Galapagos Puppet Theater Presents: The Blazing Fire Mountain and Its Princess, A Monkey King Tale
Sep 19, 2026
DATE: Saturday, September 19, 2026
TIMES: 11 AM & 2 PM
Admission: $15 Adults | $12 Members | $8 Children
“A rare experience of cultural legacy as a living, breathing, and playful entity.” —Diana Lu, New England Theatre Geek
Join the mischievous Monkey King as he takes on a mountain of fire! When Monk Tang and his disciples find their journey blocked by a blazing fire mountain, they learn that only a magical fan can put out the flames—but the fan's owner, the powerful Iron Fan Princess, has no intention of lending it out. Will the disciples' powers of transformation, persuasion, and puppet martial arts be enough to win the fan and save the day?
Best for ages 5 through adult.
Galapagos Puppet Theater brings this beloved episode of Journey to the West, the 400-year-old Chinese epic, to life through the delicate and acrobatic art of Bu Dai Xi (Taiwanese hand puppetry). Expressive silk scarves and vividly crafted puppets move to live music on erhu, bamboo flute, and percussion, courtesy of celebrated folk musician Jimmy Zhao and his ensemble. It's a 40-minute journey through martial arts, mischief, and magic!
About Galapagos Puppet Theater
Madeleine Beresford and Margaret Moody met at Oberlin College and founded Galapagos Puppet Theater in 1987. Drawn to puppetry as a meeting point of sculpture, theater, and storytelling, they create original fantasies alongside adaptations of folktales and beloved books.
Margaret and Madeleine hand-make most of their own puppets, including rod, shadow, hand, and life-sized puppets, while the puppets used in their Chinese folktales were crafted by Taiwan's I Wan Jan Troupe. Both artists studied under the late master puppeteer Lee Tien-lu, honored as a "national living treasure" in Taiwan, who taught them the Chang Chung Hsi style, known as the "theater of the palm of the hand." That training now forms the foundation of their performances of three episodes from Journey to the West.
Their work has been supported by the Henson Foundation, the Puffin Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and they've delighted audiences of children and adults at libraries, schools, and theaters across the region, including a recent, warmly received performance at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts.
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | 11:00 AM |
DATE: Saturday, September 19, 2026
TIMES: 11 AM & 2 PM
Admission: $15 Adults | $12 Members | $8 Children
“A rare experience of cultural legacy as a living, breathing, and playful entity.” —Diana Lu, New England Theatre Geek
Join the mischievous Monkey King as he takes on a mountain of fire! When Monk Tang and his disciples find their journey blocked by a blazing fire mountain, they learn that only a magical fan can put out the flames—but the fan's owner, the powerful Iron Fan Princess, has no intention of lending it out. Will the disciples' powers of transformation, persuasion, and puppet martial arts be enough to win the fan and save the day?
Best for ages 5 through adult.
Galapagos Puppet Theater brings this beloved episode of Journey to the West, the 400-year-old Chinese epic, to life through the delicate and acrobatic art of Bu Dai Xi (Taiwanese hand puppetry). Expressive silk scarves and vividly crafted puppets move to live music on erhu, bamboo flute, and percussion, courtesy of celebrated folk musician Jimmy Zhao and his ensemble. It's a 40-minute journey through martial arts, mischief, and magic!
About Galapagos Puppet Theater
Madeleine Beresford and Margaret Moody met at Oberlin College and founded Galapagos Puppet Theater in 1987. Drawn to puppetry as a meeting point of sculpture, theater, and storytelling, they create original fantasies alongside adaptations of folktales and beloved books.
Margaret and Madeleine hand-make most of their own puppets, including rod, shadow, hand, and life-sized puppets, while the puppets used in their Chinese folktales were crafted by Taiwan's I Wan Jan Troupe. Both artists studied under the late master puppeteer Lee Tien-lu, honored as a "national living treasure" in Taiwan, who taught them the Chang Chung Hsi style, known as the "theater of the palm of the hand." That training now forms the foundation of their performances of three episodes from Journey to the West.
Their work has been supported by the Henson Foundation, the Puffin Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and they've delighted audiences of children and adults at libraries, schools, and theaters across the region, including a recent, warmly received performance at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts.
| Date | Performance Times | |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | 11:00 AM |
