A Celebration of Chinese Shadow Theater at Flushing Town Hall

Summary

All Of It: A Celebration of Chinese Shadow Theater at Flushing Town Hall

Episode Release Date: January 24, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart
Produced by: WNYC

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Introduction

In this episode of All Of It, host David Fuerst delves into the vibrant cultural celebrations surrounding the Lunar New Year in Flushing, New York. Centered around the Year of the Snake, the episode spotlights a remarkable exhibition at Flushing Town Hall titled "Red Gate Pauline Benton and Chinese Shadow Theatre in America." This showcase honors the legacy of Pauline Benton, a pioneering puppeteer who played a crucial role in preserving the ancient art of Chinese shadow theater. Alongside exhibition insights, the episode explores additional Lunar New Year events, offering listeners a comprehensive view of the cultural festivities in one of New York City's most diverse neighborhoods.

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Chinese Shadow Puppetry: Preserving a 2,000-Year-Old Art Form

Timestamp: [00:38] - [08:14]

David Fuerst introduces the episode by highlighting the significance of the Chinese shadow puppetry exhibition at Flushing Town Hall. The show, Red Gate Pauline Benton and Chinese Shadow Theatre in America, features over 600 antique shadow figures and scenic backdrops, some dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Pix11 News has lauded these puppets as "beautiful, magical and mysterious," underscoring their artistic value.

Pauline Benton's Legacy

Stephen Kaplan, co-founder and co-artistic director of Chinese Theatre Works, provides an in-depth look into Pauline Benton's contributions:

"Pauline Benton was... in the 1920s, she traveled to China to visit her aunt... saw some of the shadow theater, traditional Chinese shadow performances, and decided, oh, I should bring that back to New York. And so she bought a few figures, tried it out with her friends in New York, and was a big hit."
[05:55]

Benton's dedication led her to accumulate a vast collection of shadow puppets, which became the cornerstone of her performances with the Red Gate Players—the first professional company to perform Chinese shadow theater in North America. Her efforts not only introduced this art form to American audiences but also inspired a generation of puppeteers.

Preservation and Exhibition

The preservation of these delicate artifacts owes much to Joe Humphrey of the Yue Long Shadow Theater. When Humphrey retired, she entrusted her collection to Chinese Theatre Works, ensuring their restoration and continued display. Kaplan emphasizes the meticulous care involved:

"They needed to clean off the tung oil used to preserve the donkey hide... making these panels [for the exhibition]."
[13:03]

Artistic and Cultural Significance

The exhibition goes beyond mere display, offering interactive panels that tell individual and collective stories through the puppets. Ellen Kodadek, Flushing Town Hall's executive and artistic director, highlights her favorite exhibit piece:

"There's this really beautiful... almost a dome that is carved out so that the shadow passes through when it's being performed... the bride and the groom in their really beautiful regala, all dressed up for their wedding."
[09:34]

Kaplan adds that the collection includes not only traditional figures but also those inspired by Western fairy tales and Mother Goose rhymes, showcasing a fusion of Eastern and Western cultures:

"These artists also made these set of figures based on... early 20th century great figures of flower fairies and mother Goose and elephants and three men in a tub."
[11:11]

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Lunar New Year Celebrations at Flushing Town Hall

Timestamp: [01:46] - [19:32]

The episode transitions to broader Lunar New Year festivities in Flushing, a neighborhood renowned for its large Asian diaspora. Ellen Kodadek elaborates on the cultural importance of these celebrations:

"The Lunar New Year is celebrated actually across the world in Asian countries and Asian diasporic countries... this is a very important time for our local neighborhood and our local community because of the celebration of the Lunar New Year."
[02:13]

Rabbit Days and Dumplings Performance

One of the highlighted events is Rabbit Days and Dumplings, featuring Elena Moon Park and friends. This family-friendly performance blends various Asian musical traditions, with songs in Mandarin, Korean, and Hindi. Ellen Kodadek describes the performance as:

"An adorable and charming and delightful performance... musicians represent different cultures that come from different parts of the world... sing songs from the Asian continent... we invite families to come and to sing along and to dance along and laugh along and also learn a bit more about Asian cultures around the world."
[15:28]

A brief excerpt from the performance includes playful lyrics celebrating the festivities:

"Toraji, Toraji, Toraji, Toraji in the deep deep mountains White Toraji... Slowly but surely my basket grows full."
[16:18]

Upcoming Events: How Bang a Snake and Sangjuru

Looking ahead, Ellen Kodadek announces more events:

1. How Bang a Snake: Scheduled for February 15, this show is part of the Chinese zodiac-themed series, featuring the epic Chinese opera White Snake through shadow and hand puppetry. Kaplan explains:

   "This is part of a series of shows we've been doing every year for tour around the city based on Chinese zodiacs... the story of White Snake, which is a great romantic Chinese opera epic that we're performing with shadow puppets and hand puppets throughout the sea."
   [17:12]

2. Sangjuru Performance: On February 21, the Korean folk fusion band Sangjuru will perform. Ellen describes their music as a blend of traditional Korean sounds with folk, gypsy, and swing influences:

   "Sangjuru is this really incredible band that merges traditional Korean music with folk with gypsy with swing. So it's gonna be a really exciting evening and there'll be a post show reception..."
   [18:34]

Engagement and Community Building

Throughout the episode, listeners are encouraged to engage with the events and explore the rich cultural tapestry of Flushing. Both Ellen and Stephen provide resources for more information:

"Anyone who's interested can go to Flushing Town Hall's website, which is flushingtownhall.org, and that gives you information about all of the programs that we offer here at Flushing Town Hall throughout the year."
[17:56]

"You can also go to Chinese Theatre Works website also to see what we've got planned. We're performing all over the city."
[18:14]

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Conclusion

David Fuerst wraps up the episode by recapping the cultural highlights discussed and playing a snippet from Sangjuru's performance, further immersing listeners in the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

"We've been speaking with Chinese Theatre Works co-Artistic director Stephen Kaplan and Flushing Town Hall's executive and artistic director Ellen Kod about upcoming Lunar New Year events, including a new Chinese shadow puppetry exhibition on display through Sunday, February 23rd. Thanks so much for joining us."
[19:13]

The episode serves as a vibrant tribute to the enduring traditions of Chinese shadow puppetry and the dynamic cultural events that make Flushing a hub of diversity and celebration in New York City.

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Additional Information

For more details on the events mentioned in this episode:

• Flushing Town Hall: flushingtownhall.org
• Chinese Theatre Works: chinesetheatreworks.org

Listeners are encouraged to visit these websites to stay updated on upcoming performances and exhibitions celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Lunar New Year.

Transcript

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[WNYC Studios]

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[David Fuerst]

It'S all of it on wnyc. I'm David Fuerst. We're entering the Year of the Snake this upcoming Wednesday. And in honor of the Lunar New Year, Flushing Town hall has a host of activities planned, including a new exhibition celebrating the art of Chinese shadow performance. The show is called Red Gang Pauline Benton and Chinese Shadow Theatre in America. It spotlights the late puppeteer Pauline Benton's role in preserving the 2000-year-old art form through her collection of over 600 antique shadow figures and scenery for shadow theater shows, some of it dating back as far as the 18th and 19th centuries. Pix11 news called the puppets beautiful, magical and mysterious. The show is on display through Sunday, February 23rd. And to discuss Chinese Theatre Works, co founder and co artistic director Stephen Kaplan is here. Steven, welcome to all of it.

[WNYC Studios]

Well, thank you for inviting him.

[David Fuerst]

And also joining us, Flushing Town Hall's executive and artistic director, Ellen Kodadek, who can talk about some of the other events they have planned as well. Ellen, welcome to all of it.

[Ellen Kodadek]

Thank you very much.

[David Fuerst]

And listeners, how do you plan to bring in the Year of the Snake this Lunar New Year? What are some of your traditions? What are your plans? Give us a call 212 for 433-9692. That's 212-433, WNYC. Ellen, what is the significance of Lunar New Year for people who reside in Flushing and for the Town hall?

[Ellen Kodadek]

So the Lunar New Year is celebrated actually across the world in Asian countries and Asian diasporic countries. And as you may or may not know, people who live in Flushing in particular represent a large proport. People from mainland China, from Taiwan, from different parts of the Chinese world, from Korea, et cetera. And those in particular are cultures that traditionally celebrate the Lunar New Year at this time. And Flushing Town hall, while our building is located in Flushing, we serve all of Queens and all of New York City and beyond. But this is a very important time for our local neighborhood and our local community because of the celebration of the Lunar New Year.

[David Fuerst]

Alan, why did Flushing Town hall decide to spotlight Chinese shadow puppetry for this year's celebration?

[Ellen Kodadek]

Well, we've had a long standing relationship with Chinese theatre works, who are also an incredible shadow puppetry, performing arts organization. And this is a really important exhibition of these Chinese shadow puppets. And so we felt it was really important to give the community and give the public an opportunity to see these incredible puppets, some of which are over 100 years old.

[David Fuerst]

Well, Stephen, help us see those puppets on the radio right now. You know what makes Chinese shadow puppetry such a unique art form? What is it?

[WNYC Studios]

Well, to tell you, to start off, I'll tell you. A shadow theater is the oldest form of motion picture performance. And Chinese shadows have. The tradition goes back well over 2,000 years. There's some written texts that talk about some of the early emperors having it in their palace. And it's been a part of the cultural, like the popular culture for many, many centuries. And we inherited Chinese theater works, inherited this incredible collection of shadow figures from a friend of ours who's also here in Queens, Jo Humphrey. When she retired, she had received this collection of shadow figures and gave them to us. And we had to figure out how to make them come alive again. So we have them on display here, pinned up into panels, and they look wonderful, but they really not made to stand still. They're made to perform. They're performing objects. And so we're also out there doing that. And at the starting point, I did four shows at a school in Corona with copies of them that we use on overhead projector. Wow.

[David Fuerst]

What are they made out of? What do they look like?

[WNYC Studios]

These figures are made out of donkey skin. Donkeys have incredibly thin skin. It's really translucent when you treat it properly. And they're very carefully carved and perforated and painted. So they have this wonderful, very strong graphic quality to them. And they're also jointed in such a way that they can really move quite realistically, and especially when you're doing fights and battles and transformations, they're wonderful performers.

[David Fuerst]

Well, the show is centered around 20th century puppeteer Pauline Benton's collection of objects. Right. Stephen, can you tell us a little bit about her backstory?

[WNYC Studios]

Pauline Benton was. She grew up in, I think it was in Kansas, but moved to New York City when she was a young woman. In the 1920s, she traveled to China to visit her aunt, who was teaching at one of the leading universities there. And while she was there in China, she saw some of the shadow theater, traditional Chinese shadow performances, and decided, oh, I should bring that back to New York. And so she bought a few figures, tried it out with her friends in New York, and was a big hit. So she Made a number of other more trips to China, where she studied with some of the leading troops that her aunt paired her up with, bought and commission this huge set of figures. Actually, the set we have is about half the. Half the collection the other half is in. I think it's in the museum in Minnesota, the Minnesota Art Museum. And what we received and we have is about 1,000 figures that were her working collection, the one that she used in performances and for shows of her own.

[David Fuerst]

Well, Chinese. Oh, sorry, go ahead.

[WNYC Studios]

When she retired in the 1970s, this whole collection was kind of stuffed into suitcases and, and left in a garage in Southern California for decades until someone found it and, and got in touch with a shadow puppet artist here in Queens, Joe Humphrey, who had the Yue Long Shadow Theater, which is doing very traditional style shadow performances. And Jo was the one who took these figures out, refurbished them, and then when she retired, she gave them to Chinese Theatre Works. That's the story of this collection.

[David Fuerst]

Chinese Theatre Works website states that Pauline Benton revolutionized American puppetry in the 1930s with performances of the Redgate Players, the first professional company to perform Chinese shadow theater in North America. How did Pauline Benton's work influence other puppeteers?

[WNYC Studios]

Well, like you said, there wasn't another Chinese shadow theater company in America, North America at the time, there was very little shadow theater. Unlike other parts of the world where there were very old traditions, like in Southeast Asia or in Europe, where shadow theater was like part of the avant garde theater scene, there wasn't that much here. So when she started doing the shows, it was, it was pretty revolutionary. And I, I fell in love with shadow theaters when I was studying puppetry at University of Connecticut and here in New York City, I worked with a lot of artists, including Judy Taymor and Theodora Schipiteris and Ping Chong, who were also very, very interested in shadow puppetry. So when I met Kuan Yu Fong, my wife and partner here in Chinese Theatreworks, we decided that one of our main focuses is going to be shadow theater.

[David Fuerst]

I should mention that we have some photos from the exhibit on our all of it Instagram account of it, wnyc. So check that out while we're talking about them. And Ellen, what are some of the objects that we can see at the Redgate exhibition?

[Ellen Kodadek]

So in addition to having a freestanding stage in our gallery as part of the exhibition, which is a really fun opportunity for people to get a sense of what a shadow puppet stage actually looks like, there are panels all around our gallery that focus on different aspects of the collection, one of my favorites is a wedding scene. And there's this really beautiful. I don't quite know how to describe it, almost a dome that is carved out so that the shadow passes through when it's being performed. And then you can see there are also a number of the shadow puppets, like the bride and the groom in their really beautiful regala, all dressed up for their wedding. And those puppets, again, are over 100 years old. So that's actually one of my favorites. And maybe it's because I'm a bit of a romantic. I really love that scene. And then there were a few more panels that relate to that scene where there are trees and bamboo and horses and some of the other members of the wedding party. And I just love that in particular. So when someone comes to the exhibit, they really get to look very, very closely and at these puppets, where you can really see so much of the original details, and then read about every single panel and really get a sense of what that particular panel is about and some more descriptive content about each of the puppets.

[David Fuerst]

And Stephen, in the show, aside from the wedding, we see a lot of animals, too, right? Why are animals so prevalent throughout the stories told in Chinese shadow performances?

[WNYC Studios]

Well, a lot of Chinese folklore includes characters that can transform back and forth between being human shape and animal shape. But one of my favorite parts of the exhibition is when Pauline commissioned this set of figures. She was working with these really great craftsmen, and aside from the traditional figures she ordered, she gave them books from Western fairy tales and Mother Goose rhymes. And so these artists also made these set of figures based on These, like, early 20th century great figures of flower fairies and mother Goose and elephants and three men in a tub. And I love that it's in the style of all the traditional figures, but very much this fusion of Western and Eastern culture that we try to do in our own work.

[David Fuerst]

When we first enter this space, what do we see?

[Ellen Kodadek]

Ellen, when you first enter, you see photos of Pauline Benton, historic photos. Obviously, there are introductory panels explaining who Pauline was and how this exhibition came to be. And then you see panels of original puppets. So basically, large framed panels that take you through a journey of some of the stories that are represented here in the exhibit.

[David Fuerst]

Oh, sorry.

[WNYC Studios]

Go ahead.

[Ellen Kodadek]

No, no, no. No problem. I was just going to say you literally get to go from panel to panel, and they each tell their individual story, but they also tell a collective story. And then there's material that you can read that's a little bit more explanatory.

[WNYC Studios]

Steven, one of the other Things that you also see when you walk in is this big wooden sign that was on red on Pauline's studio. The Red Gate Players. That's up there too.

[David Fuerst]

Stephen, some of these objects are very old. Right. How was Chinese Theatre Works able to preserve this collection?

[WNYC Studios]

Well, that was. The fact that it was preserved is mostly thanks to Joe Humphrey, who was the founder of the Yue Long Shadow Theater, which is later called Gold Mountain Institute for Traditional Shadows. And she was really devoted to doing Chinese shadows. She received this collection which was really in bad shape and she spent years before she retired and gave it to us cleaning these figures. They had all stuck together because the donkey hide is coated with tung oil to keep it from. From moisture, moisture affecting it and curling it up and getting brittle. And she had to clean that all off. And then she was the one that actually did a lot of the mounting and making these panels. So when we received the collection from her, there were several dozen of these panels. And then we also made some of our own as well when we had the chance to.

[David Fuerst]

We are talking about the show Red Pauline Benton and Chinese Shadow Theater in America on display through Sunday, February 23rd. We're speaking with Chinese TheatreWorks co founder and co artistic director Stephen Kaplan and also with Flushing Town Hall's executive and artistic director Ellen Kodedak, who can also talk about some of the other events going on. Flushing Town hall has also some other Lunar New Year's events planned this Saturday, January 25th. In fact, that is tomorrow there is Rabbit Days and Dumplings. Tell us about this. This features a performance by Elena Moon park and friends performing songs from their album Rabbit Days and Dumplings. Can you tell us about this family friendly performance?

[Ellen Kodadek]

Absolutely. It's an adorable and charming and delightful performance by this really wonderful band that is e a fusion in and of itself where the musicians represent different cultures that come from different parts of the world and they sing songs from the Asian continent and in Mandarin, in Korean, in Hindi. They're a lot of fun. We actually this week did three school shows, three separate school shows with Eleanor Moon Park. Two of them were today and one was yesterday and tomorrow was the family performance at 2:15. So we really invite families to come and to sing along and to dance along and laugh along and also learn a bit more about Asian cultures around the world.

[David Fuerst]

Well, let's listen to a song from that album, Rabbit Days and Dumplings. This is Toraji, Toraji, Toraji, Toraji in the deep deep mountains White Toraji. Though only one or two roots, I.

[WNYC Studios]

Pull.

[Ellen Kodadek]

Slowly but surely my basket grows full.

[David Fuerst]

A little excerpt from Rabbit Days and Dumplings again. That show is happening tomorrow. And Stephen, Flushing Town hall is also hosting How Bang a snake on February 15. Am I saying that right? And what is that show?

[WNYC Studios]

It's. Which means great, super, awesome. And this is part.

[David Fuerst]

Yeah, you did that much better than me.

[WNYC Studios]

This is part of a series of shows we've been doing every year for tour around to the city based on Chinese zodiacs. So this year it's Hao Bunga Snake and we have actually the story of White Snake, which is a great romantic Chinese opera epic that we're performing with shadow puppets and hand puppets throughout the sea.

[David Fuerst]

For more information on all of these shows, is there a website you could suggest, Ellen?

[Ellen Kodadek]

Yes, certainly. Anyone who's interested can go to Flushing Town Hall's website, which is flushingtownhall all1word.org and that gives you information about all of the programs that we offer here at Flushing Town hall throughout the year.

[David Fuerst]

And Ellen is also going to. Oh, sorry, Stephen.

[WNYC Studios]

Yes, and you can also go to Chinese Theatre Works website also to see what we've got planned. We're performing all over the city.

[David Fuerst]

And Ellen, there's also going to be a Korean folk fusion band, Sangjuru. Do I have that right? They're going to be at Flushing Town hall for an evening of music and culture later in the month of February.

[Ellen Kodadek]

Yes, that's correct. February 21st. Sangjuru is coming from Korea, so they're not based here in the US they're coming from overseas and they're this really incredible band that merges traditional Korean music with folk with gypsy with swing. So it's gonna be a really exciting evening and there'll be a post show reception, so we invite everyone to come and join us for that night.

[David Fuerst]

Sang Jirou, let's hear one of their songs on the way out as we're wrapping up. This is a piece called Three Players from their 2020 album Taeyeon. Am I saying the name correctly?

[Ellen Kodadek]

Yes, that's correct.

[David Fuerst]

We've been speaking with Chinese Theatre Works co Artistic director Stephen Kaplan and Flushing Town Hall's executive and artistic director Ellen Kod about upcoming Lunar New Year events, including a new Chinese shadow puppetry exhibition on display through Sunday, February 23rd. Thanks so much for joining us.

[Ellen Kodadek]

Thank you for having us.

[WNYC Studios]

Thank you.

[David Fuerst]

Korean folk fusion band Song Jiru. And that is all of it for today. Alison Stewart will be back on Monday and she'll be talking with a clinical psychologist about how to develop a healthier relationship with our phones. Stay tuned for that. That's coming up next week. Have a great weekend. This is all of it on wnyc.

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