Underwater adventure multimedia family show coming to Penn State

Erth’s “Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure” is not your average puppet show.

“A lot of people think that there’s only one kind of puppeteering,” said Eryn Malafronte, puppeteer with entertainment production company Erth. “When people think ‘puppet,’ they think ‘Sesame Street’ or the Muppets, which is a different form of puppeteering ... but there are many different types of puppets that date back centuries.”

The form of puppets in Erth’s “Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure,” which comes to Eisenhower Auditorium on Thursday, include bunraku-style puppets, marionette-style puppets and full-body puppets where the puppeteer is actually inside the puppet.

“There are so many different kinds of puppets that people aren’t used to, because they aren’t really televised,” Malafronte said.

These puppets, some of which are massive, weighing more than 100 pounds, appear alongside a “host,” an almost narrator-type character who takes families on an immersive, interactive experience to the bottom of the ocean, where children meet prehistoric marine reptiles. The puppeteers in the show are hidden from the audience, but for Malafronte, that’s part of the appeal for her as a performer.

“(The) puppets are built in such a way and we’re dressed in such a way that you won’t see the puppeteers at all,” she said.

Originally an actress, Malafronte challenged herself to master puppeteering and then fell in love with the art form.

“Usually in acting, you’re seen, you’re the center of attention, but I find puppeteering to be a very selfless art form, especially in the case with these puppets. The puppeteers are usually not seen and I love that. I love emoting an animal, I love to channel this animal ... and put it into a puppet.”

The show is aimed at children aged 4 to 12, but Malafronte says every audience member walks away learning something, regardless of age. She especially hopes audience members walk away learning something not only about paleontology, but also about the show’s underlying message of conservation.

“Erth stands for Environmentally Recycled Theater and it’s because most of our puppets are made from recyclable materials,” she said. “If it’s not structural to the puppet or a crane or aluminum, (the material) is made from something that’s recycled. Especially since our show is about ocean life ... I would love for people to walk away with the idea that any little, small change someone could make today, like using a reusable straw or using bubbles instead of balloons at a birthday party, could lead to a giant impact on the ocean and preserving wildlife tomorrow.”

While all audience members are just about guaranteed an entertaining and enriching, as well as visually stunning, experience, several children in the audience will be more immersed in the show than others.

“In this show, the puppeteers pick four kids from the audience before the show even starts and those four kids will be incorporated throughout the entire show as ‘interns’ for our marine biologist (character), the host of our show,” Malafronte said.

Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure appears at Eisenhower Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Visit cpa.psu.edu for more information.