Terrapin Puppet Theatre: “The Paper Escaper”

At first, the world of the Paper Escaper exists only in white, blacks and greys——but then, the Illustrator reveals a vividly colored pop-up book and the books newest character, Benny. The plucky puppet protagonist has aspirations that take him off of the page and he is eager to explore the world beyond the book.

Unpersuaded by his resolve, the Illustrator makes a series of escalating traps to try to make Benny stay put. This nonverbal work uses striking visuals and puppetry, as well as dynamic original music and cartoon-like sound effects, to tell a story of determination, friendship and the power of following your own path.