The Birth Of The Moon/El Nacimiento de la Luna is an original shadow play creation myth. It tells the story of the moon's introduction to an unsuspecting valley of animals. These animals, who love their new moon intensely, start stealing pieces of the bright light to keep for themselves. In time, their world becomes darker and more unsettling. Can the animals stop their theft and join together to save their quickly disappearing moon?
This show features shadow puppets crafted from hand-tanned vellum, a process that creates a thin transparent product from animal skins. Vellum has many centuries of history being utilized for shadow puppetry, as well as being some of the earliest parchment and canvases, and who knows what else (email me if you do) ?! The Birth of The Moon also features a shadow crankie box, giant masks, and rod puppets.
Tongues Out is a New Orleans based puppet company consisting of five queer, trans, and women artists who challenge the space between light and dark, who expand and explore the boundaries of the silhouette. They are both inspired by the ancient tradition of oral and visual storytelling as well as contemporary movements that bring social justice into the realm of artistic expression. Aside from puppetry they are printmakers, painters, writers, and musicians.