Winking Kat Tales

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• THE DISPATCH
• SILVER SERIES (ages 12 to ADULT) 
• 45 minutes
• Copyright © 2026 by P. Haines-Ainsworth
• produced by Winking Kat Books

"THE DISPATCH"  is an original, one-act play about a printer, John Gaines, who lives in New York City with his family in 1776.  Although he supports the movement rebelling against the oppressive government of King George III, his criticism has been tempered. On the evening of July 8th, however, a messenger arrives to deliver a dispatch from the Continental Congress and a personal request from Dr. Benjamin Franklin. Franklin, an acquaintance from John's youth, wants John to print as many copies of the dispatch and distribute the printed copies to the rebellion's supporters in Manhattan. The dispatch is a copy of the Declaration of Independence, passed just four days before in Philadelphia.

Gaines is in a precarious position, however. General Howe and his brother Admiral Howe are staging their forces on nearby Staten Island and preparing to attack the city any day. General Washington is staging his defense on Long Island, but may not have the means or the men to protect the city. If John prints the Declaration, and the British take the city, he could be arrested and hanged for treason. If he decides not to print the Declaration, an important message as well as source of hope and motivation to patriots in the city will never reach them. What will he choose to do? His fate and the fate of his family hangs on the balance. 

AUTHORS NOTE: John Gaines is a composite character of two actual printers who lived and worked in New York during the American Revolution. They were Hugh Gain, an immigrant from Ireland who was a journeyman for James Parker, a friend of Benjamin Franklin, and John Holt, a printer and strong supporter of independence who printed 500 copies of the Declaration of Independence in early July 1776 and distributed them around the state. 

'THE DISPATCH', a revolutionary story.  by P. Haines-Ainsworth.

CAST:  John Gaines (Lantz Wagner), Nell Gaines (Patricia Haines Ainsworth), Captain Thomas Wilkerson (Drew Hobson), Samuel (Pranav Varma), Gem (Tatiana Wyckoff), and Elias Cooke (Adrian Cerrato)

The Music for this episode was provided by HESPERUS,  an early music and traditional music ensemble. It was founded by Scott Reiss and Tina Chancey in 1979 to play early European music, American traditional music and crossover fusions of the two. The group has created the Early American Music series for Maggie's Music-- featured in museums stores such as America's Smithsonian Institute and Colonial Williamsburg. Their recordings can also be found on Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, and other media outlets.

 This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM
Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.
Tags: #winkingkattales #originalplays #history #audioplay

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HENNY PENNY
GREEN SERIES (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2023 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
produced by Winking Kat Books

"HENNY PENNY" is a musical mash-up of two classic fables, "The Little Red Hen" and "Chicken Little".  Our story features Henny Penny over the course of four seasons as she plants & harvests her wheat, then turns the wheat into flour.  Every time she has a big task to do, her friends make excuses not to help her.  When she uses the flour to bake a delicious & fragrant loaf of bread, they finally have plenty of time to help her eat it.  But Henny Penny has better ideas for the bread.  She decides to put it in a basket and present it to the king for his birthday.  On the way she feels something hard hit her head.  Not seeing anything obvious, she believes what hit her was a small piece of the sky.  She runs to alert her friends: Goosie Lucy, Turkey Lurkey, & Ducky Lucky, that the sky is breaking into pieces and will soon fall down. 

Foxy Loxy meets Henny & her friends as they are rushing to the king to tell him the news. He offers to make the journey to warn the king himself and persuades the fowl friends to go into his den for safety.  Little do Henny & her friends realize Foxy has planned this all along & has no intention of making the journey to the king.  Will Henny Penny, Goosie Lucy, & Turkey Lurkey stay for dinner?  Or will they BE dinner?  Listen & find out.

Henny Penny's  book and lyrics were written by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music composed by Terrence Alaric Levitt.  Characters voiced by:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Ellen Dessler Smith, Max Lopuszynski, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.  This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.

Tags: #winkingkattales #childrensmusic #musicaltheatre #audioplay

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THE ARTIST'S BRUSH
Red Series (ages 6 & up)
Copyright 2022 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt & Larry Bridges
published by Winking Kat Books

This  delightful new episode of Winking Kat Tales is adapted from an old Dutch fairytale - although the fairy in this story isn't the usual type of magical fairy.  He is a wood fairy or elf named Haan e'Kam.  When Haan e'Kam spots a young, unsuccessful artist named Johannes, he decides to play a clever trick on him.  Johannes believes himself to be very talented and envisions himself to be a famous painter one day like many of the other famous Dutch painters. But Johannes is lazy and ignores the lessons and practice that it takes to be successful.

Haan e'Kam introduces himself and makes a trade with Johannes - a magical fairy brush that will paint anything Johannes sees accurately on a canvas in exchange for Johannes' old paintbrush.  The brush is truly magic.  Johannes becomes famous for his amazingly accurate and realistic portraits.  But delivering a portrait that accurately captures the subject with all his or her imperfections is not always what the buyer wants.  Johannes learns that painful lesson when he's hired to paint the wife of a powerful mayor.

The story is brought to life by our talented cast: Tadd Morgan, Samuel Pettit, Danny Miller, Harry Turpin, Arwen Dewey, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.

You can listen to this and Winking Kat's other original musical stories at Dramafy.com*  Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

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THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD
Red Series (ages 7 & up)
Copyright 2022 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

This new, and slightly silly, musical adaptation about the famous heroic bandit, Robin Hood, features the familiar characters of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, as well as the treacherous duo of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. 
All is not well in Nottingham.  Good King Richard leaves England in the hands of his greedy brother, Prince John.   With the help of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men, John is taxing the citizens mercilessly.  To keep them distracted, John decides to hold a poetry competition.  Robin Hood tricks the Sheriff and John.  He escapes to Sherwood Forest with the prize money where he meets the Merry Men.  They all join forces with Maid Marian and her freedom fighting ladies-in-waiting to rescue King Richard from the King of France and bring him, and justice, back to the citizens of England.

The story is brought to life by our talented cast:  Max Lopuszynski, Tadd Morgan, Samuel Pettit, Rachel Rene Aracto, Drew Hobson, Adrian Cerrato, Jessica Robins, Arwen Dewey, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.

You can listen to this and Winking Kat's other original musical stories at Dramafy.com*  Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app. 

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

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GREEN SERIES (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2021 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
produced by Winking Kat Books

The Musicians of Bremen  is a musical re-telling of the familiar story from Germany about a group of 'retired' animals who must find a new purpose in life.  Ida the donkey, Schnookie the Cat, and Red the Rooster have all been dismissed by their owners because they've grown too old to do the job they spent their lives doing.  They each search for a new purpose to find something they can do in spite of the physical restrictions age has handed them.  They find joy and camaraderie in making music together.  But that opportunity is threatened by a selfish and frightened thief who has taken over Red's house.  The friends work together to get Red's house back and even make a new, unexpected friend in the process.

The book and lyrics for The Musicians of Bremen  were written by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music composed by Terence Alaric Levitt.  Characters voiced by:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Harry Turpin, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.  This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)

VISIT OUR COMPANION BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.

Support the show

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Bonus Episode

In this episode Pat interviews Fox 8 Meteorologist, Nicondra Norwood, about the weather in New Orleans and asks the very important question, "Does it Ever Snow on the Bayou?".  Since it's a very important part of the story of our musical, Bayou Bug Tales, we thought we better find out the truth.

This episode also has some new information about what's happening at Winking Kat Tales and our new blog, TaleBehindTheTale.com  that offers lots of fun facts about the stories and some behind the scene details about the making of each podcast episode.  Each Tale Behind the Tale blog post also features a delicious recipe inspired by the individual stories.

Winking Kat Tales is grateful to be a part of the Dramafy.com network of audio plays.  You can find many other family-friendly stories on their site. 

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THE SCARECROW
Red Series (ages 7 & up)
Copyright 2020 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

"The  Scarecrow" is a new musical adaptation of a short story by the popular American author, Washington Irving.  Like many of Washington Irving's stories, the Scarecrow is set in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains at the beginning of the 19th Century.  The main character  is a scarecrow constructed by the Widow DeWitt to help keep her company during her lonely exile.  She was kicked out of her home town of Delpton by the pompous mayor and his selfish and spoiled daughter, Susannah.  With the help of a magic pipe given to the Widow by the little ghosts of the mountains (think the little men of the hills from Rip Van Winkle), the Scarecrow comes to life.  The Widow sends the Scarecrow to Delpton as part of her plan to return to her home.   The mayor is fooled by the Scarecrow's fancy clothes and manners.  He thinks the Scarecrow is a rich stranger and works to unite the wealthy young 'man' to Susannah in marriage .  When the true nature of the Scarecrow is revealed, the mayor and his daughter are humiliated. It is they who leave Delpton in embarrassment making way for the Widow to return to her former home.

The story is a light, farcical social satire about false pride and about not judging someone by what you  only see on the surface.   

Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.  Narrated by P. Haines-Ainsworth with vocals by Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Tristan Carruthers, Krista Curry, Danny Miller, and Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.  Recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

Did you enjoy this story? Let us know your favorite moments.

BAYOU BUG TALES
GREEN SERIES (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2021 by P. Haines-Ainsworth, Terence Alaric Levitt, Larry Bridges
produced by Winking Kat Books

Bayou Bug Tales  is a musical re-telling of the familiar fable of "The Ant and The Grasshopper" set in Louisiana Bayou country.  The music is upbeat and fun, plus there are some fun new characters like Bertram, the tadpole, and Clarissa, a caterpillar, who transform into a frog and a butterfly respectively as the seasons pass.  Bayou Bug Tales is about being prepared for the challenging times, but it's also about change and growth.  Like Tilly the Ant says, 'no use worrying about what you're gonna look like in the end, because whatever it is, you know it's what nature intended - and inside you are still the same.'  We can give away what actually happens to Horatio the Grasshopper in the story, but we can tell you there is a happy ending to the show.

Bayou Bug Tales'  book and lyrics were written by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music composed by Larry Bridges.  Additional music and musical arrangements by Terrence Alaric Levitt.  Characters voiced by:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Danny Miller, Keiry Vida Valdez, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.  This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)


TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.

Tags: #winkingkattales #childrensmusic #musicaltheatre #audioplay

Support the show

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Did you enjoy this story? Let us know your favorite moments.

PURRLIE'S MISSION TO THE MILKY WAY
Red Series (ages 6 & up)
Copyright 2020 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

Purrlie, like most cats, is very curious about everything.  When her friends Bruno the Dog and Hermes the Owl tell her about the Milky Way in the sky, Purrlie is curious to know if the Milky Way is really made out of milk.  With the help of her engineering friend,  Catalina the Cat, Purrlie and her friends build a rocket ship out of  tuna cans, duct tape, hubcaps, and other things in the neighborhood yard. 

Five. Four. Three. Two. One!  The homemade rocket blasts off and takes Purrlie on an outer space adventure.  She visits several of the planets in our solar system, flies through the asteroid belt, and even meets some new interstellar friends. 

Is the Milky Way really made out of milk?  You'll have to listen to see if Purrlie's rocket ship makes it there to find out.

Book and Lyrics for this original story  by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.
Cast includes:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Ellen Dessler Smith, Danny Miller, Samuel Jarius Petit, & Pat Haines-Ainsworth

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM 
or look for us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHearRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Winking Kat Tales is also proud to be a part of the Dramafy Network of Audio Plays and Audio Theatre.  Dramafy features a library of current and classic audio dramas and audio programs.
Dramafy | Better Than Audiobooks
If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them

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Blue Series (ages 5 and up)
Copyright © 2021 by P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
   published by Winking Kat Books

"Arcani and the Tree of Dreams" is an original musical story inspired by a folktale from Bolivia.  It is about a boy who dreams about setting his own path in life instead of the road he is destined to travel.  The boy, Arcani,  falls asleep under a toborochi tree one day.   When he wakes he sees a strangely dressed man standing nearby.  At first, Arcani thinks the man is merely a dream - but he is not.  The man calls himself 'El Vagabundo del Mundo' and explains that he is a traveling healer.  The Vagabundo shares some of his healing lotions, tree bark, and knowledge with Arcani who uses them to help his mother's cough and sore hands caused by the exhausting work she does.  However  when Arcani uses his new knowledge to help the mayor's wife, the mayor doesn't not approve.  He believes Arcani is incapable of knowing anything so important.  Arcani and his mother are exiled from their village.  But a poorly timed case of hiccups prompts the mayor's wife to bring them back to the village to help.

The characters of "Arcani and the Tree of Dreams"  are voiced by Adrian Cerrato, Carolynne Wilcox, Harry Turpin, Cassandra León, and Josh Rodriguez.  Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.   Sound Engineer: Steven Bell.  Recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

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Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.