Puppet shows to return to Old Jail

By Donnie A. Lucas

After a year’s absence due to the pandemic, longtime puppeteers Dan Peeler and Charlie Rose are returning to The Old Jail Art Center for two days of performances of Christmas classics on Dec. 7 and 8.

This will be the 35th year that the duo have provided holiday joy through puppetry to local youth and adults alike.

Four performances are planned for both days starting at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 a.m., and at 2:00 p.m. in the Stasney Center for Education at the OJAC.

An added feature this year will the installation of an exhibit featuring some of the pair’s favorite puppets since starting in the 1980s. The collection will remain on display through January 2022.

“We hope that people will bring the whole family to see one of the shows and come back to view the exhibit,” education director Erin Whitmore said. “It is always a much-loved holiday marionette show with the master puppeteers from Peeler-Rose Productions.”

Elementary students from Albany, Moran, and Lueders-Avoca will attend the show, along with local preschool classes. Any other home-schooled students or pre-schoolers are invited to attend, along with their parents.

The OJAC has had a long-standing relationship with Peeler-Rose Productions as artists-in-residence during an annual puppet workshop in August and hosting monthly distance learning workshops open to anyone across the country.

All of the OJAC’s educational programs are available at www.connect 2texas.net, with the puppet workshops listed as cultural puppetry series.