Lenox, MA - The popular puppeteer Carl Sprague will return to Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion and Museum in Lenox to charm all ages with Little Red Riding Hood for two holiday vacation week marionette performances. The dates and times are Friday, December 27^th and Saturday, December 28^th, both at 3:30 pm. 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. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as an important partner of the Lenox Cultural District, one of the five such Berkshire County districts, Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion and Museum was built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan, the sister of legendary financier J. Pierpont Morgan.

Self-guided tours of the historic mansion are offered daily, as well as Tea & Talks, such exhibitions as the Bellefontaine Collection, concerts, theater, ghost tours and hunts as well as other programs. This elegant Jacobean-Revival Berkshire “cottage” is open to the public year-round and is available for private rental.  Ventfort Hall, also an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures program sponsored by The White House, has undergone substantial restoration, which continues.

What:  Marionette Show, Little Red Riding Hood

When:  Friday, December 27th and Saturday, December 28th, 2024 at 3:30 pm

Where: Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion and Museum

Admission: $20, adults; $10, children 4-17; free 3 and under.