IN THE TURKISH shadow puppet plays of old, Karagoz represented the uneducated common man. But Paul Zaloom, the award-winning puppeteer who played the title character on the children's educational show "Beakman's World" in the '90s and brought his "Mighty Nice" production to the Center for Puppetry Arts in 2004, gives the character a modernized spin.

In this weekend's production of "The Mother of All Enemies," Karagoz is an artistically inclined gay Arab immigrant on the run from al-Qaeda, Homeland Security, Middle Eastern hit men and others. With content explicit enough that only those 18 and older will be admitted, this satirical look at the world's current political state shows how today's common man can be cast among the fringe-dwelling dregs of society by those with narrow views, whether they be patriotic Americans or foreign terrorists.

Howard Wise (ENLARGE)
Paul Zaloom introduces audiences to an Arab outcast on the run in 'The Mother of All Enemies,' and he'll show how to take trash and turn it into art in a workshop at the Center for Puppetry Arts.
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Just as the protagonist of his production is at the bottom of the heap to many, Zaloom invites you to play with some garbage of your own April 12 with "A Theatre of Trash." Participants are asked to bring six pieces of junk of their choosing to the workshop, and Zaloom will show you how to turn your trash into a piece of puppet treasure. He'll also lead a discussion on improvisation, humor and puppetry, concluding with ad-libbed performances with the new recycled creations.

• THE 411: "The Mother of All Enemies." $20-$24. 8 p.m. April 11-12; 5 p.m. April 13. Also, "A Theatre of Trash." $25. 11 a.m. April 12. Center for Puppetry Arts. 1404 Spring St. N.W., Midtown. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.