Leland Faulkner - shadow puppets and theatrical illusions for school cultural arts assemblies - Arts For Learning Massachusetts
ARTISTS

ARTISTS

Leland Faulkner

Type: Performance, Workshop, Remote
Art Form: Storytelling & ELA, Theater & Media Arts, Exploring Cultures
Grade Level: K - 12

Beginning with movement theatre and evolving through new vaudeville and performance art, Leland Faulkner was trained in the old world tradition of master and apprentice. He is a professionally trained film maker, mime, actor, and director. Leland studied with a variety of distinguished teachers, including: Tony Montanaro, Jacques Lecoq, and theatre masters from Italy and Japan. With a vision dedicated to the necessity of make-believe and the ability of theatre to be a universal art, Leland continually searches for entertaining and meaningful theatre. His work has gained acclaim both at home and abroad. Paper becomes filled with movement and mystery, as origami butterflies appear to dance and multiply, or shadows seem imbued with a life of their own in an astonishing exploration of light manipulated with just a pair of hands. 

From an early age, Leland was exposed to a wide range of ethnic cultures. Born in Afghanistan to American Indian parents, one of his earliest memories is being placed on the foot of a gargoyle in the ruins of ancient Persepolis. He spent seven years on the coast of Tanzania, East Africa, has traveled to Asia an Europe, and credits the global community with stimulating his love for theatre. His exploration of the moving image and theatre has led him into mime, magic and myth as he has sought new and intriguing ways of expressing idea and story.

Leland received a Bachelor of Arts degree in film making from the Brooks Institute, in Santa Barbara, California, and continues to work on film and media projects. On the performance level, Leland has been a touring artist for over twenty years. He has performed throughout the United States, and has taught and performed at theatre festivals, in cultural exchange programs, for corporate sponsors, in commercial work, in theaters and schools.

By presenting material that allows the spectator to enter into dreams with the actor, Leland Faulkner’s World of Wonder enables his audiences to walk away with visions of their own. "

Programs Offered