The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show has been dazzling audiences around the globe for over twelve years, faithfully bringing to the stage Eric Carle’s timeless classics.
Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, this innovative production brings to life four Eric Carle stories, through 45 magical, handcrafted puppets, world-class puppeteering and lively original musical that invites your little one to play along with their favorite stories.
Along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the show includes three additional Carle classics. Audiences will meet the colourful characters of BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, travel the world with 10 LITTLE RUBBER DUCKS, explore the night with THE VERY LONELY FIREFLY.
We invite you to take an unforgettable, hour-long journey full of colour, smiles, imagination - and one VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.
Eric Carle is the acclaimed and beloved creator of brilliantly illustrated, innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into 66 languages and sold over 70 million copies. Since its publication in 1969, Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, with more than 160 million copies sold worldwide.
Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Carle moved to Germany as a child and graduated from the prestigious Akademie der bildenden Künste in Stuttgart. In 1952 he returned to America with a fine portfolio and forty dollars, and soon found work as a graphic designer at The New York Times, later becoming an advertising art director. His true career began when author Bill Martin Jr. asked him to illustrate Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - still a favorite with children everywhere. Carle was soon writing his own stories, including the celebrated classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
His instantly recognizable art is made in collage, using hand-painted papers he cuts and layers into bright, cheerful images. Many of his books add another dimension - die-cut pages, twinkling lights, even a cricket's song - making them a book you can play with and a toy you can read. Their appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children: drawn from his love of nature, his stories are beautiful and entertaining while always offering the chance to learn something about the world.
"With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates—will they be friendly?
I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born. Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.”
- Eric Carle
Jonathan Rockefeller is the critically acclaimed creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show.
Developed in 2014 alongside Eric Carle and his team, the show has since played continuously across 23 countries. It's part of a body of work that has earned three New York Times Critics' Picks, three Drama Desk nominations, Off Broadway Alliance nominations, and eight BroadwayWorld Awards - among them Best Play, Best Theatre for Young Audiences, and Best Direction of a Play.
To date, more than 80 theatrical productions of Jonathan's work have been staged around the world, including Disney's Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Gets in a Jam, and Sesame Street the Musical.
His broader collaboration with Eric Carle also includes The World of Eric Carle YouTube channel and the award-winning animated short 10 Little Rubber Ducks, written by Eric Carle and narrated by Bernadette Peters.
Find out more at www.JonathanRockefeller.com
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