This summer, we’re bringing puppetry to an outdoor location near you!
July 26 (Sat) 2025: 12:00 pm at Emerson College’s UnCommon Stage in the Boston Common, corner of Boylston Street & Tremont Street (map)
FREE — no tickets necessary!
Check out the rest of the Summer Outdoor Series →
Visit us inside the theater for Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays! →
About the Show
Cow and Mouse are old enough to help with planting day. Cow plants hay, his favorite food; Mouse plants cheese. With the help of audience members, rain is plentiful. The soil is rich. Why won’t the cheese grow? Only Cousin Rat seems to know.
In this interactive show, friends Cow and Mouse learn about healthy soil, careful planting, and how important weather is to farmers, all accompanied by live mandolin music. At the end of the story, audience members join the puppeteers in harvesting the crops together!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 8
Hand and rod puppets
Length: 35 minutes
Language: English
From Arlington, MA!
Growing Things was developed through a residency at LexFarm, a non-profit community farm in Lexington, Massachusetts — with the help of wise children and Rachel Curtin, the farm's Education Director.
Growing Things: A Cow and Mouse Story was created with generous support from the Grants Committee of Arlington Commission on Arts and Culture, a local agency of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
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Your contribution helps make free and low-cost performances available to everyone.
About the Artists
Margaret Moody loves stories and using puppets to act them out. She studied traditional Bu Dai Xi puppetry in Taiwan and uses the acrobatic style in most of her shows. Developing "Growing Things" with Pam and Peter has been lighthearted and fun.
Pam Shanley is a painter and printmaker. These skills have come in handy when doing sets for the Deborah Able Dance Company. After making and teaching how to make puppets she is delighted to perform as a puppeteer. Pam is also operations Director for the Arlington Center for the Arts, Arlington Open Studios.
Peter Lehman's musical background began with the performance of early music on the lute, mandolin and guitar. But today he draws on wonderfully diverse sources. You might hear an ancient ballad or fiddle tune, followed by a soulful jazz interpretation. It is a unique approach blending old and new in a style all his own.
