PORTLAND — Mayo Street Arts presents Tom Tuke’s “The City That Slept” at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.
“The City That Slept” is a puppet show that asks what would happen if “Sleep” arrived in New York City. As the deity wanders the streets, people begin to doze off. Their dreams are brought to life through shadow puppetry, lanterns, and storytelling. We hear voices from people in Union Square, Central Park and the streets of the city.
Tom Tuke is a puppeteer, educator and artist from Aotearoa/New Zealand. “The City That Slept” was developed as his capstone project at the University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program.
Tuke has toured with Bread and Puppet Theater and with performances of Tholpavakoothu’s production of “Ramayana.” He has brought his own hand-and-rod puppet work to various venues around New York and New England. Before moving to the United States to study puppetry, he had a marionette theater on a trailer, which he toured around New Zealand.
Mayo Street Arts is a welcoming community arts center in the heart of Portland’s Kennedy Park neighborhood. The organization’s building serves as a performance venue, gallery, and gathering space, and offers affordable studios and rehearsal space for artists. Mayo Street Arts’ programming embraces variety, with a particular focus on puppetry and folk music and dance.
Tickets to see Tom Tuke’s “The City That Slept” are available for $20 in advance, $25 at the door and $30 for preferred seating. Pay-what-you-can options are available to support accessibility. Visitwww.mayostreetarts.org for ticket links and more information.