The Birmingham Public Library Youth Services Group is proud to host the 18th annual Children’s Event featuring David Stephens and All Hands Productions. From September 21-24, Stephens will present the puppet production, The Reluctant Dragon, at 12 BPL locations. The schedule is listed below.

Friendship and understanding are at the heart of this tale about a princess and a dragon who chance to meet inside the palace walls. When seen as a threat by the king, the renowned dragon slayer is instructed to fight the dragon. Loosely based on the book by Kenneth Grahame, All Hands Productions’ version of The Reluctant Dragon utilizes colorful moving-mouth hand puppets and rod puppets to tell this engaging story. The production is suitable for audiences of all ages.

David Stephens is the creator of All Hands Productions, a puppet company, that for over a decade has been dedicated to developing and presenting quality puppet theatre for audiences of all ages. His work has received a UNIMa-USA (Union Internationale de la Marionette) Citation of Excellence and has been awarded a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant. In addition to creating original works, Stephens has been a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and a Muppet performer on Sesame Street.