Theater company sets up residency at library

Just a glance through the Main Library’s windows at the corner of Third and St. Clair Streets lets you know something unusual is going on inside. Bird-shaped creations, friendly puppet faces and vaguely steam-punk objects are taking shape in the Opportunity Space @ St. Clair, where Zoot Theatre Company has set up temporary residency. The public is invited to visit and see what they are working on.

Zoot Theatre is a nonprofit production and design company specializing in fantastical puppets and masks. The artists design, build and operate the puppets they use in their original productions.

During their Dayton Metro Library residency, Zoot artists are developing a new show called “Hope In Flight,” which will premiere on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3 and 4, at 2 p.m. in the Library’s Eichelberger Forum. The family-friendly show is free and open to the public.

The public is encouraged to stop by the Library’s Opportunity Space to meet the artists, ask questions and get a behind-thescenes look at puppetry in development. Open workshop hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays through January, with the possibility of extending into February based on community interest.

Opportunity Spaces at the Main Library and several Branch Library locations are available for partnerships and residency of varying length for interactive workshops, exhibits and more.

For more information, visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org or call 937-463-2665.