This Samhain, immerse yourself in ‘Short Tales’; extraordinary otherworlds created by two puppeteers and a multi-instrumentalist, telling magical (slightly) scary stories with vivid, projected pen and ink drawings, puppetry and a treasure trove of sounds. This show gathers favourite short stories, including the dream-like Night Flyer, humorous Devil in Cornwall, spooky Wanderer and Edgar Allan Poe’s King Pest. Performed by two puppeteers and a multi-instrumentalist, The Paper Cinema return to their ‘out-of-a suitcase’ origins to delight you with atmospheric tales of ghosts, dreams and the supernatural.

Founded in 2004 by Nicholas Rawling with Imogen Charleston and Christopher Reed, The Paper Cinema creates unique, magical performances that combine the languages of animation, music, film and theatre. Accompanied by a live soundtrack, intricate pen and ink illustrations are skilfully manipulated in real-time in front of a video camera and projected onto the big screen. Sitting in full view of the audience, the puppeteers and musicians work to a precise choreography that is as engrossing to watch as the story being played out above them.

60-minute show suitable for age 8 upwards (who don’t mind being a tiny bit scared!)

The non-verbal storytelling is often subtle, nuanced and often a little abstract.

Credit: Some stories originally commissioned by Sound UK. Night Flyer and King Pest commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre.