Anansi-the Trickster Spider presented by Grumbling Gryphons

Pre-Performance Workshop at 9:00am

Performance at 10:00am

Leslie Elias and Daniel Saed, a dynamic duo of Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater will perform Anansi- the Trickster Spider: A West African Folktale at The Stissing Center in Pine Plains with live music played by keyboardist and trombonist -Brian Bender on Saturday, August 5th at 10 am. Prior to the performance, children will engage in a lively pre-performance workshop where they will learn songs, dances, chants, and their parts as busy bees, monkeys, lions, and more!  To sign up & pre- register-please Contact:

Leslie Elias, Connecticut Arts Hero and artistic director of Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children's Theater adapted this well-known West African folktale into a highly interactive show for children of all ages! Audience participation is an essential ingredient in the lively dramatic production.

Two main actors of the Grumbling Gryphons portray a variety of lively characters. Daniel Saed plays the lead role of Anansi-The Trickster Spider, the infamous trickster of the Ashanti People of West Africa.

Leslie Elias, in addition to writing and directing, plays numerous roles in the production, including the comical characters of Crocodile, Monkey, Lion, and Queen Bee. Ms. Elias from West Cornwall has served as Artistic Director and co-founder of Grumbling Gryphons for forty-three years. She is the winner of the 2018 Connecticut Arts Hero Award as well as the 2018 Culture Max Award given by the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council for Arts Educators.

Brian Bender ( Keyboardist & Trombonist) is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, plays trombone and piano, and has performed his original klezmer music internationally.

Anansi- the Trickster Spider is a well-known, comical character who originated in Western Africa. The tale, "How Anansi Brought the Stories Down", tells how Anansi, with the aid of the children in the audience, tricks the various animals of the jungle and retrieves the stolen stories of the world from Nyame, the Sky God.

The theater company is renowned for its fantastic masks and captivating costumes, made by Ellen Moon of Cornwall, CT., and for its innovative interaction with children.  Grumbling Gryphons has been performing in schools, museums, libraries, and festivals throughout the United States since 1980.  They have performed at Bushnell Park in Hartford, CT; the American Museum of Natural History and Lincoln Center in N.Y.C; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Miami Book Fair International; the Maine State Music Theater in Brunswick, Maine; the Stockton Children's Museum in California, and at various international festivals. In 2003 they won the Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award. They are now celebrating 43 years of touring and teaching!