Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster

Leonardo is a terrible monster. He tries so hard to be scary, but he just isn’t. Then Leonardo finds Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the world. Will Leonardo finally get his chance to scare the tuna salad out of an unsuspecting human? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship? 

Adapted from the award-winning children’s books by Mo Willems and realized through mind-bending puppetry by the Emmy Award-winning performance collective, Manual Cinema, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster tells the story of a monster who longs to be scary, and the big decisions about identity and empathy that we all must make. Manual Cinema breaks the mould by using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, and live music to make this story come to life like you’ve never seen! 

A staple of libraries and classrooms, author Mo Willems’s light-hearted stories tackle the real-life anxieties and struggles of young children through playful storytelling. His work has been by recognized with best children’s book of the year awards from Time Magazine, Book Sense, and the Caldecott Medal.  

Join Arts Commons Presents for this charming production that pushes the boundaries of shadow puppetry and theatre for young audiences with Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster.

The performance will be accompanied by a meet and greet with the creative team, demonstrations of the unique technology incorporated into the show, and the opportunity for attendees to apply the artistic techniques from the show in our Monster Lab by creating your own puppet.

Show runs 55 minutes, no intermission.

General Admission - $24/Ticket
Families and groups can save by purchasing the 4-Pack!
Purchase in groups of 4 seats to pay only $20/ticket.
4-Pack discount will apply at checkout. 

Images by Manual Cinema, Characters © Mo Willems.