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Seattle Children’s Theatre welcomes Puppet State Theatre Company of Scotland to Seattle for The Man Who Planted Trees by Richard Medrington, Rick Conte and Ailie Cohen. The Man Who Planted Trees is based on the beloved book by Jean Giono and directed by Cohen. Hear the wind, feel the rain, smell the lavender and laugh with Dog in this multi-sensory theatrical delight. Based on Jean Giono’s classic novel, this play is an unique blend of comedy and puppetry and tells the inspiring, ecologically-oriented tale of a human being who saw a need and decided not to ignore it but “to put things right.” In spite of wars and hardship, a French shepherd sets out with his dog to plant a forest and transform a barren wasteland, one acorn at a time. This uplifting and unforgettable story shows us the difference one man (and his dog!) can make to the world.

“This is a completely charming story of the difference one person can make in the world,” says SCT Artistic Director Linda Hartzell. “The remarkable actors/puppeteers from Puppet State Theatre Company manage to bring this early 20th-century world alive in a funny and energetic way, engaging all of our senses in an unforgettable day of theatre.”

The Man Who Planted Trees is the story of a French shepherd, Elzéard Bouffier, who sets out with his dog to plant a forest and transform a barren wasteland one acorn at a time. Across a lifetime and through two world wars, Elzéard maintains his steadfast commitment to “put things right.” Puppet State Theatre Company’s production is multi-sensory, inviting audiences to hear the wind, feel the rain and smell the lavender in this theatrical delight.

“We have performed this production over a thousand times in venues from tents on windswept hillsides, tiny village halls on remote Scottish islands to the Lincoln Center Institute and the Sydney Opera House,” says Puppet State’s Medrington. “There is something about this story that seems to strike a chord wherever we go and for that reason – as well as the fact that we get to make up new bits all the time – we never tire of performing it.”

The story itself has an interesting history. Though it has been published in book form, it is more accurate to characterize it as a short story at just about 4,000 words. While it is the work he is best known for outside of his native France, Giono refused to accept any royalties for the story and granted free use to anyone who wanted to distribute or translate it. In a 1957 letter, Giono said, “The goal was to make trees likeable, or more specifically, make planting trees likeable (this has always been one of my fondest ideas). And if I judge based on the results, it seems to have been attained… It is one of my works of which I am most proud. It does not bring me a cent, and this is why it is able to achieve the goal for which it was written.”