That Paradise Place is an erotic puppet musical about the love, sex, and fantasy lives of artists with disabilities debuting at Abrons Arts Center on November 1 & 2, 2024. The collaborative show is created and performed by Pussypaws Puppetry, an inclusive puppet troupe of artists with and without disabilities. 

In a culture that often overlooks the internal worlds and erotic desires of people with disabilities, we are forming a creative community where all facets of our humanity are worthy of being seen, sung, and celebrated. A shame-free space where creation is an act of love, and love is an act of creativity. 

That Paradise Place will bring to life intimate and extraordinary tales through song, celebration, and puppetry. Each of the songs in the show begins with a first person story shared by an artist with a disability. These stories then embark on a collaborative, alchemical journey – they’re adapted into songs, adopted by puppet alter-egos, embodied via dazzling, larger-than-life puppets, and brought to life on the big stage. 

A fiery phoenix reminisces on how fate brought him together with his life partner, a sunflower. A robot dinosaur imagines what it will feel like to fall in love and have sex for the first time. A woman recalls her intimate encounters with her open heart surgeon. A haunted doll is introduced to two demon daddies who suggest an unusual erotic proposition. 

Artists with disabilities are intimately involved in every aspect of the show’s creation to ensure their stories are told in their languages, through their bodies, and according to their deepest desires. The 12 vignettes included in the final performance will expand viewers imagination and understanding of inclusive love. 

We believe eroticism and creativity are essential to a full-bodied human life. That Paradise Place invites viewers into the wild and sparkling erotic fantasies of human beings whose sexuality deserve recognition and celebration.

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The performance takes place in an accessible environment. There will be ASL interpreters and comfort for all is the utmost priority. Please reach out if you have any accessibility needs or desires we can address. 

Artists: Kenneth Youngblood, Jenna Zacharia, Lauren McArthur, Emma Singer, Gabriella Sofia, Oswald Saenz, Tristan Higginbotham, Margot Werner, Dave Ercolini, Dean Millien, Priscilla Frank, Alana Hauser, Chris Chronopoulos, Miriam Abrahams, Graeme Daubert, Mallory Perry, John Pizza + Susie Clowe.

Pussypaws Puppetry is an inclusive puppet troupe of visual artists, musicians, and performers with and without disabilities. We are enchanted by all things silly, spirited, and sensual. We are inspired by puppetry’s legacy as a medium of the people: inherently playful, provocative and predominantly existing outside art world norms and trends. Pussypaws offers a freewheeling, experimental creative space where artists of all persuasions, backgrounds, and abilities can be supported and celebrated. Pussypaws was founded in 2023 by sisters Priscilla Frank and Alana Hauser. We are named after the Pussypaws flower, whose magical properties open us to the healing powers of physical touch.