Michael Cooper’s Masked Marvels at Hayes Center June 13

Artist and Mime Offers Kids and Family Performance 

Cooper, whose programs have been hailed as “moving sculpture,” will bring his one-man extravaganza Michael Cooper’s Masked Marvels to the Hayes Performing Arts Center in Blowing Rock for a special 10:00 a.m. performance for children and families on Saturday, June 13.  

Michael Cooper is called a poet of the stage, an eye-popping visual artist and a virtuoso mime whose performances combine breathtaking handcrafted masks, original stories of courage and wonder, outlandish stilt dancing and a physical repertoire ranging from the madcap to the sublime. Cooper, whose programs have been hailed as “moving sculpture,” will bring his one-man extravaganza Michael Cooper’s Masked Marvels to the Hayes Performing Arts Center in Blowing Rock for a special 10:00 a.m. performance for children and families on Saturday, June 13. 

“Masked Marvels is as subtle as it is high speed,” wrote The Irish Times. “Think of Spaulding Gray crossed with Superman, plus an amazing array of masks. Best of all was the giant on stilts. Creating his vast self before our eyes, he began dancing on bare tiptoes with a grace that proved surprisingly beautiful.” 

Taking up to 300 hours to produce a single paper or cloth mask, Cooper, whose performances have dazzled audiences for almost 30 years, has elevated this most ancient of theatre crafts to the level of a fine art. His ability as a wordsmith enables him to reel in the most discerning of crowds with the nuance of a poet, the joy and timing of a first-rate comedian and the twists and intrigue of a master storyteller. And whether he’s high kicking on giant legs, animating one of his magical creations or, quite literally, “leaning on air,” the unending enthusiasm of this masked marvel captivates both young and old. 

How? By creating everyday yet miraculous occurrences—a baby crawling or a horse breaking into a gallop. By displaying timeless archetypes—wandering giants and rising suns—that would exist in our minds even if we had never seen them. By joyfully parading everything from exploding noses to slick fish and snorting bulls in front of his audience. And by getting people up on stage, not to be parrots or fools, but to discover the joy of living in the moment.

“Michael Cooper’s Masked Marvels enthralled young and old and ignited an entire audience’s imagination,” said Caroline Seaton-Lyon, from the Church Hill Theater in Church Hill, Md. “Michael brings his wonderful characters to life with the most marvelously, strikingly beautiful masks I have ever seen.”

Michael Cooper’s Masked Marvels will play on Saturday, June 13, at 10:00 a.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $14 for students and are available now by calling the box office at 828-295-9627. Credit cards and cash is accepted. Tickets can also be purchased online by clicking to www.HayesCenter.org by credit card. Special group rates are also available. Season and Flex Passes can be purchased and used throughout the entire 2009 season.

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