Mo Willems’ Work Comes to Life at Walton Arts Center
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS, April 22, 2022 – Families with children ages 5 and older will not want to miss Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster at Walton Arts Center on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 pm.
Manual Cinema collaborated with celebrated children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems to create this show. The production is inspired by Willems’ books “Leonardo, the Terrible Monster” and “Sam, the Most Scaredy Cat Kid in the Whole World.”
Critically acclaimed multimedia artists at Manual Cinema uses paper puppets, DIY cinema, music and immersive sound to bring the children’s story to life. Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster tells the story of a monster who longs to be scary and the big decisions about identity and empathy that we all must make.
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 his chance to scare the tuna salad out of an unsuspecting human? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship? The plot thickens when this pair meets Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat kid and her monster friend. Kerry and Sam will need to make a big decision: will they be friends or will they be controlled by their fears?
Tickets are $10 for children and $15 for adults, plus applicable fees, and can be purchased in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm, by calling 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am until 5 pm or by visiting waltonartscenter.org.
Masks are encouraged but not required at this Walton Arts Center show. Patrons should be aware that masking protocols may vary from artist to artist. If you have questions about an upcoming performance, please visit the policies at www.waltonartscenter.org, or call the box office at 479.443.5600.
Support for Walton Arts Center is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Walton Arts Center is Arkansas’ largest and busiest performing arts presenter. Each year more than 215,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend more than 300 public events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, weddings and more. Approximately 35,000 students and teachers participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and almost 250 volunteers donate 28,000 hours of time each year to its operations. Walton Arts Center presents entertainers and artists from around the world including Broadway musicals, renowned dance companies, international artists, up-and-coming jazz musicians and more. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors, allowing audience members to enjoy world-class performances at a great price. To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.
###