That Paradise Place
That Paradise Place is an erotic puppet musical about the love, sex, and fantasy lives of artists with disabilities. The show debuted at Abrons Arts Center on November 1 & 2, 2024.
That Paradise Place brings to life intimate and extraordinary tales through song, celebration, and puppetry. Each of the twelve songs in the show began with a first person story shared by an artist with a disability. These stories then embarked on a collaborative, alchemical journey. They were 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 were 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.
In a culture that often overlooks the internal worlds and erotic desires of people with disabilities, our goal is to form 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.
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. The show debuted to sold out audiences, with people lining the streets to get in off the waitlist.
Read more about the show in New York Magazine, Hyperallergic and Hell Gate.
Soap Library created cassette tapes of the show’s soundtrack, composed by high school teacher and indie rocker Graeme Daubert. Purchase one here or listen on Spotify.
That Paradise Place is presented by Summertime, with generous support from New York State Council of the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Fund, Bronfman Alumni Venture Fund, The Andy Warhol Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, and so many beloved members of our community.
“I am not sure I have ever sat in an audience where more audible and silent ‘wows’ were whispered. That Paradise Place could disarm even the coldest heart with its courageous sincerity, perfectly balanced by a levity and humor.”
“This was by far one of the best shows I’ve seen in years. It was so fun and inventive and filled with real heart and soul. It’s unlike anything else out there.”
