BENNINGTON – The Bennington Performing Arts Center will be hosting free online puppet making and storytelling classes during Spring Break, April 12-16.

Classes are designed for Kindergarten to Grade 6 students, and all of the materials needed to make puppets and theaters can be found in most homes.

Jackie Marro will teach children to make puppets and theaters, and Kyra Fitzgerald will help them create stories to tell their puppets. Family participation is encouraged and online courses will use a Zoom platform.

Marro is the owner and curator of the Dollhouse and Toy Museum in Bennington, which has a large collection of puppets and puppets, as well as numerous puppet theaters. She is a member of the Puppeteers of America and has taught in high school and college.

Fitzpatrick is a BPAC staff member who has taught music, dance, and the performing arts.

Although these sessions are taking place online, there are plans to stage them in the future, after concerns about the COVID-19 virus are in the past. “Because it will be online, anyone in the country can participate,” said Marro. “So we hope that the grandparents in this region will send information to their grandchildren elsewhere to get them connected.”

Parents can register their children for these free courses by going to tinyurl.com/y928jw4k or by calling BPAC at 802 447-0564.