The Adventures of Pinocchio

Book by R. Eugene Jackson with music by David Ellis

This enchanting musical dramatization of the Carlo Collodi immortal fairy tale begins with the woodcarver Gepetto about to slice a sliver off the puppet. When he hears a cry, he can’t imagine where it is coming from. With the help of the Blue Fairy, the puppet comes to life. His adventures are exciting. Gepetto sends him to school, but Pinocchio runs off with a group of little boys who get into trouble and turn into donkeys. He is kidnapped by an evil puppeteer, he is swallowed by a whale, and, of course, every time he tells a lie his nose grows- and grows – and grows. But, more than anything, Pinocchio wishes that one day, he will be a real boy! Suitable for grades K- 6, as well as a family outing.

The Hunting of the Snark

Book by R. Eugene Jackson with music by David Ellis

Based on a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll, of Alice in Wonderland fame, this children’s musical tells of a group of adventurous travelers. Originally, the poem’s setting was a ship at sea, but in this version, playwright R. Eugene Jackson has updated the poem and sets the play in the future, as the Captain, his first mate the Beaver, and three passengers (a Butcher, a Lawyer, and a Banker) all travel to the deepest corners of space to find the elusive Snark. The problem is that no one has ever seen a Snark and these space travelers have heard many different stories of what a Snark looks like and how it behaves. Along the way they meet many real space creatures they believe to be the Snark, but which are in reality the Jub-Jub, the Bandersnatch, and… the dreaded Boojum! Will they ever find the Snark? Will they make it back to Earth? And just how dreaded is the dreaded Boojum? All of these questions, and more, will be answered in this delightful musical. Suitable for grades K-6, as well as a family outing.

The Hunting of the Snark, with its clever play on words and catchy songs, teaches the important lessons that we should not believe everything we hear, nor should we search for things that don’t exist.