Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Words Come Alive

Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during England’s early Victorian era. Yet its themes of love, sharing and redemption are not bound by time. Dan Baginski and Barbara Paulson of Vermont’s No Strings Marionette Company impart these messages with inspiring music, spectacular sets and 15 large-scale, handcrafted marionettes. Of their choice to portray Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim and others in full view of the audience, Baginski says, “We find that children are interested in seeing how the puppets works and how we do things.” This unique approach adds another dimension to their storytelling, which resonates long after the curtain closes.