Could a tea set be transformed into...

Could a tea set be transformed into a turtle? Could a dog become an elephant? And, could a swan dance to the classical strains of French composer Camille Saint-Saens?

Children, especially, will delight in the answers as Jim Gamble Puppet Productions performs Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals” today at noon at Marymount College.

“It has a lot of variety and it’s fun for kids,” Gamble said.

The puppet show is the highlight of the 11th annual Children’s Festival of the Arts, which also features African folk music and tales, a mariachi band and a T-shirt painting workshop. The festival is sponsored by the college as part of its Concert-on-the-Hill series, a community outreach program.

Gamble said the production is in the Eastern European style of puppetry that uses “curtains of light”--narrow beams of light focused on a playing area that create a window of light out of the darkness in front of and behind the stage.

A puppeteer dressed completely in black, Gamble said, is unseen by the audience, as are the puppets’ rods.

“The technique is unusual (in the United States),” Gamble said. He discovered it while he was in Europe in the military.

The performance is designed to teach children to appreciate classical music.

“We present the composer as a little boy writing about the things he might find in his home,” Gamble said.

Tickets, at $5 per child, can be purchased in advance at the college or on the day of the event. The festival, from noon to 4 p.m., is geared toward children ages 3 to 9, but those of any age are invited to attend. Adults accompanied by a child are admitted free. The college is at 30800 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes.