Geppetto-Resilience and Ingenuity

Tonight at 7PM the doors at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue, open to the public for the World Premiere of Geppetto. The play, written and directed by Renee Philippi, performed and designed by Carlo Adinolfi, with original music composed by Lewis Flinn (Lysistrata Jones & The Little Dog Laughed on Broadway) performed live by cellist Jeanette Stenson is presented by the Concrete Temple Theatre.



Concrete Temple Theatre is a multi-disciplinary company that emphasizes the creation of compelling new theatre works, incorporating drama, dance, puppetry, music, and the visual arts, which focus on the individual’s struggle for identity and society’s struggle for cohesion. Through touring their shows and presenting workshops in New York City, nationally, and internationally, Concrete Temple strives to bring myth and ritual back to the center of dialogue, while making connections and opportunities for diverse audiences to question and examine their place in the world.



Acclaimed performer Carlo Adinolfi plays Geppetto, aka G, in this heart-wrenching and hilarious tale of a poor Italian immigrant puppeteer whose life unravels when his closest companions, two well-worn puppets he created for his shows, begin to fall apart. After the passing of his beloved wife and fellow-puppeteer Donna, G and his puppets struggle to create a new play. But as his puppets begin to disintegrate and his own heart breaks, G must try fix them and heal himself so that the show, and his life, can go on. Drawing inspiration from Pinocchio, The Old Man and the Sea and the inspiring true story of double-amputee Hugh Herr’s incredible return to rock climbing, Geppetto is an exploration of resilience and ingenuity in the face of loss and change.



Carlo Adinolfi (Creator, Performer & Designer) was born in Italy. He’s Artistic Director of Concrete Temple Theatre together with Renee Philippi. He has worked as a co-creator, performer, set designer and puppet designer on New York, national, international and touring productions of Bird Machine, The Whale (Off-Broadway at Barrow Street Theatre and Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms), Hudson to China, Alberto’s Great Escape and The Bystander Project. Adinolfi is a member of EST and has danced with Laura Pawel Dance Company, Sara Pearson/Patrik Widrig and Dancers, and Elise Long. Renee Philippi (Creator & Director), the Artistic Director of Concrete Temple Theatre over the past 25 years, has been writing and directing in NYC and has toured both nationally and internationally.



Geppetto is a part of SubletSeries@HERE, HERE’s curated rental program, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical support. This program is supported in part by The Jim Henson Foundation and St. Ann’s Warehouse Puppet Lab. HERE is accessible from the C or E train to Spring St., 1 to Houston St., or N or R to Prince St.



Performances are Thursdays - Mondays at 7pm with additional shows on Saturdays at 2pm. Tickets are $20 and $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased online or by calling 212-352-3101. The running time is 1 hour. The show is appropriate for adults and adventurous children 8 and up. Click here for more information about the play or to see the trailer.