NYC exhibit showcases traditional Chinese shadow puppetry
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FLUSHING, Queens (PIX11) – In honor of the Lunar New Year, a fascinating new exhibit is opening at Flushing Town Hall, celebrating the ancient art of Chinese puppetry.
They are beautiful, magical, and mysterious. The Chinese shadow puppets are close to 100 years old. They are featured in a new exhibit called “Red Gate: Pauline Benton and the Chinese Shadow Theatre in America.”
“Who doesn’t love puppets,” Ellen Kodadek, the executive director of Flushing Town Hall, told PIX11 News.
The oldest of the Chinese shadow puppets are made of donkey skin. They were brought to this country in the 1930s by Pauline Benton, the daughter of diplomats who grew up in China.
When Benton passed away, she left all her puppets to Chinese theatre works, a nonprofit that continues the tradition through exhibits and performances.
“It came from my love of Chinese opera,” Kuang-yu Fong, co-director of Chinese Theatre Works, told PIX11 News. “They have the same faces the same stories. I love them all.”
“I’ve been intrigued by shadow theater as a medium ever since my time at the University of Connecticut,” Stephen Kaplin, co-director of Chinese Theatre Works, told PIX11 News. “These figures are the oldest form of light on the screen. I just thought this was awesome.”
From those behind the screen manipulating the puppets to the youngest audience members, everyone appeared to be mesmerized.
This exhibit is free and open to the public. It runs until Feb. 23, and there’s a special performance for children on Feb.15 at 1 p.m.