The Squid and The Octopus, created and performed by Jim Julien, is a very intimate cephalopod adventure, a shadow puppet show (with knives!) This show uses a variety of puppetry styles and multimedia to weave a tale of multi-tentacled danger, contemporary restaurant culture and undersea lifestyles. Performed in the very interactive and up-close space of the Maas Building Cottage, as part of the Cannonball Festival 2022, The Squid and The Octopus will delight, amaze and amuse with puppetry spectacle. Before you order the calamari for the whole table, see this show!

Appropriate for ages 13+

Interested in a not-necessarily-romantic way to connect over art? Select the Blind Date ticket at checkout and Cannonball will pair you with another audience member for a pre- and post-show experience. Blind Date is only available for this show on Mon, Sep 12, 2022 8:00 PM. Check out https://www.cannonballfestival.org/blinddate for more information.

This show is presented as part of Cannonball Festival, Philly’s artist-centered performance hub, packing in 65+ full length shows and 300 performances in two nearby venues. Discover risk-taking theater, dance, circus, music, and comedy alongside a vibrant garden bar with a free nightly cabaret, pop-up events, workshops, artist talkbacks, and more. September 1–30 at the Maas Building (1320 N 5th St) and Icebox Project Space (1400 N American St). Learn more at cannonballfestival.org.

Content Considerations

This performance contains brief suggested violence.

Health & Safety

Proof of vaccination is required to attend this event, and masks must be worn for the duration of the performance. Audience members will be asked to show proof of vaccination before entering the venue. Both digital and physical proof of vaccination are accepted. Please plan accordingly.

Credits

Written and performed by Jim Julien

Puppets, puppetstage and props created by Jim Julien

Lighting and sound design by Jim Julien

About the Artist

Jim Julien is a puppeteer, playwright and performance artist. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. Recently, he relocated to the Philadelphia area from Asheville, North Carolina. He has been the artistic co-director for the Asheville Fringe Arts festival for 18 years and a Fringe performer in the St. Louis Fringe, Chicago Fringe, Nashville’s Sideshow Fringe, Pittsburgh Fringe and PortFringe festivals. He was also a performing member of the Asheville Vaudeville Collective, a monthly circus arts/burlesque variety show. His full-length play “The Caro Savanti Experience” premiered in 2013 at The Magnetic Theatre in Asheville, NC and was remounted again in 2016 at Magnetic. Mr. Julien has used several genres of puppetry in his work, particularly shadow and rod puppetry, plus he has featured huge quantities of vanilla pudding in performance as well as a very small amount of dog urine. Actually fake dog urine to be exact. The magic of theatre!