Leonardo!
Manual Cinema Presents: 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 to scare the tuna salad out of someone? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship? The plot thickens when this pair meets Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat and her monster friend. Kerry and Sam need to make a big decision: will they just be scaredy cats or can they become friends?
Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster uses hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, two-dimensional props, furry monster puppets, and songs to bring Mo Willems' books to life. Manual Cinema wanted to re-create the experience of holding one of Mo’s book pages, which are big, bold, colorful, and full of visual rhythm, with a playful use of scale. Like all Manual Cinema productions, you’re invited to watch the big screen like a traditional movie, or to watch the artists below as they create the story in real time. (There is no wrong way to watch the show!)
SHOW DETAILS
Run time is 45 minutes.
For ages 3 and up. There are some loud sounds, flashing lights, and furry monster puppets in this show!
Inspired by the Books Leonardo, The Terrible Monster & Sam, The Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World by Mo Willems
Directed by Sarah Fornace
Show Details
Run time is 45 minutes. Performed by three puppeteer/actors and one live musician/narrator.
For ages 3 and up. There are some loud sounds, flashing lights, and furry monster puppets in this show!
Mo Willems Bio
Mo Willems is an author, illustrator, animator, playwright, and the inaugural Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence, where he collaborates in creating fun new stuff involving classical music, opera, comedy concerts, dance, painting, and digital works with the National Symphony Orchestra, Ben Folds, Yo-Yo Ma, and others.
Willems is best known for his #1 New York Times bestselling picture books, which have been awarded three Caldecott Honors (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, Knuffle Bunny Too), two Theodor Geisel Medals, and five Geisel Honors (The Elephant & Piggie series).
Mo’s art has been exhibited around the world, including major solo retrospectives at the High Museum (Atlanta) and the New-York Historical Society (NYC). Over the last decade, Willems has become the most produced playwright of Theater for Young Audiences in America, having written or co-written four musicals based on his books.
He began his career as a writer and animator on PBS’ Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards (writing). Other television work includes two series on Cartoon Network: Sheep in the Big City (creator + head writer) and Codename: Kids Next Door (head writer). Mo is creating new TV projects for HBOMax, where his live action comedy special Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! currently streams.
His papers reside at Yale University’s Beinecke Library.
Lindsey Noel Whiting as Leonardo Photo by Ben Kauffman
Kerry (Leah Casey), Sam (Sarah Fornace) Frankenthaler (Lily Emerson, Leonardo (Anney Fresh) Photo by Rebecca Michelson
Kerry (Leah Casey) and Sam (Julia Miller) with Lindsey Noel Whiting Photo by Ben Kauffman
Lily Emerson the Narrator, Kerry (Leah Casey), Sam (Sarah Fornace), Anney Fresh Photo by Rebecca Michelson
Lily Emerson the Narrator, Leonardo (Anney Fresh) and Sam (Sarah Fornace) Photo by Rebecca Michelson
Lily Emerson the Narrator, Kerry (Leah Casey), Sam (Sarah Fornace), Anney Fresh Photo by Rebecca Michelson
Images by Manual Cinema, Characters © Mo Willems
Honors & Awards
Credits
Created by Manual Cinema
Inspired by the Books
Leonardo, The Terrible Monster and Sam, The Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World by Mo Willems
PRODUCTION
Directed by Sarah Fornace
Adaptation by Sarah Fornace and Drew Dir
Music, Lyrics & Sound Design by Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter
Storyboards and 2D Puppet Design by Drew Dir
Hand and Rod Puppet Design by Lizi Breit
Devised by Drew Dir, Sarah Forance and Julia Miller with Leah Casey, Lily Emerson and Lindsey Noel Whiting
Costume & Wig Design by Mieka Van der Ploeg
Lighting Design by Trey Brazeal b Nick Chamernik
Dramaturgy by Megan Alrutz
Tour Manager & Board Operator Maydi Díaz
ORIGINAL CAST
Leah Casey (Kerry, Puppeteer)
Lily Emerson (Narrator, Character Voices, Vocals)
Julia Miller (Sam, Puppeteer)
Lindsey Noel Whiting (Leonardo, Puppeteer)
ADDITIONAL CAST
Sarah Fornace (Sam, Puppeteer)
Anney Fresh (Leonardo, Puppeteer)
Kevin Michael Wesson (Leonardo, Puppeteer)
Shay Turnage (Kerry, Puppeteer)
Understudy
Ann Delaney (Narrator, Character Voices, Vocals)
Commissioned by The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts with additional commissioning support from Utah Presents
Special Thanks to David Kilpatrick, Chicago Children's Theater and Laura Colby
Touring support for Edinburgh Fringe Festival was generously provided by The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's USArtists International Grant