Aesop Fables at Kramer Lane

Puppeteers Jim West and Vito Leanza visited Bethpage School District 's Kramer Lane Elementary School to present Jim West's Aesop's Fables : a unique puppet show portraying the lessons of Aesop's famed fables.

Because fables are simple stories that serve to deliver a lesson or moral, the PTA saw this show as an opportunity to present a Cultural Arts program that not only teaches the important history of storytelling, but also supports the School's on-going Character Education Program. “ Aesop never wrote his stories down. The stories were passed by word of mouth from generation to generation, allowing his stories to be shared by millions. Since they were often veiled criticisms of people, he often told his stories using animals as characters,” shared Mr. West. “However, we can all laugh and learn watching animals make the same mistakes as ourselves.”

The TheatreWorksUSA Organization artist presented seven of Aesop's fables with his beautifully handcrafted original puppets. At the start and end of each fable, Aesop and Moral (his fictional dog) would introduce and review the moral of the story. In addition, Mr. West demonstrated many of the methods he used to create the puppets in the fables, so students could easily craft their own at home. For more information on the amazing art of Jim West's puppets shows and how to craft your own puppets, visit www.jimwestpuppets.com .