Hi Rebecca Shear here with an exciting update.

Circle Round is coming to New York City for a live recording at symphony space on December 8th.

Our 1 PM show sold out so we've added a second show at 4.30 followed by a meet and

greet and book signing with me and composer Eric Shimolonis. Get your

tickets at w bure.org slash Circle round. This Circle round episode is one of two recorded live at the Athenaeum Center for

Thought and Culture in Chicago, Illinois on June 29, 2024.

To be first in line for upcoming Circle Round events, join the Circle Round Club.

You'll get early access to tickets, plus ad-free episodes, bonus bedtime stories,

exclusive swag, and more. Grown-ups learn more about this. this at W-B-U-R.org slash Circle Round Club. I want you to try something for me. I want you to try

rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. Can you do it? How about

turning your head one way and your tongue the other? It can be hard doing two things at once, right? But in today's

story, we'll meet a man whose future depends on doing two things at once.

And as he quickly learns, he can't do them on his own.

I'm Rebecca Sheer and welcome to Circle Round live at the Athaneum Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Today our story is called Laughing and Crying.

It's inspired by tales told in the North African

country of Egypt and stories told among the Hui people of East Asia. Joining me

on stage is a trio of talented actors. James Conichuck, Kayla Pauly, and Terence Lamont Jr.

And providing musical accompaniment is the one and only Eric Shimelonis.

So circle around everyone for laughing and crying. There once was a carpenter. He had entered the trade back when he was a very young man and through the years not only had he built thousands of beautiful pieces of furniture,

he had also built an excellent reputation.

The carpenter lived in a land ruled by a king. The king was a big fan of things, material things, and the finest ones at that.

...