The Heart of The Beast presents Tom Tuke’s “The City That Slept”

What happens when Sleep arrives in New York? We listen, as the city falls asleep, and folks retell dreams. Using shadow, lantern and large-scale marionettes, we see these dreams as they weave through the towers, avenues and city blocks. Using interviews recorded in Union Square, and soundscapes from around the city, Tuke creates a tableau of New York. The City That Slept incorporates fusions of traditional puppetry forms, which Tuke has developed while studying at The University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program. These include an original design - floating shadow puppets, which glide through a pool of moving water.

Tom Tuke is an artist and educator from Aotearoa/New Zealand, who has been based in Connecticut since 2022.

The show is approximately 50 minutes in length, and is written with adults in mind but has been enjoyed by all ages.

There is a hellscape, as well as a brief mention of sex, parental discretion advised.

Photo by Richard Termine