Octopus Wednesday!

We just learned that an octopus has three hearts, and almost 2,000 suction cups on its tentacles. They are very smart, and they've been known to escape tanks and steal objects. And there are all kinds of octopuses (or octopi!), 300 species in fact! some with "ears" (called a dumbo octopus), some which imitate other animals (a mimic octopus).

Our octopus is pink, likes to dance, and is made out of something you might have at home. He is so big it takes 5 puppeteers to operate him on stage. And his suckers glow!

Here are some other fascinating octopi:

the making of Pete: part 2

Here's a little video Linda put together from when she was testing out Pete the penguin in the very beginning, when he was just foam and a wooden beak!

the making of Pete: part 1

Our star puppet, Pete, begins as Luna's stuffed toy and turns into a cavorting penguin always just out of Luna's reach when she falls into the Moon's puppet show. We went to the aquarium and watched the real life African penguins for many hours before making Pete. But Linda couldn't help but see the similarities to her cat Wilson, in size, coat pattern, and playful personality. As Linda worked on Pete, she checked in with Wilson to get his opinion. In the beginning he wasn't sure what to think.

a new new video!

Our second video for Luna. See all our videos, including some behind the scenes puppet making, at our new youTube channel, Giant Pink Octopus!

Did that statue just blink?

At Luna's Sea the show isn't just inside on a stage. Your journey with Luna under the sea starts outside the theater, with some unusual characters including the famous mermaid statue! Stop a minute on your way in and see how statuesque this mermaid really is, she might surprise you.

The mermaid statue even has a facebook page here!

hello, octopus!

Our giant, pink, glowing, tango-dancing octopus is resting between shows. We think he needs a name. Any suggestions?

"A Fantastic Journey to the Depths"

Artist, violinist and mom Erika Cleveland came to Luna's Sea with her son and wrote this wonderful article about their experience, with some fun pictures. Read it here! Thank you so much, Erika!

Luna's creators: Matt Maynes

One thing an audience doesn't think much about is lighting, but it's one of the hardest, most important parts of a show, especially one like this. Everything relies on the right light, from tiny 2 inch puppets, to giant 12 foot ones. The light has the job of making an ordinary old stage look like an underwater world. And we have added black light and LED effects which are extraordinary elements to work with. But our lighting designer achieved all of this!

Matt Maynes (lighting designer) has worked with Cornerstone on the past ten shows, both on and off stage. He graduated from Marist College in 2008 with a degree in Communications. He is also the front man for the band Johnny Mainstream, who released their debut album Shipwrecked this February.

Grace Lin visits!

Linda with Newbery Award winning children's book author and illustrator extraordinaire, Grace Lin, who made a special visit to Luna's Sea with her husband Alex. She wrote about it in her blog here, with some great pictures and video. Thank you, Grace! Find her incredible books on her website.

Have you written something about Luna? Send us a link so we can share it here!

Alex tempting the angler fish!

Ann Nyberg visits!

We were honored to have a special visit from News Channel 8 anchor Ann Nyberg last week. We brought out all the puppets for her, and they all stayed on their best behavior, even the angler fish! Ann wrote us up in her terrific Network Connecticut blog, which highlights the best (and the best-kept-secrets) of the state. Check out her story about us here, and visit her blog daily.

From a recent rehearsal, Weston instructs one of our newest puppeteers Maryanne, on seahorse operation.

directions to Luna's theater

Luna's Sea is performed in the Cornerstone Playhouse, which resides in the Art Cinema of the Olde Mistick Village at 27 Coogan Blvd, Mystic, CT. We're located right on the south western corner of the Village. Click the map below for a larger image.