‘Urbano’s Circus’ comes to the Tusten Theater

On Saturday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 19, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) will present “Urbano’s Circus” at Tusten Theatre, a bilingual puppet performance in Italian and English created by actor, artist, puppeteer and educator Richard Grunn.

This whimsical and wildly inventive show features a cast of unique puppets, made from a mix of recycled and non-recycled materials, and follows the story of Urbano Urbani, the once-great ringmaster of Urbano’s Circus, and his loyal assistant, Vincenzo Pompei.

Inspired by Alexander Calder’s “Circus of Wire,” adults and children alike will be amazed and entertained by these hilarious trash-constructed puppets as they perform their death- defying and suspenseful acts.

Richard Grunn is an actor, artist, puppeteer, and teaching artist, who has performed and toured original shows at many festivals in the U.S., Ireland and the U. K. including the West Cork Literary Festival, Schull Arts Festival, Arundel Festival, and Edinburgh Fringe. In 2019 he received a Creative Engagement Grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) to perform his trash- constructed puppet circus “Urbano’s Circus and the Monster of Garbage” at the University Settlement in New York City. Some of his original solo shows include “Father Joiner’s Purgative Poetry Project,” a poetry reading of several winsome, yet unlikely poets, and his most recent show, “Good Medicine” (performed at Tusten Theatre in 2023), a satirical history of America’s great anti-satanic, scientific, and spiritual salesmen. He received a 2015 BRIO award for experimental film from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and in 2003 was awarded the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in Theatre. Grunn is a teaching artist for Sundog Theatre where he designed a drama-based literacy program, 3-D Literacy, which serves elementary and middle school students in the NYC schools. He has taught radio theater to visually impaired students at the Lighthouse Guild, and seniors for the past 10 years.

The Tusten Theatre is located at 210 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg, N.Y. Advance tickets are $25 for adults ($20 DVAA Members). Door tickets are $30 for adults ($25 DVAA Members) and children under 12 are free. Box office/concession opens 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets may be purchased by calling (845) 252-7576 or online at delawarevalleyartsalliance.org.