The popular puppeteer Carl Sprague will return to the mansion to charm all ages with Little Red Riding Hood for a holiday vacation week performance.  The audiences will have the opportunity to meet this wizard, who knows how to pull strings.

Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. The young girl is bringing food to her grandmother and encounters the wolf on her walk through the woods. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm.

Sprague, who has appeared annually at Ventfort Hall with his “behind the scenery” mastery, has been a puppeteer since childhood.  He inherited a collection of 60 antique Czech marionettes, each about eight inches tall that were assembled by his great-grandfather, Julius Hybler.  Hybler’s legacy also includes two marionette theaters.

Also, Sprague has been a set designer for such motion pictures as “The Royal Tenenbaums” and Scorcese’s “The Age of Innocence,” as well as for theater productions including those of Shakespeare & Company.

Admission to the show is $20 per person; $10 for children 4-17 and free for age 3 and under. Children must be accompanied by adults.  Ventfort Hall is decorated for the holidays. Reservations are required as seating is limited and can be made on line at https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or by calling (413) 637-3206. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space allows. Please note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. Payment is required to make a reservation for an event.