Cardboard Explosion! by Paper Heart Puppets

Showtimes & Tickets $18 all-ages general admission / $14.50 members / plus $2 service fee $3 Card to Culture (WIC, EBT, MassHealth, ConnectorCare) Learn more → Members receive discount tickets, priority seating, and more! Become a Member → Mar 14 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm Mar 15 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm GET TICKETS You will be redirected to our new ticketing service website to complete your purchase. If you purchased tickets with us in the past, log in with the same email address you used with our previous system. Review our ticket policies here. About the Show Four original stories, brought to life using nothing but cardboard and the power of your imagination! With help from the audience, puppeteer Brad Shur (beloved former Resident Artist of Puppet Showplace!) transforms simple cardboard shapes into elaborate puppet characters, then brings them to life right before your eyes. Save the cardboard city from a giant baby! Help a cardboard hero confront a dragon! Choose your own adventure with your fellow audience members! You will definitely stretch your imagination in this romp through the wonderful world of cardboard. After the Show: Meet the Puppets & More! Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, and a cardboard box puppet craft inspired by the show! These activities are available after every performance, at 11:30 am - 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm. All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 11 Mixed puppetry styles Length: 50 minutes Language: English From New York! The development of Cardboard Explosion! was supported by Puppet Showplace’s Incubator program and the Jim Henson Foundation. About the Artist Puppeteer, puppet builder, and arts educator Brad Shur is the founder and lead artist of Paper Heart Puppets. Brad began performing as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. While earning a degree in film, he was a regular performer at late night puppet slams and with Big Nazo Puppets. From there, Brad went on to tour nationally with Wood and String Puppet Theatre and Vermont Puppetree. As a freelance puppet builder he created puppets for American Idol, Dolly Parton’s Dollywood amusement park, and for many theater companies. In 2009, he became the Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theater where he served as the lead teaching artist and touring puppeteer for eight years. During that time, Brad developed six original shows and revived several classic shows created by Paul Vincent Davis. In 2017, Brad left Puppet Showplace for Poughkeepsie, NY and founded Paper Heart Puppets, dedicated to sharing and expanding the art of puppetry. He now tours nationally.