A powerful, moving and, at times, humorous series of original vignettes set to music will be presented by the internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes this month at Missouri University of Science and Technology. A part of this season’s Leach Theatre Family Series, the performance will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, in Leach Theatre of Castleman Hall, 10th and Main streets in Rolla, Mo.

The program, Simple Gifts, is a series of touching portrayals and poignant scenes from everyday life set to music by such composers as Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven and Copland. The show explores a range of emotions with characters and actions that are amazingly convincing.

Joseph Cashore has received numerous awards for his artistry, including a Pew Fellowship for Performance Art, a Henson Foundation Grant, and a Citation of Excellence from the American chapter of the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA-USA), the highest honor an American puppeteer can receive.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and youth. Tickets are available online or from the Leach Theatre Box Office. Box office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 573-341-4219 for more information.

The Leach Family Series offers discounts for purchases of four or more tickets to this performance. In addition, in the event that tickets remain, discounted tickets will be offered through the theater’s “Back Row Club.” The seats in the last row of the theater will be sold one hour before each event for $10 each.

Leach Theatre is a division of Missouri S&T’s student affairs department. For more information about the series, call the Leach Theatre Box Office at 573-341-4219.