by Rachel Williams
The crowd lined up early at the University of West Georgia’s Townsend Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 24, to watch Lightwire Theater’s “The Ugly Duckling.” The unique puppet show, which began at 7:30 p.m., featured performers and puppets decked with glowing wires sculpted into props and animal characters. After the performance, the four puppeteers from New Orleans, Louisiana, answered questions and signed free posters.
Once the theater lights came on, the children in the audience were fascinated by the puppeteers’ costumes. One performer, Elizabeth Daniels, explained to a curious child that the glow comes from electroluminescent wire.
“If you can spell that, you deserve a quarter!” she laughs.
The rest of the costumes, puppets and props were made of household items, such as recycled election signs, dryer venting, soccer shin guards, skateboard wheels, backpack frames and rolling chairs. The performers credited their respective decades of dance experience with helping them complete complicated choreography.
For information about upcoming events or ticket information, please visit www.townsendcenter.org.
