Our 2025 Production:
The Gift
Every year we perform our annual pageant at the Forest Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC on UNC’s campus.
This season will be performed from August 8 - September 28. Shows are held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Shows start at 7pm with an opener going on at 6:20pm.
Sunday matinee shows will be on September 14, 21 and 28 starting at 3pm, with the opener going on at 2:20pm.
And we always have a Labor Day show- this year on September 1.
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BEFORE PURCHASING TICKETS
About The Gift
Stories move on the water. The water moves in all things. Life moves in dynamic patterns that weave like currents and rich tapestries that shape who we are. Are we individual drops in this vast ocean of miraculous possibility? Or are we the ocean itself: whole and moving as one, expressing the infinite flow of the universe? We may sometimes fall short of such states of grace. We readily receive the gifts the world provides with no explicit expectations in return. Yet reciprocity could very well be our best pathway to survival. We can decide to give back, and now is the time. We were built for this. Made for it.
We humbly request the gift of your presence as we seek this balance. Let the Grandmothers tell you a story that you didn’t know you needed. Let the water protectors and heroines of justice sing you a song of resilience. Let us share a moment of connection, wonder and gratitude. Let us create this, our future, together -- through art!
Join us in honoring the rare gift that is life on Earth as we celebrate Paperhand’s 25th year! Come and experience the magic of giant puppets, masks, stilts, painted cardboard and cloth, illuminated puppets and shadows all set to original live music in a performance for all ages.
This year’s show features a collaboration with Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina’s Poet Laureate, singer and songwriter Dawn Landes, and Louise Omoto Kessel, and highlights the important work of water protectors like Claudia Lopez, Elaine Chiosso (former Executive Director of Haw River Assembly) and Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, Co-Founder and CEO of 7 Directions of Service.
See you at the show!
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Volunteer at Our Studio!
Community Workdays are now OPEN for the season! Come out on Saturdays from 10am-5pm - drop in whenever you can, for however long you can. There are no sign-ups and no need to ask if you can come in on a certain day/time.
No experience required. All ages are welcome, just keep in mind we have sharp and hot tools in our studio.
These workdays happen regardless of other events on our calendar.
Our studio is located at 6079 Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Rd, Graham (Saxapahaw), NC 27253 and you can find us on Google maps.
Want a Sneak Peek Behind the Scenes?
We are already busy dreaming up this show through drawings, collaborating with artists and writers and more! We provide exclusive sneak peeks of what we’re building to our paying Patreon subscribers.
Sign up to sustain us for as little as $4 a month to see what we’re up to!
Thank You To Our Partners & Sponsors!
