Mo Willems’ children’s books begin before a page has been turned. The size, shape and look of each book is very particular: just to hold one in your hands is almost a theatrical experience. The book for Leonardo the Terrible Monster (as well as the sequel Sam the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World) is huge. That’s all part of the cunning plan, says Willems: “In the case of Leonardo, he is powerless, he is awkward, he is small. A book is a piece of sculpture and if this one is somewhat awkward to hold, maybe that will engender some empathy for Leonardo’s awkwardness.”
Willems’ book “sculptures” about Leonardo, the scary monster who is decidedly unscary, are now being staged by Chicago-based theatre troupe Manual Cinema. It was Willems who first approached the company when he was beginning his artistic residency at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC in 2019, during which a wide range of artists re-interpreted his award-winning books: “I loved how fresh and exuberant their work felt. I’m always looking for the spark in any work that carries through past the performance and inspires the audience with the delicious thought that they can do something like that too.”
When I speak to co-artistic directors Sarah Fornace and Drew Dir (two of five core company members), they describe the changes they’ve made to their creative process to bring Willems’ books to life. They are still using their trademark combination of puppet-led theatre, film and music and creating live animated action, which is then filmed and streamed on to a large screen above. Only this time, the screen will mimic the shape of Willems’ books, the puppets will reflect the “beautiful matt colour paper aesthetic” of the book and, rather than using lots of shadow puppetry, the actors will be out in the open: “We love the idea of having our faces in a kids show, especially since it’s about big emotions and making friends.”
The team has also tried to use materials the children will recognise: “We use paper puppet illustrations and three-ring binders that the kids use at school. They’re made of paper and tape and glue sticks and little kitchen skewers – all materials that are simple and accessible and the kids will have had a tactile relationship with. It’s really important to us that they see it and realise it’s something they can do too.”
Despite having been a strong presence in puppetry circles since starting out in 2010, this is the first full-blown family show the Emmy award-winning team has created. Fornace and Dir are married and, with a two-year-old son, it felt like a good time to start making family theatre. But it’s about more than just a change in personal circumstances, says Fornace: “Making work for kids feels really important right now. The more and more bad things that happen in the world, the more I want to tell stories about empathy for audiences of all ages, especially young kids.”
Willems has proved a handy collaborator, offering up a number of tips on how to handle a younger audience (“‘Always think of your audience; never think for your audience.”) The show has already run for a month in New York and the children have proved a receptive and dynamic crowd, says Fornace: “They’ll shout back. They’ll talk. They’ll cry. They’ll laugh. They’ll ask why. They are alive with you.”
As we chat over Zoom, Fornace and Dir instinctively brandish their props in front of the computer screen, creating an impromptu show livestreamed to my living room. Fornace holds up a paper telephone puppet and lets out a loud RING (“This is my favourite, it’s the school bell!”). She disappears for a second and then returns, a little flushed, clutching one of the ring binders that will be used to create a mini flip-cinema. She flips through the binder and, just like that, Leonardo the monster is up and running. While we’re talking, my 20-month-old son Benji peeps around the door, eager to find out what all the fuss is about. Fornace cannot resist. A giant blue fluffy monster pops up on screen. “Hello from the United States! Nice to meet you!”
Manual Cinema Presents: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster is at Underbelly, Edinburgh, 3-29 August.
