Marmalade Productions specializes in educational and inspiring puppet / school shows. In addition to puppetry the company has an area of Roving Characters ideal for Festivals. Marmalade Productions is biased in the Berkshires. The company performs for Theaters, Schools, Libraries, Special Event and for private gatherings. The company members Meredyth Babcock and Michael Wolski are performers, writers, creators and teachers. They met while making wolf puppets one night for the Caravan Farm Theater and Marmalade Productions was born. Michael and Meredyth create their own stories and build their puppets,props and sets to convey a sense of wonder and playfulness. They recognize the importance of participation and value the input and reactions of their young audience. “until we play before a live audience we can’t fine tune a piece...we depend on the children to tell us, when we are holding their attention when we are losing them and when they need to hop up and participate in some way.” In a live performance the child feels that their presence has significance. Even in the most wonderful film when a child moves or says something and nothing alters on the screen a feeling of insignificance is absorbed by the child. Our style of puppetry ,where the puppeteer is always present as a character stems from the street theater and interactive performing we have enjoyed over the years. Being present as a character instead of being hidden allows us to interact with the audience in a magical way, always adapting and building a relationship with the audience. The children feel the exchange between themselves and the performer, their presence is vital to the show. Without them it would cease or change in some way. This is a profound difference from Puppet shows where the puppeteer is hidden from the child's view. Our goal in family shows is to send the audience away with a smile on their lips and a story of their own bubbling up. If a parent picks up a spoon that night at dinner and starts to talk to the potatoes we have reopened the door where children live all the time. A room where anything is possible and the best things are left unexplained and still expanding.