Willy Claflin to Entertain at Next SaturYAY! January 10, 2009

Parents' Choice Gold Award winner Willy Claflin and his sidekick, Maynard the Moose, will entertain with stories and musical surprises. About them, The Hawaii Tribute Herald, "An irresistible play bill that sets kids and adults singing, clapping, imitating and bursting into side-splitting laughter."

Willy Claflin grew up an introverted boy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, spending his days dreaming and wandering through the woods. By high school, he had extroverted himself into a rock and roll singer and also learned hundreds of folk songs. He was known to be fast on a guitar and given to pranks.

At Harvard University (1961-66), Claflin studied American and French Literature and performed music and comedy in the Boston-Cambridge folk music scene. After a year of reading French classics in Paris, he studied in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he collected a cappella ballads.

In the late 1960s, Claflin became a teacher who was known for his creative curriculum. His puppets, Maynard Moose, Boring Beaver, Socklops, Dr. Al, and Gorf, became part of his classroom persona and he found them to be excellent teaching assistants.

Claflin returned to performing in the 1980s, having collected a wealth of stories and ballads. He launched Maynard Moose in his own recording career and crisscrossed the country from Maine to Hawaii as a storytelling performer and master teacher. He relocated to San Francisco, Calif. in 1984.

Claflin has released nine recordings and has won several Parent's Choice Awards, National Parenting Publications Gold Awards and Storytelling World Awards. He has performed at regional festivals nationwide and at the International Storytelling Festival in Cape Clear, Ireland. He continues to perform in concert venues and schools.

Adults $10, $14 & $18; Children $6, $10 & $14. Purchase online, by phone or in person at the Amador Theater Box Office. The box office is open Mon. - Fri. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for two hours prior to each performance.

Official Website: http://www.civicartstickets.org