Northwest to host ‘Frog Prints’ puppet show Oct. 23

The classic fairytale “The Frog Prince” is set to play at Northwest Missouri State University this month – with a twist.

Kansas City’s StoneLion Puppet Theatre will present “The Frog Prints,” a funny and poignant musical, at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23, in the Studio Theater at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. The show, which is free and open to the public, is family-friendly with a runtime of about 45 minutes.

The production follows Prince Rana, who is trashing up his world when he meets Mother Nature in the woods. His attitude gets him turned into a frog until he learns his lesson – and pays it forward.

The show features Shawn Patrick Murphy, a Northwest alumnus who earned his bachelor’s degree in theatre performance from the University in 2018. Since graduating, Murphy has completed three tours with the National Theatre for Children, built scenery for six seasons at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, acted as a Live Escape Room Interactive Performer at The Basement and Breakout KC, and worked for StoneLion Puppet Theatre as puppeteer, builder and teaching artist for five years.

Heather Nisbett-Loewenstein is the founding artistic and executive director of StoneLion Puppet Theatre, which she launched 30 years ago upon discovering how puppetry melded performance and design into a fun way of communicating complex ideas and messages in a way that traditional theater could not.

Support for the production is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Fine and Performing Arts as part of its guest artist series.

For more information about StoneLion Puppet Theatre, visit www.stonelionpuppets.org.