Paper Bags continue to entertain after 50 years

As if to prove that the only things good performers really need to succeed is imagination and resourcefulness, one of the most successful and critically acclaimed troupes in children’s theater began 50 years ago with a small group of dedicated actors, some brown paper bags, cardboard and odds and ends from around the house.

Fast-forward five decades, one Obie Award and more than three million children entertained around the globe: the Paper Bag Players continue to wow audiences with just a few simple props and a big dose of fun.

It all began at the Living Theater in Manhattan in 1958, according to the sole original cast member and now artistic director Judith Martin. “Julian Beck invited us to perform at the Living Theater and we were so excited,” she said in a recent telephone interview. “But then we realized that we needed props and costumes ... and fast.”

For the group’s first on-stage performance, “Scraps,” troupe member Remy Charlip was charged with creating inexpensive costumes and props on the fly made from whatever he could find. Mr. Charlip put his imagination and meager resources together and created a knight’s costume and castle out of cardboard boxes and paper.

“Remy amazed us with what he made and we realized right away that we didn’t need anything else,” Ms. Martin said. “Because child’s play is uncomplicated, imaginative and fun.”

And so the “Bags” have continued along with their simple style and passion for play, with only minor changes, since 1958.

Celebrating 50 years of performing with a retrospective of some of the troupe’s biggest hits, the Paper Bag Players will return to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Friday, November 28, with an hour-long performance of “Make a Little Room for Me!” The show will feature crowd-pleasers such as “I Won’t Take a Bath,” “Hot Feet,” “Very Good” and “Tree Angel.”

Staying true to the form that has worked for the last 50 years, the show will incorporate fantastic, non-moralistic, and comedic material based on children’s everyday experiences. “Make a Little Room for Me!” is composed of about a dozen vignettes that will include audience participation, singing, dancing, color, movement and outsize cardboard and paper props.

“Make a Little Room for Me!” was conceived, written and designed by Ms. Martin. Music in the production was created by Donald Ashwander and John Stone and the actors will include Ted Bracket, Laura Canty-Samuel, Amy Walsh and Kevin Richard Woodall.

Just as in the original Paper Bag Players—which included a painter, an actress, a dancer (Ms. Martin) and a children’s book writer (Mr. Charlip)—over the years there have been only four “Bags” at any given time.

Mr. Brackett, the troupe’s associate director, has been a company member for 20 years and is the director of this year’s production. He said in a recent telephone interview that he is especially proud to be able to show a slice of history with this particular 50th anniversary performance. “It’s a really strong show and flows really well,” he said. “It’s great to show the evolution of the Bags and how the old and new material all works so well together.”

The show at the PAC will open with “Best of Friends,” from the 1980s, in which 13-foot-tall cardboard figures Ruby and Bob declare themselves lifelong friends. The show, appropriate for children age 3 to 8, will continue with a variety of old and new favorites.

Skits from every decade of the Paper Bags’ run will be included in the production. “I Won’t Take a Bath” was written by original cast members Mr. Ashwander and Ms. Martin in the 1970s. “Hot Feet,” a musical piece about how to cool off on a hot summer day, was written in the 1990s and “Big Red Day” is a lyric piece from the early 1960s.

“We haven’t changed a word in ‘Big Red Day’ despite it being one of the oldest pieces in the show,” Mr. Brackett said. “To this day it casts a spell over the whole audience and kids are just held by it.”

Ms. Martin reported that though the actors and contemporary themes of the show have changed over the years, the formula for good children’s theater has remained the same. “The shows have always been happy, positive stories about learning,” she said, adding that this year’s production represents “the best of the best” from the long history of the troupe’s performances.

The Paper Bag Players have won three awards of excellence from the American Association for Theater and Education, three American Theater Wing Awards, the New York State Artists Award, the Broadway Theater Institute Award for Theater Education and the Children’s Theater Foundation Medallion. It is also the only children’s theater troupe to receive an Obie Award. Ms. Martin was recently honored with a Playful People Award from the children’s television station Nick Jr.

Enjoying 20 years as a Paper Bag Player, Mr. Brackett said he is proud of the work that he and his fellow troupe members have created over the years. Giving due credit to all past and current Paper Bag Players, he stressed that Ms. Martin deserves the greatest honors for the success of the group today.

“Judy has built a really strong base and she’s really been our guiding light and the driver of the bus for many, many years,” he said. “This year’s show—which I think is one of the best—ultimately comes from that creative spark that began 50 years ago and I hope will continue on for another 50 years.”

The OBIE Award-winning Paper Bag Players will perform “Make a Little Room for Me!,” a collection of jokes, dances and music, on Friday, November 28, at 3 p.m. at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. The show is appropriate for children from pre-school though age 8. Tickets are $15, $20 and $25. For more information, call 288-1500.