Interactive. Spontaneous. Intensely creative. Eye-poppingly awesome.
Get ready for a one-of-a-kind puppetry experience when Flushing Town Hall hosts Cardboard Explosion! on Saturday, March 16.
Brad Shur transforms simple cardboard shapes into elaborate puppet characters. Then, he brings them to life and uses them to tell four original stories with help from audience members who shape the adventures, build the heroes, and outsmart the dragons. Because of the improvisatory format, no performance is ever the same.
Click here for a sneak peek.
On March 16, the fun begins with an optional workshop ($5) at 1 pm during which participants create moving-mouth puppets by cutting and folding a single sheet of paper into a working form and adding features.
The public show, which is recommended for ages five and up, is set for 2 pm. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students with ID, and $8 for children.
“Cardboard Explosion!” is a wonderfully immersive arts education experience that teaches children about reusing materials—everything in the show is made from repurposed cardboard,” stated FTH Director of Education & Public Programs Gabrielle M. Hamilton.
Raised in Concord, Massachusetts, Shur began performing as a student at Rhode Island School of Design. In 2009, he became the Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he was the lead teaching artist and touring puppeteer for eight years. During that time, he developed six original shows and revived several Paul Vincent Davis classics.
In 2017, Shur founded Paper Heart Puppets, a Poughkeepsie-based company that organizes touring shows, workshops, and custom puppet building.
FTH is at 137-35 Northern Blvd. It’s about 10 minutes on foot from the 7 train’s Main Street station, and there’s street parking.
Editor’s note: For those unable to attend in person, FTH now offers Culture Stream, a platform that shares more than 30 live events per year. Subscriptions start at $5 per month.
Images: Graham Gardner