Puppet designer Greg Corbino’s hands manipulate the paper until it begins to take a round shape. Suddenly, the paper wrinkles and folds are an elephant’s eye.
Upstairs at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, the Obie Award–winning puppet designer has been building more than 50 puppets, including a nearly life-size elephant and several creatures that call Hawaiʻi home, such as a manta ray and a larger-than-life replica of a kāhuli, a native land snail, for the world premiere of “Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals,” which will have shows on Friday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 19, at Hawaiʻi Theatre.
“There's something about this last moment, working with the eye, when you’re using the paper and then you can step away and then you start to feel the soul of the puppet and the animal,” he said. “That's really fun to go from just cutting strips of cardboard and stapling and trying to see it and trying to find it. And then suddenly, you step away and start to say, ʻOh, there it is.’ But really, the most fun part is when these puppets, which right now are just still — when they get in the hands of brilliant puppeteers and on the stage — they just come to life. Every time, it takes my breath away.”
“Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals,” which is being presented by nonprofits Ocean Music Action and Hawaiʻi Theatre, is based on the famous suite, “The Carnival of the Animals,” by Camille Saint-Saëns, which was composed more than 100 years ago and consists of 14 short movements, often paired with dance, which feature animals. "Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals,” composed by Stephanie Ann Boyd, puts the spotlight on endangered animals, with live music from six musicians; dancers from Ballet Hawaiʻi and Dance Heginbotham; the voice of actor Moses Goods, who will narrate the experience and recite poetry about endangered animals written by keiki; and larger-than-life puppets.
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Greg Corbino in an empty room at Honolulu Museum of Art School, before he started building more than 50 puppets for "Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals." (Shawn Conley) 
Greg Corbino, left, and Megan Conley, right, with puppets under construction for the "Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals." (Aloha State Daily Staff)
Corbino’s fascination with puppets started in preschool when his teacher gave him one as a gift.
“I just got so interested in making stuff,” he said, as he crinkles up paper. “I remember my dad made me a puppet stage, and I was just always making puppets and putting on shows.”
After the Covid-19 pandemic, it was a creative outlet he returned to again. He made a giant 16-foot humpback whale, made entirely out of plastic bags and other debris he collected from the ocean. That was the start of falling back in love with making puppets, he said.
This year, he became a full-time puppet designer.
When the New York-based designer flew to Hawaiʻi, he said he brought tools, but used cardboard and paper that had been sourced locally.
“Oh my gosh,” said Megan Conley, president and founder of Ocean Music Action, when she opened the door of the studio and saw the frames of the elephant, turtle, polar bears, shark and more.
Corbino was demonstrating how a spring in the elephant’s trunk would move during the performances.
“He's an engineer, as well as an artist,” Conley said. “Puppetry is not something most of us are familiar with. … It's imaginative and creative and artistic. But then also, [it’s] the reality of ʻHow is this going to move?’ And the engineering behind it. It’s just so special and emotionally compelling.”
Also significant is that these puppets are made almost entirely out of recyclable materials.
“What they said was all of the cardboard — everything in this room — wasn't going to be recycled on island,” Conley said. “It was going to be shipped back to the Mainland. And then who knows? It's not just recycled material. It's material that was bound for a cargo ship. … Just saving those resources and instead creating beautiful art with it — it's just so beautiful.”
As part of his visit to Hawaiʻi, Corbino held a workshop at East-West Center, where community members of all ages could try their hand at puppet design.
“We made Hawksbill sea turtles,” he said.
Leading up to the performances, Conley has been leading community action events through Ocean Music Action, which is focused on connecting music and conservation. Several events remain, including Kāhuli Celebration Day at Bishop Museum on Sunday, Sept. 27. Details.
An elephant, as captured by a third grader at Prince Jonah Kūhiō Elementary School. (Courtesy of Ocean Music Action) 
A honu created by a fourth grader at ʻEwa Beach Elementary School. (Courtesy of Ocean Music Action) 
A blue whale, illustrated by a fifth grader at Hokulani Elementary School. (Courtesy of Ocean Music Action) 
Kāhuli, a native snail, as drawn by a fourth grader at Kapunahala Elementary School. (Courtesy of Ocean Music Action) 
Endangered animals, as captured by a fifth grade student at Hokulani Elementary School. (Courtesy of Ocean Music Action) 
A polar bear, as drawn by a student at Likelike Elementary School. (Courtesy of Ocean Music Action)
Conley hopes the show helps “shift the culture,” she said.
“We have the world that we live in, and our role as artists is to paint this beautiful tomorrow,” she said. “How can it be different and better for animals? Like the beautiful animals that he is creating, but it's really for all of us. And in Hawaiʻi, culturally, there's that understanding of the reciprocity — the reciprocal relationship we have with nature.”
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
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