Scene from the 2005 toy theatre edition of “Mostly Hairless Ape Dreams”
In 2005 I wrote a number of short stories and adapted them into a touring toy theatre show. Among these were the “Mostly Hairless Ape Dreams,” performed as a three-part dream sequence with shadow puppets and chance music. These originally appeared in book form at the first Fun-A-Day happening in Philadelphia, then as part of a theatre piece that toured to festivals around the U.S. with puppeteer Eli Nixon. In 2007 I remounted “Mostly Hairless Ape Dreams” with shadow artist Erik Ruin as part of “Mushroom Music,” a show inspired by the writings of John Cage that toured the East Coast. More recently I recreated these stories as this 8-minute experiment in audio storytelling. The opening bit about the butterfly is from John Cage’s one-minute collection, Indeterminacy:
Appearances:
Part of “The Little Books” at Fun-A-Day Philadelphia (2005)
In the “Where Do Things Belong?” East Coast tour with Eli Nixon (2005)
In the “Going Nowhere” East Coast tour with Erik Ruin (2007)
At Goddard College’s IBA Winter Cabaret (2007)
At Great Small Works’ “Sound & Shadow” Spaghetti Dinner, Judson Church, NYC (2007)