CARDBOARD EXPLOSION! Returns to Flushing Town Hall in March

On Saturday, March 16, Cardboard Explosion! will return to Flushing Town Hall’s stage with a one-of-a-kind puppetry experience using nothing but cardboard and the power of imagination.

With help from the audience, master puppeteer Brad Shur will transform simple cardboard shapes into elaborate puppet characters and bring them to life right before the audience’s eyes. In this highly interactive, family-friendly show, everyone can choose their own adventure, build their own heroes, and outsmart dragons. Because of this improvisatory element, no performance is ever the same! 

Preceding the 50-minute performance, Flushing Town Hall will host an optional workshop where families can create their own moving-mouth puppet. After learning to cut and fold a single sheet of paper into a working puppet form, participants will add features to make each puppet their own.

“We are thrilled to bring Cardboard Explosion! back to Queens,” says Flushing Town Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, Ellen Kodadek. “Brad Shur has such great energy on stage, and families are guaranteed to have a blast taking part in his creative process!”

“Cardboard Explosion! is a wonderfully immersive arts education experience that teaches children about reusing materials—everything in the show is made from repurposed cardboard,” says Flushing Town Hall’s Director of Education & Public Programs, Gabrielle M. Hamilton. “We love to inspire children to create their own puppets at home using what they learned through the show and workshop, and hope you will join us!“

Take a sneak peek at the awe-inspiring Cardboard Explosion! 

Puppeteer, puppet builder, and arts educator Brad 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, MA, where he was the lead teaching artist and touring puppeteer for eight years. During that time, Shur developed six original shows and revived several classic shows created by Paul Vincent Davis.

In 2017, Shur founded Paper Heart Puppets, an organization dedicated to sharing and expanding the art of puppetry. Headquartered in Poughkeepsie, New York, the company offers touring shows, workshops, and custom puppet building. Shur has participated in many festivals, including The Puppeteers of America National Festival, The International Puppet Fringe NYC, and the International Theatre Festival for Young Audiences in Iasi, Romania. 

Tickets to the 1:00 PM workshop are $5 for all (recommended for ages 8 and up). Tickets to the 2:15 PM family show are $15 for adults, $12 for members, seniors, and students with ID, and $8 for children (recommended for ages 5 and up.)

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.flushingtownhall.org/cardboard-explosion or by calling the box office at 718 463-7700 x 222.