After an absence of some years, puppetry returns to the Bermuda Festival stage in the form of who are making a welcome return to the festival stage this evening, when they will give two performances of ?Short Stories? at Daylesford Theatre: one at 6.30 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. The pattern will be repeated tomorrow and Wednesday evenings, making a total of six performances in all.

Wherever they appear, the Peruvian Hugo Suarez and his pianist partner, Ines Pasic, enthral audiences with their ingenuity as they create a whole host of diverse characters and personalities in their show entitled ?Short Stories?. This inventive, visual theatre capitalises on dextrous fingers and nimble forms to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary and create a world of emotive images spiced with abundant humour. ?Short Stories? introduces a parade of memorable beings who, in their brief moments on the scene, play out the poetic moments of daily life.

Hugo and Ines describe their technique as ?a mix of mime and puppetry? since Suarez was once a street performer who played both classic and clown mime.

?Short Stories? has been presented at many prestigious locations, including the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre in New York, Jacob?s Pillow Dance Festival, and at Chicago?s International Puppetropolis.

The duo have also appeared on the PBS series ?Between the Lions?.

The intimate, informal setting of Daylesford Theatre is a perfect venue for ?children of all ages? to participate in the bewitching, whimsical ?theatre-of-marvels?.

For ticket information visit the Festival box office in the ferry terminal building on Front Street between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

For general inquiries during these hours ( 292-8572. For ticket sales ( 296-5774 or visit website www.bermudafestival.com