Puppet Monsters Sing to Kids About the Theory of Multiple Intelligences at the Stissing Center

Friday, August 21 | Pine Plains, NY

The Stissing Center's Summer Children's Series presents "Monster Intelligence" in Banning Hall, a puppet musical from Newburgh-based company Up In Arms.

Melvin the monster is another year older but still hasn't earned his license to scream—his birthday wish finally grants him the chance, on the condition he pass the test. With his friend Red the Rat by his side, Melvin sets off to learn what he needs to know, meeting a cast of colorful monster characters along the way, with original songs spanning rock, classical, jazz, pop, and Broadway standards.

The show is written by Alex Ishkanian, a special education and elementary school teacher with a background in theater arts, who built the story explicitly around Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences—the idea that people learn and process the world in distinctly different ways, whether musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, or otherwise. As Melvin works through his test, the audience is meant to recognize their own learning style somewhere in his struggle, and walk away with a bit more confidence in whatever form their own "monster intelligence" takes.

Up In Arms was founded in 2012 by artistic director David "Dov" Manley, who trained under Sesame Workshop performers Noel MacNeal and Marty Robinson and former Henson performer Michael Earl before building his own puppet company.

The troupe made its name with "Helping Drew," an anti-bullying musical that toured to thousands of students in its first year, and has since built a slate of curriculum-connected puppet shows on health and wellness, listening skills, and now, multiple intelligences. The shows tour nationally from their Hudson Valley base. Music teacher and songwriter Scott Test co-wrote and orchestrated the score for "Monster Intelligence" and voices Melvin.

Banning Hall, The Stissing Center, 2950 Church St., Pine Plains, NY. More at thestissingcenter.org.