Glorious, stirring sight! The poetry of motion! The only way to travel! O bliss! O poop-poop! O my!…

The language, the characters, and the sheer joy of The Wind in the Willows is the kind of book that inspires young people to read, to write, to value friendship, to love nature, and to want to know more. Four little animals—the shy Mole, Rat, who loves the river, Badger who doesn’t go out much, and Toad, whose boisterous adventures can have dangerous consequences—stand up to bullies, rescue a baby otter, and learn how to listen to what the wind whispers in the willows, all along the river.

In our production, the characters appear in many ways: as large puppets, hand puppets, masks, shadows, acted by humans, and on film. We like to keep the audience guessing, with small telling details and changes of perspective that stir the imagination.

Russell Levia’s live music, played on banjo, harmonica, accordion, zither and hornpipe, uses themes from many composers, from Percy Grainger and Vaughan Williams to Beethoven.

K–6. 250 students