Stunning Puppet-Forward Production PACKRAT Premieres At Dixon Place

Dixon Place presents Concrete Temple Theater's next multi-media puppet-theater creation PACKRAT, written and directed by Renee Philippi with puppetry design and construction by Carlo Adinolfi and an original score by Lewis Flinn. PACKRAT begins performances on Friday, January 31 for a limited engagement through Friday, February 14. Performances are at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie Street, between Rivington & Delancey).

The performance schedule is Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $19 in advance; $22 at the door. (For Students/Seniors/ID NYC: $17 in advance and $20 at-the-door.) To purchase tickets, visit www.dixonplace.org. The running time is 60 minutes with no intermission; recommended for ages 7 and up.

Inspired by the classic novel Watership Down, and commissioned by Dixon Place, PACKRAT is a puppet-forward new multi-media play that contemplates humanity's relationship with the natural world.

Bud is a peculiar rodent with a penchant for hoarding humankind's goods. When a discarded cigar sparks a wildfire, the animals in Bud's valley flee for their lives. Bud, already an outcast among the desert animals for his hoarding instincts, gets blamed for the human-made disasters infiltrating their lives. Banned from the community, Bud must set out alone amidst the raging fire to confront human-made dangers and a few natural ones. PACKRAT is a poignant account of Bud's journey to find his place in the world, and his ultimate realization that the interconnectedness of life rules the day.

For PACKRAT, puppet designer Carlo Adinolfi created two different puppets - Desert Puppets and Dream Puppets - to inhabit this desert world. Each has its own unique and distinct style of puppetry. The Desert Puppets are modified Bunraku style puppets made from wood, wire, and papier-mâché. The Dream Puppets are crafted from bamboo and are hybrid puppets, incorporating carnival and hand puppet styles.

Concrete Temple Theatre's inventive puppet-forward productions have been called "compelling" (The New York Times), "charming" (The New Yorker), "dazzling and engaging" (The Village Voice), "smart and rewarding" (Talkin' Broadway), as well as "beautifully acted and exhilarating" (Soho Journal) and "delightful" (The Independent, UK).

PACKRAT features recorded narration by Vera Beren. The puppeteers are Carlo Adinolfi, Sabrina DeWeerdt, Maggie Gayford, Jenny Hann, Kayla Prestel, and Alanna Strong.

The design team includes Eric Nightengale (lighting and sound design); Laura Anderson Barbata (costume design); and Tom Lee (projections animator). The puppet consultant and associate director is Betsy Rosen. The Production Stage Manager is Casey McLain; the Stage Manager is Jeongyun Lee. With puppet construction by Sam Casey, Christine Dempsey, Rosa Douglas, Ben Elling, Besty Rosen, Josh Rice, and Jaime Sunwoo.

PACKRAT is supported in part by: The Jim Henson Foundation, The Hellen Plummer Foundation, Montello Foundation, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid, NY, The Access Theater Residency Program, Emerging Artists Theatre, as well as The Nancy Quinn Fund, a program of the A.R.T./New York and subsidized studio space provided by the A.R.T./New York Creative Space Grant, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

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