Emerald Ash Awakening

Original puppet show musical performance written, produced, and performed by ArtJoy’s founders Toni Mikulka-Chang and Joey Chang, CelloJoe

Emerald Ash Awakening is an original eco-puppet show by Giant Puppets Save the World that combines storytelling, spectacle, and environmental education in a fun and meaningful way.

The story follows Ella, a puppet monster, who arrives at an ecological festival with her father, also a puppet monster. Ella doesn’t want to help at the stewardship booth or talk to anyone about bugs or trees—she just wants to play, watch puppet shows, and be on her iPad. Her father encourages her to join the Stewardship Crew and help teach people about the Emerald Ash Borer, a destructive insect that is killing ash trees and damaging forest canopies, especially in Oregon and across North America. Ella complains and resists, insisting that saving the environment is boring and that she just wants to have fun.

Suddenly, a magical fairy appears and offers Ella a wish. Without thinking, Ella wishes that she would never have to take care of the environment again and could just have fun forever.

In an instant, she is transported to a dystopian future where the forests are gone. The world is hot, dry, and empty. Giant Fire and Wind puppets move through the landscape, and the great tree is gone—reduced to memory. There are no trees, and without trees there are no festivals, no puppet shows, and no iPads. The world has lost not only its beauty, but also its joy and creativity.

Realizing what her wish has caused, Ella is heartbroken and begs to go back. The fairy returns her to the exact moment she was arguing with her father at the fair. This time, Ella makes a different choice. She excitedly joins the Stewardship Crew and helps teach others about protecting trees and caring for the Earth, understanding that taking care of the world is what makes art, celebration, and imagination possible.