Keep Paper Moon Puppet Theatre Open
Donation protected
James Racioppi, Artistic Director of Paper Moon Puppet Theatre, made his first puppet at the age of 9. Mr. Racioppi studied at The Cooper Union on a full scholarship. He has an extensive background in fine arts and puppetry as well as in the theater as both an actor and director. His resume includes work with Omega Productions as a stop motion puppet animator, building puppets and performing with them on the Pixanne Television Show and as a puppeteer on “The Captain Kangaroo Show”. He also designed puppets and performed with them in the Off Broadway production of “Kumquats” along with Wayland Flowers and Madame.
In 1991 he opened Paper Moon Puppet Theatre in a vacant office building he rented from a friend. The building served as the theatre, his workshop and his home. Jack and the Beanstalk was the first show performed at the theater. Since then he has designed and built puppets and sets for an extensive repertoire of shows including classic tales such as Cinderella, Puss in Boots and The Wizard of Oz. In the mid 90’s when the office space was no longer available the theatre set up shop in a local community theater that served as its home for many years. In 2010 the theater moved to its current location. Over the course of the last 20 years Paper Moon has built an outstanding reputation within the community. In addition to the general public we have established long-term relationships with daycare centers, camps and various clubs & organizations. In addition, the theater has developed and taught puppetry workshops in a number of these locations.
In order to take us to the next phase of our development we have partnered with School Matters, LLC. The goal of this partnership is to demonstrate how puppets impact literacy as outlined in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. Our focus is to provide elementary school children art and literacy experiences from which to draw upon across the curriculum. We have been working together developing the materials we want to use to communicate our initiative. Once complete we will design and produce marketing packages. In addition, we will hire an Outreach Liaison. This person will be responsible for the elementary school outreach throughout New Jersey.
The final phase of our development is to extend this program to higher-grade levels. Mr. Racioppi is designing and building two new productions geared towards older children. The first is a multimedia production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production utilizes various forms of puppetry and visual aids. Paper Moon was given permission to use a vintage recording done by Richard Burton and The Old Vic Theatre Co for their production. The second is an original production called Introduction to Opera: Why Do They Sing It. This program will draw parallels between operatic versions of old stories and their modern day counterparts. For example, it will contrast the opera Rusalka with modern music composed for the film The Little Mermaid.
Your donation will help us cover the expenses associated with the completion of our marketing materials, additional salaries for the Outreach Coordinator as well as those for additional puppeteers we will need to hire and finally the monies needed to complete the productions mentioned above.
Please visit our website: www.papermoonpuppettheatre.com, friend us on facebook and see clips of shows on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PuppetMaster07716
In 1991 he opened Paper Moon Puppet Theatre in a vacant office building he rented from a friend. The building served as the theatre, his workshop and his home. Jack and the Beanstalk was the first show performed at the theater. Since then he has designed and built puppets and sets for an extensive repertoire of shows including classic tales such as Cinderella, Puss in Boots and The Wizard of Oz. In the mid 90’s when the office space was no longer available the theatre set up shop in a local community theater that served as its home for many years. In 2010 the theater moved to its current location. Over the course of the last 20 years Paper Moon has built an outstanding reputation within the community. In addition to the general public we have established long-term relationships with daycare centers, camps and various clubs & organizations. In addition, the theater has developed and taught puppetry workshops in a number of these locations.
In order to take us to the next phase of our development we have partnered with School Matters, LLC. The goal of this partnership is to demonstrate how puppets impact literacy as outlined in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. Our focus is to provide elementary school children art and literacy experiences from which to draw upon across the curriculum. We have been working together developing the materials we want to use to communicate our initiative. Once complete we will design and produce marketing packages. In addition, we will hire an Outreach Liaison. This person will be responsible for the elementary school outreach throughout New Jersey.
The final phase of our development is to extend this program to higher-grade levels. Mr. Racioppi is designing and building two new productions geared towards older children. The first is a multimedia production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production utilizes various forms of puppetry and visual aids. Paper Moon was given permission to use a vintage recording done by Richard Burton and The Old Vic Theatre Co for their production. The second is an original production called Introduction to Opera: Why Do They Sing It. This program will draw parallels between operatic versions of old stories and their modern day counterparts. For example, it will contrast the opera Rusalka with modern music composed for the film The Little Mermaid.
Your donation will help us cover the expenses associated with the completion of our marketing materials, additional salaries for the Outreach Coordinator as well as those for additional puppeteers we will need to hire and finally the monies needed to complete the productions mentioned above.
Please visit our website: www.papermoonpuppettheatre.com, friend us on facebook and see clips of shows on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PuppetMaster07716
Organizer
John McAllister
Organizer
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
