What a delight it was to be an audience member for the NYC’s Children’s Theater production of “Pocket Park Kids.” Playwrights Anika Larsen and Orlando Bishop bring an interactive show, targeted for children ages 5-10, developed from themes inspired by the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainability.  

The show demonstrates to the audience how young people and adults can help to save our planet,  exploring themes of environmental awareness, compromise and community action.Thanks to the wisdom of a wise parakeet puppet, “Honey the Bird,”  who encourages the five live actors (whose characters are kids) to share their ideas and implement strategies that will preserve a public park from being turned into a parking garage.  “Honey the Bird,” is brilliantly brought to life by puppeteer Yanniv Frank with moving eyes, mouth and flapping wings. The character quotes prolific US and international trail blazers, celebrating the importance of individuals getting involved in community decision-making.   

In keeping with the theme of saving an urban oasis and reusing materials, all of the puppets designed for the show (which include two parakeets and their five baby birds, a turtle, squirrel, bees and a spider) were created from recycled materials.  The designers, Tanya Khordoc and Barry Weil from "Evolve Puppets" were creative in re-purposing magazines, playbills, brown paper bags and cardboard – transforming them into engaging puppets that feel as if they are living, breathing characters.

Another delightful feature of the theatrical experience was that prior to the performance, all of the audience members were encouraged to create their own butterfly puppet (also from recycled materials) and were invited to interact with the performers and portray neighborhood members at a key moment during the show.   What a thrill it was to see how everyone in the audience loved making and performing with their puppets.