As The Paper Bag Players celebrate our 50th Birthday, we thought we would answer some questions we are often asked by children. . . .
What are The Paper Bag Players?
The Paper Bag Players are a company of adults who create and perform shows for children. We’re called The Paper Bag Players because we make our costumes and props mostly out of cardboard, brown paper, and paper bags.
What is a Paper Bag show?
A Paper Bag show is a series of about ten separate pieces that combine funny plays, funny songs, music, dancing, and audience participation. A Paper Bag show runs for an hour.
Who are The Paper Bag Players? Are they real people?
The Paper Bag Players are real people. When they perform they use their real names. They wear everyday clothes, pants and a shirt. Over these basic outfits costumes can be worn.
The acting company includes our writer and artistic director, Judith Martin; our associate Artistic Director and performer, Ted Brackett; our musician and composer, John Stone; and performers, Kevin Richard Woodall, Laura Canty Samuel. We also have a production manager, Jim Huggans. He is in charge of everything backstage—load-in, load-out, costumes and props, and making sure the shows start on time. If there’s and extra part in one of our shows, Jim fills in. He also drives the actors to and from the shows in The Paper Bag Players van.
How do you get the ideas for your shows?
Judith Martin writes our shows. She begins by thinking up ideas for stories. Then, working with Ted Brackett, and the playwright, Jennifer Wells, Judith develops these ideas and turns them into short plays. Judith works with the whole company on the dances. And with the scenic artist, Jon Peck, on designing the costumes and props for our shows.
Who thinks up the songs?
Judith Martin thinks up ideas for songs and John Stone writes the music. The words of a song can be written before the music, or the music can come first.
What kinds of instruments does John Stone play?
Our music is played on the electric piano. It’s smaller than a regular piano. We have to use amplifiers so that the piano can be heard throughout the theater. John plays some other instruments as well—the melodica, rhythm box, slide whistle, xylophone and kazoo. He’s on the stage so you can see them all. You’ll hear them all because each instrument has its own sound.
Who makes the costumes and props?
Our costumes and props are made in our studio by Judith Martin, Ted Brackett, and Jonathan Peck, our scenic artist.
 Why do The Paper Bag Players use cardboard and paper?
Cardboard and paper are wonderful materials to work with. They can be painted or left plain. They can be folded, rolled up, bent and cut into shapes. Paper can be crinkled and scrunched up. Cardboard and paper are strong. They don’t break but they do tear, and can be fixed with masking tape. They’re also lightweight. This is important because our shows are full of movement. Our costumes and props, which can be very big, have to be easy for our actors and actresses to carry, handle and wear. It’s not unusual for a Paper Bag Player to have to dance while wearing a costume made out of a big cardboard box.
Do you use anything else?
For some of our costumes and props we use ordinary household objects—brooms, mops (great for making wigs), string, pots and pans, a plastic tablecloth, etc.—and old clothes.
Where do you get your stuff?
We buy most of our cardboard and paper (the paper comes in large sheets and rolls), but some of it is donated by department stores and box and paper manufacturers. We might see large appliance boxes (that refrigerators and washer/dryers come in) on the street, and we’ll take them if they’re not grungy.
Ordinary household objects can be found anywhere: in our own houses, at a friend’s, in thrift shops, or on the street. We call these objects “found objects.”
Can I make my own Paper Bag costumes and props?
Anyone can. All it takes are a few things—paper, a grocery bag or brown paper lunch bag or a cardboard box; crayons, paints or magic markers; tape; and maybe some “found objects”—plus imagination.
It’s interesting, exciting and fun to see what can be done with ordinary materials (that might otherwise be thrown out or not used). And it’s fun to “see double”—to see a grocery carton that is also a car, or the top of a mop that’s turned into a puppy.
What kind of shoes do The Paper Bag Players wear?
Our actors and actresses wear sneakers. Sneakers are great to dance in. Each pair is painted a different color, and before every performance they are repainted so that they will be shiny and bright.
Where do The Paper Bag Players live?
The Paper Bag Players work together but live in their own houses or apartments. They have their own families and friends. Some of them have pets. They all have special things they like to do: such as reading, jogging, gardening, playing and watching sports, cooking, or going to movies.
(NOTE: Many children ask us if we live in the theaters where we perform, and want to know what we do after the performance is over and the audience leaves.)
Where do The Paper Bag Players work?
We work in our studio, which is in New York City, on a busy street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Our studio is large—we need room to make and store our costumes and props, and to practice (rehearse) for our performances. It has high ceilings—our costumes and props can be ten or even twelve feet tall.
How do you get to work?
We get to the studio in different ways—by subway or bus or, if the distance isn’t too far, by bike or on foot—John Stone rides a unicycle to work! Judith Martin’s apartment is above the studio, so she walks downstairs.
When we give a performance, we meet at the studio and travel to the theater together in The Paper Bag Players van. We bring our costumes and props with us; they fold up, or can be taken apart, so that they can be packed. We also bring our musical instruments and sound equipment.
Then what happens?
When we arrive, Jim Huggans unloads our van and parks it. He unpacks our costumes and props and sets them up backstage, ready to be used. John Stone sets up our musical instruments and sound equipment and puts on his basic outfit. In the dressing rooms our actors and actresses repaint their sneakers, change into their basic outfits, and do warm-up exercises. The audience arrives and our performance begins.
After the performance, when the audience has left, we pack everything up, load our van and drive back to the studio. From there we all go home.
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