News Release 11-040
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
1111 Israel Road S.W., P.O. Box 42650, Olympia, WA 98504-2650, (360) 902-8500
Don Hoch, Director
Media contact:
Sandy Mealing, (360) 902-8559
Sandy.Mealing@parks.wa.gov
Jens Lund, Jens.Lund@parks.wa.gov
Wash. Telecommunications Relay Service:
(800) 833-6388
North America’s only professional Beijing rod puppet theater to perform at Lake Sammamish State Park
OLYMPIA –
Jul. 22, 2011 –
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Folk Arts in the Parks Program invites the public to attend a free performance of the Beijing rod puppet theater at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah. The Discover Pass is not required for those attending this event.
The free performance begins at 6 p.m., Aug. 26, in the kitchen shelter at Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 NW Sammamish Road, Issaquah. Dragon Art Studio is an internationally acclaimed puppet theater, based in Portland, and the only professional Beijing rod puppet theater in North America. Puppeteers Yuqin Wang and Zhengli Xu were trained in China at the Beijing Puppet Theater and the Beijing Opera School. Their daughter, Brenda Xu, is the third member of the troupe.
Yuqin Wang and Zhengli Xu came to the United States in 1996 and performed at the Atlanta Olympics that summer. In 2004, they were honored as “National Heritage Fellows” by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The performance is part of a broader series of events celebrating Washington’s diverse cultures and presented by the Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program. The program is a partnership between the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington State Arts Commission and Northwest Heritage Resources. Funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Washington State Arts Commission and the Washington State Parks Foundation. For a full schedule of Folk and Traditional Arts in the Parks Program events, visit www.parks.wa.gov/events.
This event is accessible to persons with disabilities. If special accommodations are required in order to attend, please call (425) 649-4276. Those who are hearing- or speech-impaired may call the Washington Telecommunications Relay Service at (800) 833-6388. Requests must be made in advance.
For more information about Dragon Art Studio, please visit www.dragonartstudio.com.
Lake Sammamish State Park is a 512-acre day-use park with 6,858 feet of waterfront on Lake Sammamish. The area around the lake was an important culture zone for local Indian tribes and a common hunting, fishing and berry-gathering location. The park provides deciduous forest and wetland vegetation for the enjoyment of visitors. A salmon-bearing creek and a great-blue-heron rookery are additional features.
The Commission manages a diverse system of more than 100 state parks and recreation programs, including long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation. The 98-year-old park system will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013.
Washington State Parks is now on Twitter at WaStatePks_NEWS and YouTube at WashingtonStateParks.
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