Mask-maker and Storyteller Michael Cooper Brings Family Fun to the Hylton Center this Weekend

Michael Cooper brings his enchanting one-man show, “Masked Marvels & Wondertales,” to the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 4 p.m. This talented visual artist and mime has almost 30 years of experience entertaining audiences and is sure to delight all members of the family. The performance is part of the second year of the popular Hylton Family Series, which encourages parents and children to enjoy and experience the arts together.

In “Masked Marvels & Wondertales,” Cooper reveals wildly wacky tales based on his own experiences growing up in the woods of northern Maine. The colorful cast of characters features dogs wearing costumes, wild stallions being tamed, giant noses sneezing and much more. Cooper’s combination of dramatic handcrafted masks, stilt dancing, physical comedy and original stories create a performance that is full of exciting adventures, funny antics and fantastical possibilities.

After graduating from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt. with a Peace Studies degree, Cooper realized that he wanted to combine his desire to appeal to humanity with his ability to entertain. This insight lead him to two of the world’s greatest contemporary mime artists, Etienne Decroux and Tony Montanaro, with whom he completed six years of theater training. He also mastered the art of mask-making, enabling him to create all of the extravagant masks used throughout his performances, some of which take up to 300 hours to complete. He has traveled the world performing his unique style of mime, presenting at venues such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Hong Kong International Children’s Festival, the Dublin Theater Festival and the Eugene O’Neill Theater.

The 2012-2013 Hylton Family Series concludes with Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” starring Peter Gros of the original Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” on Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Please visit HyltonCenter.org/family for information about this and other performances at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

Tickets for Michael Cooper’s “Masked Marvels & Wondertales” are $5 for children and $15 for adults. Visit the box office (open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit HyltonCenter.org. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus at 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va., 20110. FREE parking is available in the lot next to the Hylton Center. For more information, please visit HyltonCenter.org. Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/HyltonCenter and follow us on Twitter at @Hylton_PAC.