Curriculum Connections
Communication and teamwork, friendship, adventure, music, multimedia, puppetry, literature based.
California State Standards
ELAL.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
ELAL.CCRA.R.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
California State Arts Standards
3.TH:Re8c. Examine how connections are made between oneself and a character's emotions in drama/ theatre work.
5.TH:Re8a. Justify responses based on personal experiences when participating in or observing a drama/ theatre work.
Original Credits
Created by Manual Cinema
Inspired by the books Leonardo, The Terrible Monster and Sam, The Most Scardey-Cat Kid in the Whole World by Mo Willems
Directed by Sarah Fornace
Adaption by Sarah Fornace and Drew Dir
Music, Lyrics and Sound Design by Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter
Commissioned by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with additional commissioning support from Utah Presents
Leonardo is a terrible monster. He tries so hard to be scary, but he just… isn't. Then Leonardo finds Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the world. Will Leonardo finally get to scare the tuna salad out of someone? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship? The plot thickens when this pair meets Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat and her monster friend. Kerry and Sam need to make a big decision: will they just be scaredy cats or can they become friends?
Leonardo! uses hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, two-dimensional props, furry monster puppets, and songs to bring Mo Willems' books to life. The Emmy Award-winning creator of Leonardo!, Manual Cinema, wanted to re-create the experience of holding one of Mo's book pages, which are big, bold, colorful, and full of visual rhythm, with a playful use of scale. Like all Manual Cinema productions, you're invited to watch the big screen like a traditional movie, or to watch the artists below as they create the story in real time. (There is no wrong way to watch the show!)
