pussypaws puppetry
That paradise place
November 1+2, 2024 at Abrons Art Center. By Pussypaws Puppetry. Created, directed + choreographed by Priscilla Frank. Produced by Alana Hauser. Read about it in Hyperallergic + Hell Gate.
In a culture that often overlooks the internal worlds and erotic desires of people with disabilities, Pussypaws Puppetry formed a creative community where all facets of our humanity are worthy of being seen, sung, and celebrated. A shame-free space where creation is an act of love, and love is an act of creativity.
That Paradise Place brought to life intimate and extraordinary tales through song, celebration, and puppetry. Each of the songs in the show begins with a first person story shared by an artist with a disability. These stories then embark on a collaborative, alchemical journey – they’re adapted into songs, adopted by puppet alter-egos, embodied via dazzling, larger-than-life puppets, and brought to life on the big stage.
A fiery phoenix reminisces on how fate brought him together with his life partner, a sunflower. A robot dinosaur imagines what it will feel like to fall in love and have sex for the first time. A woman recalls her intimate encounters with her open heart surgeon. A haunted doll is introduced to two demon daddies who suggest an unusual erotic proposition.
Artists with disabilities are intimately involved in every aspect of the show’s creation to ensure their stories are told in their languages, through their bodies, and according to their deepest desires. The 12 vignettes included in the final performance will expand viewers imagination and understanding of inclusive love.
We believe eroticism and creativity are essential to a full-bodied human life. That Paradise Place invites viewers into the wild and sparkling erotic fantasies of human beings whose sexuality deserve recognition and celebration.
That Paradise Place is presented by Summertime, with generous support from New York State Council of the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Fund, Bronfman Alumni Venture Fund, The Andy Warhol Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, and so many beloved members of our community.
ALL IS FULL OF LOVE
All is Full of Love is a collaborative puppet musical about the love, sex, and fantasy lives of people with disabilities performed at Summertime Gallery in October 2021.
Desire and creativity are mostly absent from conversations about justice and rights for people with disabilities. Too often, our culture views pleasure and play as superfluous to a full-bodied human life, when in fact they are essential.
Every song in the show is an adaptation of a firsthand experience or fantasy selected and shared by eight artists who identify as having a disability, and all puppets are handmade according to their visions.
Demon daddies enjoy a sumptuous Halloween feast with a noble cat. A phoenix finds his twin flame in a sunflower. A robot-dinosaur daydreams about his romantic future. Play, pleasure, and puppets come together for a celebration of love in all its forms.
CORN SMUT
Corn Smut is an X-rated puppet musical about two corn cobs having a quickie. The show was performed virtually as part of Montez Press Radio’s Erotica Night in June 2021.
Making the first move
Making the First Move is a puppet musical about flirtation, performed virtually in 2020 as part of the curriculum of You and I, a program supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in pursuing friendship and romantic love.
OIL!
Oil! is a Hanukkah puppet musical revisiting ancient Jewish mystical rites revolving around oil! It was performed virtually December 2020.
