were confined to a dusty closet at Jan Hus Church in the heart of New York City's Czechoslovak neighborhood. In 1990, they came back to life when Horejš brought the 24-inch, century-old puppets back to the stage. A wonderful and fascinating blend of puppetry, dance and music, the puppets move and step gracefully, ride on horseback and even play violin. The Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre has played to great acclaim for audiences of all ages in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

The ASC Kids' Club is part of the Alys Stephens Center's Arts in Action program, which brings great education and outreach programs to more than 12,000 students, educators and parents each season. The Alys Stephens Center is committed to providing meaningful interaction with renowned artists and exciting opportunities for artistic growth and development for students, parents and teachers.