The Crab and the Persimmon Tree
By Emma Castleberry
The Sleepy Seahorse Shadow Puppet Co. will return to Studio 116 in East Flat Rock with an evening of new performances on Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5, at 6:30 p.m. The shows will pair an African folktale with an original production, using little more than cardboard, light, live sound and a bedsheet to bring characters to life.
Founder and director Beth Beasley conceived Sleepy Seahorse in 2025, when the possibility of creating shadow puppet performances occurred to her almost spontaneously.
“The idea of shadow puppetry popped into my mind and I immediately thought, ‘I’ve always been interested in that—and it’s something I could do,’” Beasley says.
Beasley approached Melanie and Daniel Hopkins about using the Studio 116 space and the group began planning the first Sleepy Seahorse performances. The company premiered there in February with two Japanese folktales adapted for puppetry, The Twice-Wounded Angelfish and The Crab and the Persimmon Tree. The performances drew standing-room-only audiences and raised approximately $1,300 in donations for a local meal program. The shows returned in April, and Beasley staged a production in July based on Father David Henson’s story Zoe and the Blackbird at St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville.
The company’s deliberately simple approach is central to its appeal.
“Something as simple as cutting a piece of cardboard and shining a light behind it to create a shadow on a bedsheet can both create a sense of drama but also a kind of magic,” Beasley says.
The December program includes The Mantis and the Moon, an African folktale that will be read directly from a South African writer’s account of the story. The second production, Zephyr the Hare Sets Sail, marks another step for Sleepy Seahorse: an entirely original story written by Beasley.
“Zephyr’s story has progressively developed with new characters and scenarios and essentially centers on community and finding community,” says Beasley. “The tale is a sort of hero’s journey, with all the adventure and surprise one might expect in such a story.”
Beasley is developing the new productions with Mills River-based multimedia artist Tia Sculpt, who is assisting with the scripts as well as the design and creation of puppets and scenery. Beasley and Sculpt will operate the puppets during the performances, streamlining a job that previously involved a four-person puppet crew.
“My biggest hope is that the audience will experience a thrill as the stories unfold, and come away happy to have experienced something that’s perhaps new to them,” she says. “As for the children, I hope they’ll be inspired to create their own shows, and realize that entertainment doesn’t have to be passive and tech-driven.”
Studio 116 is located at 116 West Blue Ridge Road, Flat Rock. Tickets are $10, with free admission for children ages 12 and younger. A portion of proceeds will benefit a local food pantry. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, with floor seating for children near the stage. Tickets and more information are available at Studio116NC.com.
