Info Cast & Creatives Gallery Reviews
Info
The Art House Presents
A Terrapin Production
The Paper Escaper
By Gita Bezard
A page turns and the story begins, but what if you don’t like the ending? Welcome to The Paper Escaper! A bright new puppetry work from Terrapin about determination, friendship and the power of following your own path.
Benny the plucky puppet protagonist yearns for more than the simple pop-up book story they find themselves in. There’s a whole world waiting to unfurl outside of the pages, but how would The Maker react to Benny going off script?
Ripping themselves from the pages and hurtling into the unknown, an exciting paper world unfolds before Benny, including a strange but true new friend of the tentacled variety.
But there are consequences for defying The Maker. His temper is hot, and the fire in his furnace is always hungry. How will Benny’s story end? Come find out in
Featuring incredible feats of paper puppetry, clever staging and larger than life costumes, The Paper Escaper is a visually stunning, ultra-expressive piece of children’s theatre. With no dialogue, the story is told through an incredible soundtrack and highly emotive acts of puppetry and physical theatre.
A little bit Sesame Street, a little bit The Labyrinth, kids young and old (and their adults to!) will be mesmerized by Gita Bezard’s The Paper Escaper.
"A beautifully crafted work written for the young and to be enjoyed by all ages. ★★★★ ½ stars"
-ArtsHub
"An exemplar for how outrageously fun theatre can be."
- The Examiner
This performance will take place in our Studio which is general admission unassigned seating.
Note: The Paper Escaper is part of The Art House's 2025 Education Programming. Limited seating is available to the General Public in school group performances.
School Groups Q&A With Puppeteers: A 10-minute Q&A with the puppeteers and performers will take place following daytime performances only. School groups are asked to remain seated for the duration of the Q&A. Schools should factor this into their bus scheduling.
For School Group Bookings please email: [email protected]
Terrapin is assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and through Arts Tasmania by the Minister for the Arts. The Paper Escaper tour is supported by Arts on Tour.
Cast & Creatives
Creatives
Writer: Gita Bezard
Director: Sam Routledge
Director: Davina Wright
Assistant Director: Emma Skalicky
Set & Costume Design: Charlotte Lane
Puppet Design & Construction: Bryony Anderson
Lighting Design: Nick Higgins
Additional Puppet Construction: Greta Jean
Scenic Painting: Edith Perrenot, Freya Piscioneri-Young, Mads Hillam
Sound Design: Jacky Collyer
Set Construction: Andrew Macdonald, Karl Sanger, Phil Wren
Costume Making: Roz Wren
Production Manager: Emily Mangan
Stage Manager: Rosie Osmond
Cast
Noah Casey, Scout Macdonald, Bella Young
About The Company
Terrapin creates contemporary puppetry experiences for audiences of all ages, touring Tasmania, nationally and internationally. It creates work for theatres and interactive installations for public space.
The company’s work has been presented by The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Edinburgh International Children’s festival, The Vancouver International Children’s Festival, De Betovering Festival (The Netherlands), A.S.K Shanghai, Aichi Arts Centre (Japan), The Taipei Children's Art Festival, The Lincoln Center (New York), The John F. Kennedy Center, The Sydney Opera House, Sydney Festival and Mona Foma among many others.
Gallery
Reviews
From Teachers
"Absolutely fantastic. So professional, with great organisation and clarity in story and performance."
- Teacher, 2022 school tour
"Once again, it was a brilliant Terrapin performance. I (and the kids) never tire of the shows Terrapin puts on."
- Teacher, 2022 school tour
"We loved that there was no dialogue, so we had to really tune in to non-verbal communication to interpret the story."
- Teacher, 2022 school tour
"Fantastic, engaging show. My whole class was really engaged."
- Teacher, 2022 school tour
From Media
"A beautifully crafted work written for the young and to be enjoyed by all ages. The adventure travels around the beautifully made set, which becomes the place of exploration, developing confidence, overcoming fears and finding friendship. In the unfolding paper world, there is danger, sacrifice and compassion." ★★★★ ½ stars
- ArtsHub, Lesley Graham, 2023
"An exemplar for how outrageously fun theatre can be. Children cheer and laugh and gasp, and they're forever enthralled by the marvelous design, adroit movement and stylish set. There is always something happening; there is always something beautiful to look at. And it is all contributory to the magic."
- The Examiner (Launceston), Declan Durrant, 2023
