The Puppet Co. presents The Wizard of Oz

On July 22, Frank L. Baum's immortal children's fantasy, The Wizard of Oz, comes to the Puppet Co. Playhouse. Set at the Kansas State Fair in 1900 - the year in which Baum published the original book - live actors tell a "story within a story" using a wide variety of puppet styles, including masks, tabletop puppets, marionettes and moving-mouth puppets.

Dorothy, and her little dog, Toto, too, visits the Kansas State Fair, but Dorothy gets lost amidst the crowd. While her parents are being located, a few festival workers care for the young child and tell her a fascinating story about a girl, a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion venturing together to see a wizard who will give them just what they are looking for - even if they already have it.

In 2009, this production was the recipient of American Puppetry's highest honor, the UNIMA Citation for Excellence in Puppetry.

On Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011, the 1 p.m. performance will be American Sign Language interpreted. For information, call (301) 634-5380.

The Puppet Co. celebrates its 28th anniversary this year. The Puppet Co. is the first recipient of the Cherry Adler Award from the Maryland State Arts Council for excellence in Children's Theater. This internationally recognized children's theater serves approximately 80,000 children and adults annually in the D.C. metropolitan area, including visitors from all over the U.S. and the world.

For more information and tickets, call (301) 634-5380 or visit www.thepuppetco.org.