Hamilton, Ohio – CHOMP!
An extremely voracious vermis is on the loose, heading for Hamilton.
Dylan Shelton of River City Puppets returns to the Fitton Center for Creative Arts with his newest show – The Hungry, Hungry Bookworm – for Fitton Family Fridays at 7:30 p.m. October 4.
Tickets are $8 for Fitton Center members and $10 for non-members, available online here, as well as by phone at 513-863-8873, ext. 110 or in person at the Fitton Box Office.
Paul Strickland – another Fitton Center favorite from his 90 Lies an Hour performance in 2022 - wrote the Bookworm script. Its first incarnation was a family concert version - staged earlier this year with the Lincoln Symphony in Nebraska – before evolving into a solo show.
“I’m just one person, but I’m never alone on stage with all these characters,” Shelton said. “It’s been phenomenal. The stories themselves are really fun and there’s a really wonderful payoff at the end. It’s been a lot of fun to perform.”
In recent seasons, Shelton delighted Fitton Center audiences with Sleepy Hollow and Gingerbread Jamboree. Bookworm brings a similar approach to storytelling, while offering distinct touches specific to this production.
“Each show has its own unique challenges,” Shelton said. “When you’re working with another writer it’s different than when you’re writing the script. Paul wrote the show and I’m constantly checking in with him to see if the puppets I’m building are in line with what he’s thinking. Hopefully, they’re working together.
“This one is also unique in that I use some pop-up books as puppets. I’ve never done anything like that before. They’re great little puppets that people enjoy.”
The art of puppetry still fascinates Shelton, which in turn draws in his audiences.
“For me, because it’s so hard to define, it’s constantly a mystery,” he said. “It’s always different, always a challenge to bring characters to life.
“But when people are looking for a program they can enjoy together, this is it. It’s not just kids who willingly suspend their disbelief. It’s adults who focus on the different characters, even though it’s just one person. There’s no other theatrical experience quite like it.”
The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.
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