Theatre Blogger: Paper Dreams: Show Review by Lainie Gutterman

New Victory Theater instills a passion for theater at a young age.  It is such a wonderful resource located on 42nd Street in NYC.

This past weekend was the NY & World Premiere of PAPER DREAMS geared towards families with children between the ages of two to five years old.

How many stories are left untold on the sheets torn from a sketch pad or on pages tossed into a waste bin? These lost ideas take the stage when Mons Dansa, the creators of Minimón (New Vic 2014), returns with the world premiere of PAPER DREAMS. With lyrical movement, captivating projections and multiple opportunities for audience interaction, PAPER DREAMS brings to life a world of wonder in this delightful dance piece for little ones.

Upon arrival, there are crayons and papers for all attendees to draw a flower to take into the show.

There is no assigned seating— actually there are no actual seats— which is quite refreshing.  Everyone gets to take a seat on red mats positioned directly on the stage. There are also a few rows of bench seating directly behind the mats.

PAPER DREAMS is an interactive dance piece performed by two talented dancers Sarah Anglada and Sara Pons.  The females feed off one another, as well as various objects, including orange shoes, crumpled up ball of paper and a tutu.  There is absolutely no dialogue throughout the performance.  The choreography is designed to tell a story to young children.  A little more than halfway through, it is mixed up with projections.

Lighting is by Roger Guinot; set design is by Miquel Ruiz and Martí Doy; costumes are by Flavia Onofre das Neves; video is by Diego Delgado and Oscar Pérez; and video editing is by Martí Mira.

This was the first show we have attended where projection was used and it was our favorite part, especially when a bus appeared.  My son also particularly enjoyed the various sound effects.

The audience appeared to be engaged, and laughter punctuated the performance.

I’m not going to spoil the super cool ending.

Don’t miss the opportunity to take your little ones this weekend on November 19 and 20 with performances at 10am, 1pm & 4pm.  The performance is 40 minutes with no intermission.