Pied Piper of Lawrence
I am sponsored by the Kansas Arts Commission (assuming it still exists) to present an afternoon Children's Theater Workshop and evening concert of original music and Pied Piper storytelling where the workshop kids join me on stage. Think of concerts by folk musicians such as John McCutcheon, then add a song & dance number with your kids in cute costumes.

For those with a larger budget, I can also bring in my six-person theater troupe Carter Performers to present my musical melodrama "Pied Piper: The Rest of the Story" that retells the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. For the play, the workshop is more appropriate for children age six and up.

L Carter
Email: Larry "at" LCarter.com

I sell hardcover copies of the definitive version of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, reproduced from the 1888 edition, at my performances. Kate Greenaway was the best children's illustrator of the time, and her paintings are true classics! Parents should be aware, however, that the poem was written by the great English poet Robert Browning (you studied him in high school) in 1842, so some of the language and obscure references are confusing for today's kids. I hope to soon have out a DVD of my version of the tale, including sections from the best lines of Browning's poem, where kids with the book can follow along while looking at the illustrations. HERE is an online version courtesy of the University of Indiana.

L Carter - The Pied Piper of Lawrence

Larry has performed solo and in many bands over the last 25 years, including being a four-time (and current) Kansas Fiddling & Picking Champion. His original music - including hilarious children's songs on banjo, toe-tapping tunes on baritone cittern, engaging contemporary folk songs on guitar, and mesmerizing compositions on piano - evokes an extremely wide range of human emotions. He is the weekly opening act and host for the Tuesday Concert series at the Lawrence Arts Center.

The Experts Say...

"The Satanta Arts Council has hosted many performers from the touring roster, and Carter Performers have been among the best received in our community."
Karen Burrows, Satanta Arts Council, Satanta, Kansas
"I loved the song where the rats come in. I still sing the song A LOT!"
Madeline, age 5, Satanta, Kansas
"Carter Performers surpassed our expectations. Larry and his crew communicated expertly with the children and treated them with respect and professionalism."
Gail Parsons, Junction City Arts Council, Junction City

"The Old Man in Leather"
by Mother Goose and Larry Carter

This is an orginal song based on the Mother Goose rhyme "The Old Man in Leather" - first verse by Mother Goose, remaining verses by me. Recorded May, 2010 at the Lawrence Arts Center. The instrument I'm playing is one I designed that I call a Baritone Cittern - see www.BaritoneCittern.com. The English folk-rock band Steeleye Span also wrote a song based on this Mother Goose rhyme, but except for the first verse it is an entirely different song. They called it "One Misty, Moisty Morning."

Pied Piper: The Rest of the Story

This is about 10 minutes of excerpts from the play with my 6-person theater troupe, Carter Performers, plus kids from the Lawrence community who attended our Children's Theater Workshop several hours earlier. These children had little or no previous theater experience, and I am always amazed at how quickly kids can learn their parts.

PLEASE look beyond the shaky camera and you will see excellent melodrama acting. Recorded at the Lawrence Public Library.

Children's Theater Workshop and Concert
Great Bend, Kansas - September, 2009
Sponsored by Barton County Arts Council, Barton County Historical Society and Kansas Arts Commission. Photos by Don Shorock.


Children's Theater Workshop


Trying on costumes


Rats meeting their best friend - the Rat Master!


Diddle diddle dumpling, Sister Sue
Couldn't decide what she should do.
Chawin' on a chunk from the possum stew.
Should she swaller, or should she chew...


It's a tissaday, tassaday birthday for Cassaday
Come find your present hidden high in the moon.
Look for the lady there, the one with the silver hair
She'll guide your path through the dark and the gloom.


There is a character in the Pied Piper story so sneaky that no one has even heard of him until now. He is best friends with the rats, so he sent them to Hamelin in the first place, then recruited the piper to call them back to his cave. They call him - the Rat Master.


I suppose you think I'm... odd!



The rat is such a noble friend
With bulging eyes and toothy grin.
They scratch and bite without a care
And claw their way to... who knows where! They're SO smart!

"They skitter through town and back again
When I give them CHEESE - my ratty friends!"

Booking
Carter Performers
$2800 for 6-person theater troupe, including the Children's Theater Workshop

The Pied Piper of Lawrence
$600 for solo performance by Larry Carter, including the Children's Theater Workshop

Email contact: Larry@LCarter.Com, 785-841-8473

40% of the performance fee for Carter Performers and Carter solo is underwritten through the Kansas Arts Commission.

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