Beyond the Wall is returning! This binational borderlands puppetry project started in 2017, and by 2020 had grown to two binational puppetry festivals, 8 giant puppets, a story on NPR, and appearances at a major international theater festival in Prague and a conference on border arts in London.
Now, we're bringing the project back, starting with development workshops to explore how the context of this work has evolved since 2020. This August, we will be conducting our first developmental workshop in 4 years at the Guggenheim Museum! We will be working with a cohort of migrant and 1st-gen teens from across NYC, and Oscar and Jack are flying up from Nogales at the border to join us!
A lot has changed since we last gathered together. The political landscape, the communities living it, and the stories that need to be shared have all shifted in profound ways. Beyond the Wall has always believed that art made at the margins belongs at the center, and this workshop is our way of asking: what does that mean right now? What do the young people living these stories have to say?
That's why this workshop matters so much to us. By centering the voices of migrant and first-generation teens, we're not just making art about the border. We're making art with the people who know it most intimately. Giant puppets, bold performance, and real community, brought together in one of New York City's most iconic cultural spaces. We are so thrilled to be back at the Guggenheim, an arts institution that changed New York when it was first established, and continues to do so into the modern era.
This is only the beginning. We can't wait to share what comes next for Flying Leap's Beyond the Wall project.
Stay tuned for more info, coming soon!
