Classic takes on a new look as the beloved children’s book Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen is reimagined as a professional theatrical production at the Adam Theater, January 10-25. Newton resident Karin Sharav-Zalkind co-leads the theater as its Executive Director, working to expand its resources and reach. Library Lion features a life-sized lion puppet designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop – which has created the often fuzzy and furry characters in household names like Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Saturday Night Live – as well as a team of five actors, three musicians, and three puppeteers.
Inspired by the New York Public Library’s iconic lion statues, Patience and Fortitude, Knudsen’s Library Lion teaches its audience about the importance of accepting the unfamiliar and questioning established rules when necessary. In the story, a lion tries to peacefully visit a library where at first other library-goers are unnerved – but as time goes on, they begin to love the helpful guest. This sentiment lends itself well to live performance; young audiences also go through the transformation from fear and wariness to understanding and embracing an unfamiliar creature during Library Lion productions. Joyce Kulhawik, president of the Boston Theater Critics Association, describes “a sea of children who went from being nervous about a ‘scary’ lion to [feeling] total acceptance and joy” at one Adam Theater show.
Bringing Library Lion to the library and beyond
Adam Theater led the U.S. theatrical debut of Library Lion at the Boston Public Library in September of 2024, using the original script adapted by Eli Bijaoui and commissioning music by Israeli composer Yoni Rechter. This was the theater’s inaugural production, and it certainly would not be one to forget. Stretching between the Boston Public Library’s McKim Building (famous for its lion statues in memorial of Civil War infantries) to its Boylston Room (the first children’s reading room in an American public library), the show took place on an immersive, site-specific stage set.
Since that time, the theater has expanded, once again bringing Library Lion to stages at the Calderwood Pavilion after its first run in January 2025. The theater has grown steadily since its founding in 2023, when interior designer Karin Sharav-Zalkind (now Executive Director) joined with director and playwright Ran Bechor (Artistic Director) after connecting through their common passion for arts outreach and accessibility to children.
Noticing ways that Newton’s arts education system needed to be improved helped motivate the start of the theater. As Sharav-Zalkind expressed, “as a Newton parent, I felt that arts education was not taken seriously enough, and it became very apparent to me that there’s so much that you can sit and complain about – or there’s so much you can go and do.” Turning her qualms about Newton’s art education system into fuel for her own youth-focused creative pursuit, Sharav-Zalkind brought her vast experience as a designer of 20 years to her work at Adam Theater. As she emphasized, “In many ways, the idea of creating high quality art and making it accessible for kids was very appealing to me as a parent, but also as an art maker myself.”
Connecting youth with the theater
Adam Theater’s impact on youth goes beyond putting Library Lion – and the life lessons it seeks to impress – into a new medium. In the past, the theater has partnered with Cambridge Public Schools, Somerville Public Schools, Canton Public Schools, and many of the Jewish day schools in the greater Boston area. Yet through all of these partnerships, Newton schools have remained seemingly resistant to connect with the theater. Even though Zalkind is a Newton resident, local schools’ willingness to partner with the theater has not increased. “I think there’s a misconception of an affluent town that says ‘this is not for us’… that the kids are exposed to [arts education] enough.” Adam Theater seeks to change that idea.
One of the theater’s biggest successes has been a letter of endorsement from the City of Boston. This letter, in conjunction with grants from funding organizations, has allowed every second grader in the Boston Public Schools to see one of the Adam Theater’s shows. Boston’s 73 public elementary schools serving grades K-5 provide no shortage of audience members eager to see Library Lion. In providing this program for students, the Adam Theater advances its mission: to remove the often-overlooked barriers to children’s involvement with the arts, and provide meaningful theater experiences for all.
Library Lion at the Adam Theater at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street, Boston), January 10-25. Running 70 minutes with no intermission. Suitable for ages 4+.
Chloe Carrano is a Fig City News student reporter and a sophomore at Newton South High School.
