Boo! Leonardo: A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster Comes to Arts Commons
The books of acclaimed author Mo Willems adorn nearly every classroom. His accessible stories about the challenges experienced by young children on a day-to-day basis are thoughtful and intentional in their kindness. In 2005, Mo Willems released Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, immediately garnering acclaim by critics and winning the hearts of children, teachers, and parents around the globe. It also caught the attention of Emmy Award-winning performance collective, Manual Cinema, whose ground-breaking shadow puppetry is nothing short of brilliant.
“I loved the way that the story tackled some of life’s most important themes like friendship, empathy, and fear with humor and without talking down to their audience,” says Sarah Fornace, director of Leonardo: A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster and Co-Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. “Making work for kids has felt especially important over the last few years as the pandemic destabilized school, home, and social life and the future at times feels uncertain. I was so grateful for the opportunity to tell a story about unexpected friendships, accepting one’s own strengths and weaknesses, and the benefits of being scared to this new generation as they grow up.”
The story follows a monster named Leonardo who is not very good at scaring kids, in fact, he’s terrible at it! When he finds a nervous little boy, he thinks that he may finally get the chance to be a real monster, or will he discover a new friend? Leonardo: A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster includes both the original book, as well as the sequel Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World to share a whimsical take on childhood fears.
“We wanted to bring the same depth of storytelling and cinematic artistry that is in our adult work to this children’s show,” says Fornace. “We have found that children are even more discerning and unlike adults will only give attention to the show if it has earned it and is engaging them!”
Manual Cinema is known for the breadth of their work, tackling mature subject matter with the same enthusiasm as a performance for young audiences. Both offer their own challenges, and Fornace and her team had to think creatively around how they would bring these characters and their world to life.
“We knew that we wanted to use live acting on camera to embody the two scaredy cats. Since the other characters are monsters, that led us to work with furry hand puppets for the first time. Like the Muppets, our monster puppets are scaled to be able to interact with humans, and they are very good at having feelings and talking on camera,” says Fornace. The show also integrates a great deal of paper puppetry, which allows for a hand drawn look that evokes the source material. “I want the kids to see magic being made with simple supplies that they have at home, and I hope that they leave the show feeling like they can do it, too.”
Leonardo: A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster comes to Calgary for a limited engagement, May 26 - May 28, 2023, in the Engineered Air Theatre at Arts Commons. Families are invited to participate in the Monster Lab to create their very own monster or stay for the post-show puppetry demonstration by the cast and crew. Learn more at artscommons.ca/leonardo.
