For 25 summers, the Paperhand Puppet Project has delighted North Carolina audiences with its vibrant, larger-than-life productions that blend art, music, movement, and powerful storytelling. This year, the nonprofit performing arts organization marks a major milestone with The Gift—a brand-new show that honors the spirit of connection, environmental stewardship, and the transformative power of storytelling.
Running weekends from August 15 through September 28 at the historic Forest Theatre on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus, and later November 7–9 at the Diana Wortham Center in Asheville, The Gift promises to be a dazzling experience for all ages. Attendees can expect a sensory feast: enormous hand-crafted puppets, illuminated creatures, stilts, masks, shadow puppetry, and a seven-piece live band creating a rich, immersive soundtrack.
Paperhand’s mission is simple yet profound: to create art that inspires connection. Through puppetry and performance, they aim to nurture humanity’s best qualities while celebrating and protecting the natural world.
“Stories move like water. They are both so powerful in every direction,” says co-founder and executive director Donovan Zimmerman. “Giving us life and inspiration or sometimes, causing great harm. We all have to choose how to try to be in a balanced relationship with them. To move with integrity. Our work grapples with the complicated dynamics of being human.”
This year’s production lifts up the stories of women who are guardians of our oceans and waterways. Among those celebrated in The Gift are Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, CEO of the environmental nonprofit 7 Directions of Service; Elaine Chiosso, former executive director of the Haw River Assembly; storyteller Louise Omoto Kessel; and Claudia Lopez. Audiences will encounter a 60-foot-wide Ocean Goddess, playful beavers, and a glowing, giant whale—all brought to life by 30 performers and a dynamic ensemble.
North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green and singer-songwriter Dawn Landes also lent their creative voices to this year’s production, infusing The Gift with poetic resonance and musical magic.
Visitors are encouraged to arrive early, bring a picnic, and settle in for an evening that begins with an opening act from local performers before each show. This community-first approach is a hallmark of Paperhand, whose roots are deeply planted in shared experience and storytelling.
Since its inception in 1998 by artists Donovan Zimmerman and Jan Burger, Paperhand has grown into a cultural treasure in North Carolina and beyond. Over the years, they’ve toured internationally, collaborated with organizations such as Greenpeace and Lush, and contributed to an upcoming documentary from Ethereal Films, executive produced by actor Mark Ruffalo. Their unique artistic voice has been spotlighted by PBS North Carolina, Forbes, The Assembly, and Our State magazine.
Following a sold-out run in Asheville earlier this year with Earth and Sky, anticipation is high for The Gift—a culmination of Paperhand’s past, present, and future.
Performances run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m., with an opening act starting at 6:20 p.m. Matinees take place at 3 p.m. on September 14, 21, and 28, with an opening act at 2:20 p.m. A special Labor Day performance will be held on Monday, September 1.
Tickets are available now at paperhandpuppet.org/thegift. Prices are $25 for adults and $15 for children (ages 4–14), students, and seniors. Children under 3 attend for free.
Information provided via a press release from Paperhand Puppet.
