If there is

one thing that Sesame Street taught us, it is that we can learn from puppets.

The Center

for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta continues to prove that point with the return

of "Space," a fast-paced, family-friendly frolic through the

cosmos.

The show, written

and directed by The Center's artistic director Jon Ludwing, combines special

lighting effects, shadow puppets and hand and rod puppets, to create a

voyage through the universe.

Your tour guides

on this trip are Ot and Eema, friendly aliens who visit Earth and beam

the audience aboard their ship. On the journey, audiences see all nine

planets, the sun, the moon and other fascinating celestial bodies.

There are also

a number of special guests on this trek, including Galileo, Sir Isaac

Newton, Neil Armstrong and other famous astronomers who made historical

discoveries through their telescopes. The show also reveals many scientific

fscts about planet composition, surfaces, sizes and atmospheres. There

are even demonstrations of gravity, light years and more.

"Space"

runs through June 9. Performances are at 10 and 11:30 a.m., Monday through

Friday and Saturdays at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults

and $7 for cildren between the ages of 2 and 13.

Also beginning

this week is Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The

show uses merging masks, rod puppets, shadow puppets and found objects

to tell this comedic tale. Performances are at 11 a.m. Monday through

Wednesday, and 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Weekend performances

are at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $16, and $14

for members, seniors and students. The show is performed in the Downstairs

theater and is suitable for ages 12 and up.

Paid admission

to each performance also allows access to the museum, which has several

exhibits including "Puppets: The Power of Wonder," "Masks:

Outer Image, Inner Spirit," "Don't Stop The Carnival" and

"Classic Influences on Contemporary Puppetry." Call 404-873-3391

for more information.

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