• Commissioned Masks

  For the discerning collector we create custom works of art based on existing pieces or original ideas. Contact us for consultation and pricing.

  PREVIEW

• Masks for Rent

  Many of our masks are available for rental. This is an ideal way to gain the use of dramatic masks with a limited budget. Perfect for theater, dance, and opera companies, video production, musical groups, and party events.

• Masks for Sale

  We offer a variety of wire framed ½, ¾ and full-face masks, as well as helmet masks, forehead masks, body masks, and more.
  Our mask line also includes unframed fabric masks that are lightweight, inexpensive, and suitable for parties and play. Etsy

  PREVIEW

• Casting and Mold Making

  Let your artistic visions come to life with Behind the Mask's custom casting and mold making. We work with silicone, urethane, plaster, and other materials to create molds for masks, props, and body castings, including pregnancy casting (we recommend silicone casting for pregnancy cast).
  We also create personalized portrait and double portrait masks cast from life, for birthdays, weddings, Valentines Day, and other special occasions.

  PREVIEW

• Costumes

  We have been making costumes for our own productions for 20 years. We now offer a full range of costume services and rentals. For our latest project we created 40 costumes for Contemporary Theater of Boston's production of "Midsummer Night's Dream".

• Repairs and Warranties

  Behind the Mask Studio offers mask and sculpture repair for artworks in a variety of media. Our masks are made to our exacting construction standards. Even so, masks must be treated with care. We offer a limited warranty on all masks that we sell, which includes refitting and minor repirs due to normal wear and tear.

• "The Woman Who Outshone the Sun"

  A beautiful and mysterious woman with magical powers is exiled from a mountain village and she takes away its water source, a vital river. Through their suffering for what they have lost, the villagers learn important lessons of tolerance, forgiveness, and the frailty of the ecosystem. Performed as a bilingual story (Spanish & English), and based on a poem by Alejandro Cruz Martinez.
  Children’s performance for ages 4-10 .

  PREVIEW

• "Once Upon a Time"

  A masque of magical stories from the Brothers Grimm, Italo Calvino, and Celtic legend, performed to music as old as the tales and as new as the telling. Hark to the Hobgoblin, laugh with foolish Arlecchino, learn the lore of the Druid, understand the language of animals, and let the siren spell of the mermaid's song enchant you into a wondrous world of rags to riches, the hero's quest, and true love lost and found.
  This show is suitable for all ages.

  PREVIEW

• "Cat Mountain"

  Cat Mountain tells the story of Sho, a young servant girl, who journeys to a strange and far-off mountain, where she hopes to find her freedom and her lost cat. But as the people she meets on the way tell her – “ No one has ever returned from Cat Mountain!” Puppetry, dance, masks, and Japanese theater-styles all combine in Behind The Mask's original adaptation of this magical folktale.
  Children’s performance for ages 4-10.

  PREVIEW

• "Lion Dancer"

  Inspired by the legends of Budai, the Laughing Buddha, Lion Dancer dramatizes the story of the Lion Dance, seen at every Chinese New Year's celebration. A mysterious stranger summons a magical and noble Lion, who chases away a terrible dragon, the Nian, from a peaceful village. This program features phantasmagorical masks and costumes, stunning martial arts, and traditional Chinese Lion Dance, and includes instruction in lion dancing.
  Program Time: 55 minutes ; performance 20 minutes, workshop 20 minutes, talkback 15 minutes.

  PREVIEW

• "Monkey King Tales”

  A Chinese folk epic told through storytelling, masks, shadow puppetry, original music and martial arts! Behind the Mask Theatre brings Monkey King to life, a boisterous and unlikely hero in search of immortality, who causes havoc in Heaven and on Earth.
  This show is suitable for all ages.

  PREVIEW

• "Masks of Odysseus"

  You've heard Homer tell it; now hear it from the characters themselves! Hear the tales of Polyphemos the cyclops, Circe the Sorceress, Posidon the raging sea god, Telemachus the son, and more. Truly, the hero touches us all, always with liberating or devastating effects.
  This show is suitable for ages 8 to adults.

  PREVIEW

Teatro delle Maschere

Teatro delle Maschere is Behind the Mask Studio’s in house commedia dell’arte troupe under the direction of actor and playwright, Ian Thal /blog. Commedia dell’arte is a comedic theatre form that used masks and improvisation that arose in 16th century Italy. Its characters, plots, and antics directly inspired such playwrights as Shakespeare, Dario Fo, and Fredrico Garcia Lorca, as well as such popular entertainment as Punch & Judy.
Teatro delle Maschere creates comic presentations for both young and adult audiences also gives workshops in mime and commedia dell’arte for students and artists.

* "Art of the Mask" classes are held at our studio in Davis Sq.
Address and Directions

• Art 0f the Mask / AOTM 01

  We will discuss Italian, Balinese, and African styles of mask making. You will design and create your own durable, ready-to-wear mask. Course covers mask design, face casting, clay and paper mache techniques, painting and finishing techniques.
  Prerequisite: none
  8 weeks / 6:30 - 8:30pm
  Fee: $225
  Register

  PREVIEW

  AOTM 02

  This is the intro class to "free-building," a versatile approach to mask construction utilizing simple materials, found objects, and other easy-to-find components to build a basic face/helmet mask. Instead of just the facial area being developed, the headpiece will be incorporated into the design to create a small helmet mask that straps under the chin. So if you ever dreamed of making a Medusa, green man, or any other character that would benefit from a more encompassing design, here it is! This class will also prepare you for Mask III, where we construct giant parade & festival masks with similar principles and materials.
  Prerequisite: AOTM 01 or have permission of the instructor.
  8 weeks / 6:30 - 8:30pm
  Fee: $225
  Register

  AOTM 03
  Starting November 2, 2011.

  Learn to build large scale helmet and body masks suitable for outdoor festivals, parades, and processions, such as Venetian Carnevale and Basel Fasnacht - with the option to wear them at our First Night® appearances. Syllabus and materials list sent to registered students.
  examples of students' work
  Prerequisite: AMTM 01 and AOTM 02, or permission of the instructor.
  8 weeks / 6:30 - 8:30pm
  Fee: $225
  Register

  AOTM 04
  Mold – Making Master Class
  
  This is the one you all wanted! Design and create durable, finely crafted papier mâche masks suitable for high level performances or gallery display. In this master class you will create a custom plaster face cast, sculpt in plasticene, fashion a 2-part plaster negative mold & mother mold, cast into this with BTM’s unique system for papier mâche, trim, paint, and craft your finished face and small helmet mask into a fine work of art.
  Prerequisite: AOTM 01 or have permission of the instructor.
  10 Wednesdays / 6:30-8:30pm
  Instructor: Eric Bornstein / About us
  Fee: $265

  
  Register

  Portrait Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

  A portrait is more than a face! Based in part on Betty Edwards' ground-breaking book, Drawing On The Right Side of The Brain, the curriculum systematically introduces vital perceptual drawing skills to help organize visual information and capture the essence of your subjects. Classes will focus on gaining a familiarity with useful drawing strategies, materials, issues of composition, and attainment of the right ambience to render effective works. Bring medium/soft pure graphite pencil, vine charcoal, and 18" x 24" newsprint or white drawing pad to first class.
  Duration: Full semester (2-hour classes) or single classes.
  Contact us for more information.

• Residencies

  Behind the Mask Studio school presentors have delivered innovative arts education to the finest schools in the region, including The Shady Hill School and The Windsor School. Most BTM programs are anchored by one of our mask theater performances. Behind the Mask Studio residency programs are customized to meet with Massachusetts State Curriculum Guideline Standards and your class curriculm for maximum relevance. To keep our programs and techniques active in your classrooms, professional development sessions are available for school educators. We work together with faculty and administrators to ensure successful programs. Program offerings include: Quick Mask Making, Performing the Mask, Masks of the World, Shadow Puppetry, Theater Development, Painting Faux Finishes for Masks, Giant Collage Murals, Art of the Mask 002, Portrait Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

  PREVIEW

  Quick Mask Making

  Working buffet style, students select an appropriate elastic strapped papier mache mask blank and then proceed to choose materials, such as cheneille stems, pony beads, jewels, feathers, fur, or fabric, to apply at glueing stations, before augmenting with painted patterns and textures. Finished masks are padded to ensure a comfortable fit. Educators display samples, discuss techniques, and facilitate each process. This workshop can be adapted for any age group, from young children to adults.

  Performing the Mask

  Bring your mask to life through movement! Discover the postures, movements, sounds, and personality of any mask. Course includes special mask-theatre exercises, guided play, and a chance to perform to the group. Masks will be provided.
  Duration: 3 hours

  Masks of the World

  Slide Lecture From Africa to Bali, Italy to Kalimantan, and from Switzerland to Argentina, astonishing masks have been created across the world for ritual, theater, and festivals since the earliest times. Master mask maker Eric Bornstein takes you on an exciting tour of world masking traditions, from the classic traditions to those you have never seen before.

  Shadow Puppetry

  Presenters give background to shadow puppetry, and demonstrate examples, including a traditional Indonesian wayang kulit shadow puppet. Students then design, construct and perform their creations on our shadow screen.

  PREVIEW

  Theater Development

  A professional theater director leads children in theater projcts ranging from readers theater, scene development, to full short plays with script work, theater games, and stage direction.

• Halloween Mask Making

  Unleash the creatures of the night! Be ready for this season's costume party with a beautiful, durable, hand-made mask of your own design. The masks will be made from simple recyclable material: papier mache, fabric, cardboard, and foam. Working from a clear, concise syllabus, we will work each stage weekly together in class with some take-home work. The finished product: a professional-quality mask suitable for parties, performances, or display, that will outclass any store-bought mask.

  Painting Faux Finishes for Masks

  Learn the secrets to magical painting! Master mask maker Eric Bornstein leads students through a variety of mask painting techniques, including spongeing, scumbling/drybrush, rubbing, ragging, collage, and many more! These techniques are most suitable to work with acrylic paint.

  Giant Collage Murals

  Giant collage brings group efforts into monumental results! Using paint and a variety of torn and cut paper and fabric materials, we will design and then lay out and piece together our collaged materials.

  Purim Mask Making for Kids

  Create quick and fun masks with paper bags, paints, and decorative materials. Choose from your favorite Purim characters. Everyone will come out with a finished mask. Wear smocks or old clothing.
  Suitable for ages 5-10. 2 hr. 30 min.

  Purim Puppet Making

  Create quick and fun shadow puppets with cardboard, dowels, and other simple materials. Choose your favorite Purim characters. Everyone will come out with a finished puppet, suitable for performance. Wear smocks or old clothing.
  Suitable for age 8 and up.
  Duration: 2 hr. 30 min.

  Drawing the Mask

  In this valuable workshop for all aspiring mask makers, through drawing exercises, we explore with drawing exercises the language of the face: gender, age, emotion, status, character, and archetype. Considerations concerning special functions of the mask design, as when designing for dancers, singers, and actors will also be covered.

  Figures and Faces as Collage

  Drawing inspiration from Romare Beardon, the Dadaists, and contemporary collage artists, we will explore the possibilities of using colored paper, tissue paper, fabric, printed words, and found matrials to create stunning and unique works of art. Exercises include: limited palette compositions, self portraits, mosaic, the power of words, and lost objects re-found.
  This class is suitable for ages 8 to adults.

  Surface Secrets: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Creating Paint Effects, Faux Finishes, and Relief Surfaces

  Learn a wide variety of the amazing painting and surfacing techniques that are used to create art for award-winning Behind The Mask Studio. Patination, crackle glaze, scumbling, gold-leafing, rubbing, mixed media relief, lapis lazuli, and many other effects will be covered. Open to all levels.

To register please make out check to Behind the Mask
Mailing address: Behind the Mask c/o Eric Bornstein
6 Campbell Park Place (private way)
West Somerville, MA 02144

Refunds for Behind the Mask classes.
Class fees are non-refoundable. If you drop out of a class the pro-rated balance can be applied to any BTM class, product or service.
If you can not attend the class you can arrange for one make up class free of charge.

Hire Us for Parties and Special Events

Let Behind the Mask host your next party or special event! Our indoor and covered outdoor spaces provide a venue any time of the day or night, rain or shine, and at most times of year. Need to make your special events even more fantastic with live entertainment? We've got you covered with a variety of live performances, including but not limited to musicians, actors, puppeteers, and storytellers! Our outdoor space is available mid-spring through mid-fall.

Kids' Parties and Workshops

A regular birthday becomes a trip into the imagination when your child has his/her party with Behind the Mask Studio! Live performances, customized themed parties, and kids' mask/puppet making workshops transform your child's birthday, bar/bat mitzvah, graduation or other special event into an unforgettable, hands-on creative experience! Contact us to schedule a date.

Stage

The Behind the Mask Studio stage, recently inaugurated with Ian Thal's irreverent and delightful Commedia dell'Arte show "Arlecchino am Ravenous," is available now for rehearsals, events and performances! This new outdoor venue for musicians, storytellers, puppeteers, actors, and other performing artists is available mid-spring through mid-fall and seats up to 25 people. Studio stage rental rates begin at $25/hr.

January/February 2012

Surface Secrets: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Creating Paint Effects, Faux Finishes, and Relief Surfaces
9 Wednesdays 6:30-9:30 pm starting Jan. 4 until Feb 29, 2012
*Nine individual workshops that can be taken separately or as a group. Learn a wide variety of the amazing painting and surfacing techniques that are used to create art for award-winning Behind The Mask Studio. Patination, crackle glaze, scumbling, gold-leafing, rubbing, mixed media relief, lapis lazuli, and many other effects will be covered. Open to all levels.
$40 per workshop/basic masks and materials provided
$144 for January term (4 weeks)
$175 for February term (5 weeks)
$305 for Jan/Feb terms (9 weeks)

October 7, 2011 - January 16, 2012
PuppetPaloozBeauty and the Beast Hand Puppets created by Paul Vincent Davisa Exhibit
Thompson Gallery
Explore the wild and wonderful world of puppets—from tiny finger puppets to huge street puppets—in this playful and highly interactive exhibit. Become a puppeteer—make a dragon street puppet slither through the gallery, cast a puppet's shadow across a screen, pull the strings of a marionette, or put on
a show with hand puppets.
This playful exhibit features puppets on loan to the museum from award-winning puppeteers including Paul Vincent Davis of Puppet Showplace Theatre and Judith O’Hare of You and Me Puppets, as well as other renowned puppeteers such as Tony Sarg, Bill Ballard, and Mary Churchill and several
from the museum’s collection. Many of the puppets on display are generously loaned by The Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry at University of Connecticut, Puppet Showplace Theatre, Puppet Free Library, Behind the Mask Studio, and You and Me Puppets.
http://www.wenhammuseum.org/exhibits.html

January 21 / Monkey King Tales performance
2:00-3:15
Recommended for ages 5 and up accompanied by an adult
Join us in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, for a special collaborative performance with Behind the Mask Studio and puppeteer Margaret Moody! Come meet the Monkey King and the Laughing Buddha and celebrate the Chinese New Year with this folk epic told through puppetry, storytelling, and masks.
http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/family (AFTER December 19)

Cat Mountain
1-12A
Japanese folk tale comes to life in this theater performance with original music, masks, and traditional Japanese songs. Listen and experience the story of Sho, a servant girl who journeys to Cat Mountain where she hopes to find her cat and her own freedom.
Performance Length: 45-60 minutes

January 25 / Cat Mountain performance
http://puppetshowplace.org
Behind the Mask Studio
10:30AM

January 26 / Cat Mountain performance
http://puppetshowplace.org
Behind the Mask Studio
10:30AM

January 28 / Cat Mountain performance
http://puppetshowplace.org
Behind the Mask Studio
1PM & 3PM

January 29 / Cat Mountain performance
http://puppetshowplace.org
Behind the Mask Studio
1PM & 3PM

June 12 / Cat Mountain performance
Mary Baker Eddy Library, Boston, MA
The Woman Who Outshone The Sun
sponsored by Young Audiences of Massachusetts
Harvard Tenants of Roxbury

June 4 / Cambridge River Festival 2011
12-6 pm
www.cambridgeartscouncil.org

May 25 / Cat Mountain performance
1 pm
Horace Mann School/ Melrose, MA

May 12 / The Woman Who Outshone The Sun performance
10:00 am
sponsored by Young Audiences of Massachusetts

May 7 / Wake Up The Earth Festival / Spontaneous Celebrations
Jamaica Plain, MA 1:00 - 5:00 pm

April 30 / May 1
Somerville Artists Open Studios
Christ Church in Harvard Sq
Zero Garden Street
Cambridge, MA
10 - 3 pm
www.cccambridge.org

April 30 / Shakespeare’s Birthday Parade
Shakespeare’s Birthday Slam / Cambridge, MA
The parade starts at 12:00 pm in Central Square on the City Hall Lawn and
proceeds down Mass Ave to Palmer Street
"Teatro Delle Maschere’s" theatrical tribute to the bard with a selection of “As You Like It”, done in Commedia style starts at 3:00 pm

April 23 Open House
National Day of Puppetry
Open house 10:00 -11:00 am
Procession on Boston Common and puppetry performances at different locations 11:30 - 1:30 pm
www.puppetshowplace.org

April 20
Children's Services Nevins Memorial Library
10:00 am
305 Broadway Methuen, MA 01844

April 18 / The Woman Who Outshone The Sun performance
The Academy of Music/ Northampton, MA / Performance at 11:00 am

April 10 / Bent Wit Cabaret
A cabaret style showcase of cutting edge acts from burlesque to puppetry.
8:00 pm. Club Oberon, Cambridge, MA
www.axe2ice.com
www.facebook.com (: Invite all your friends and followers!

April 6—May 25
Art of The Mask 01
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Behind The Mask Studio, Davis Square, Somerville, MA

April 2 - May 2
“SOS Group Exhibit” Inside-Out Gallery (CVS Window) 1 Davis Square, Somerville Arts Council and SOS

April 2
Mask Sale @ “Spring Fling”
Salem Old Town Hall, 1 Derby Square, Salem, MA
Presented by Pamplemousse
978. 745. 2900
6:00 – 9:00 pm
www.salemspringfling.com
www.facebook.com

March 31 - May 19
Figure Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
5:45 – 7:45 pm
56 Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge MA
Register: www.ccae.org

March 30
The Illustrative Mask
Massachusetts College of Art
Eric Bornstein will talk about his mask making techniques.
student work

December 4, 5 / Unique Crafts Fair at Snow Mall
Location: Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA, 02143
Time: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Parking: Street Parking Lot
Public Transit:
Arts at the Armory is approximately a 15 minute walk from Davis Square which is on the MTBA Red Line. You can also find us by using either the MBTA RT 88 and RT 90 bus that can be caught either at Lechmere (Green Line) or Davis Square (Red Line). Get off at the Highland Avenue and Lowell Street stop. You can also get to us from Sullivan Square (Orange Line) by using the MBTA RT 90 bus. Get off at the Highland Avenue and Benton Road stop.
http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1225331210397&sk=messages#!/pages/Somerville-MA/Snow-Mall/162978113718209
http://twitter.com/SnowMall
http://www.artsatthearmory.org/

ULTERIA'S WINTER MASQUERADE NIGHT
Saturday, December 4 at 9:00pm - December 5 at 2:00am
Location: Partners Cafe
365 Crown Street
New Haven, CT
http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1225331210397&sk=messages#!/event.php?eid=112170132182295

December 16 / Purim Mask Making: Professional Development Workshop for Arts Educators
(Private Event)
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Lappin Foundation
Peabody, Mass.
Inspirational Jewish Teaching
Mask making workshop for teachers in preparation for Purim
http://rilcf.org/wordpress/?page_id=16

December 16 / The Sultan Who Had An Itch
(Private Event)
Time: 7:00-7:30 pm & 7:30-8:00 pm
The Family Center
366 Somerville Avenue
Union Square
Somerville, MA 02143-2919
(617) 628-8815
http://www.thefamilycenterinc.org/OurPrograms/ClassEventCalendar.html

Tuesday, December 28 / Cat Mountain
(Private Event)
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Marlborough Senior Center, 250 Main Street, Marlborough, MA 01752.
Open to the public
For more info contact Barbara Worrest
Arts Alliance
http://our.web-scheduler.net/?CID=287&sid=&ID=81700&t=1293562800&v=event

Saturday, November, 13, 2010 / Puppet Slam
Adult-oriented puppetry featuring the bawdy and risqué antics of local and visiting artists, including BTM’s Teatro della Maschere, and others.
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Puppet Showplace Theater; 32 Station Street, Brookline Village, Mass. Brookline Village T stop | D Line.
Fee: $10.00

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 / Art of the Mask 03
Learn to build large scale helmet and body masks suitable for outdoor festivals, parades, and processions, such as Venetian Carnevale and Basel Fasnacht - with the option to wear them at our First Night® appearances. Syllabus and materials list sent to registered students.
Prerequisite: AMTM 01 and AOTM 02 or permission of the instructor.
8 weeks / 6:30 - 8:30pm
Fee: $225

Sunday October, 24 / Somerville Halloween Crafts Fair
We will be there with our masks for sale (-:
info

Saturday, October 23, 2010 / Darq Fashion Show
Goth/Industrial night – A Halloween fashion show featuring Suki’s Darewear & Behind The Mask Studio’s creepiest masks!
Bangkok Paradise Restaurant
Time: 9:30 pm – 1:00 am
Location: 90 Washington Street, Salem, Mass.
Cover charge: $10.00

October 22 through November 12 / Halloween Ho-Downs at 242!
Mask exhibit at Space 242
visit www.space242.com

Friday, October 15, 2010 / Halloween All-Ages Mask Making Jamboree
An evening of mask-related programming, including workshops, demonstrations, exhibit, and masks for sale. More information about this event will be available at http://www.puppetshowplace.org
Location: Puppet Showplace Theater; 32 Station Street, Brookline Village, Mass. Brookline Village T stop | D Line.
Entrance Fee: $5.00 per person, workshops $5.00 - $10.00 per person

Columbus Day Weekend – October 8th, 9th and 10th, 2010 / StrowlerCon – Northeast Strowler Event
Eclectic event with circus performers, music, daytime activities, panels, exhibits, and workshops. SJ Tucker and Tricky Pixie headline the musical offerings. Behind the Mask Studio is offering mask making demonstrations and presents new line of masks for sale. Find more information about this event at http://www.strowlers.com/events/strowlercon
Location: Holiday Inn 15 Middlesex Canal Park Drive, Woburn, Mass.
Fee: $45.00 weekend passes.

Ongoing / Giant Brother Blue Puppet Installation
Come visit the parade pieces used to open this year’s Cambridge River Festival in the first annual tribute to beloved storyteller Brother Blue.
Location: Porter Square at the Porter Square Shopping Plaza, in the window next to the Shaw’s entrance.
Presented by the Cambridge Arts Council.
Free to the public.

Behind the Mask Studio was founded by Eric Bornstein in 1990. We specialize in mask theater, arts education, custom made masks and costumes. Our company has worked with a wide variety of artists, performance groups, and institutions, including the Boston Ballet, Windsor School, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Public articles and interviews: Boston Globe / Phoenix / youtube

Mask-making is about rich storytelling, and fascinating characters – human, animal, and magical. When I create a mask, I celebrate the depth and diversity of the stories I love, the natural and mystical worlds we inhabit, and my very own soul.

Eric Bornstein MLA Harvard 2000 Fine Arts

When I tell people that I am a professional mask maker, they’re usually speechless. They rack their brains for a relevant follow-up, searching for scant references to my line of work. Perhaps they briefly envision an African carver squatting over a piece of wood in a hut, or a Venetian artisan laboring in his atelier/shop. Some might think of The Phantom of the Opera or Julie Taymor’s work for The Lion King. But few can grasp just what I do, or the idea that anyone from America could have such a job.

Mask-making is as odd an occupation as one can imagine, but not for me. I’ve studied visual and performing arts throughout my life, earning degrees in studio art and art history. I have conducted academic research in folklore and psychology, and have traveled to Bali and Italy for formal training in native mask making. I don masks for intimate, children’s theater shows, and parade as a Chinese Dragon before tens of thousands on New Year’s Eve. It’s the type of resume that, well, one might expect a mask-maker to have. But why have I fallen in love with such a unique art? Why have I made this my life’s work? For starters, mask-making is a transcendent art, something that continually introduces me to new cultures and ages of history long passed. Mask-making is about rich storytelling, and fascinating characters – human, animal, and magical. When I create a mask, I celebrate the depth and diversity of the stories I love, the natural and mystical worlds we inhabit, and my very own soul.

If my task is to make the mask of an owl, I first ask, “What owl? Male, female, old, young, wise, or foolish?” Over the next 25, 50 or 100 hours – indeed, the most intricate mask can take that long to create – I explore the character through study, sketching, thought and visualization. I might be further guided by a script, a director, or a personal experience in my life. In the end, maybe the mask that emerges is that of a fierce, Great Horned Owl. Or maybe, it’s a nebbish little bird with thick bifocals.

Beyond the finished product, my work gives me balance. It’s rewarding, purposeful, and celebratory. When performing, I am interacting with fellow actors and a huge audience. But I also hold dear my solitary studio time. These are the most satisfying and exciting aspects of my path as an artist – the relationships with extraordinary individuals that emerge from my work, and the opportunity to explore my own artistic wanderings. With masks, the range of artistic motifs and personality types is limitless.

For a mask to be powerful, of course, the character needs to resonate strongly within me, and express something important about me. I might trudge to the woods or to a zoo to observe owls as they fly, hunt and rest. My mask must mimic their essential characteristics, but it must also allow the actor or dancer who wears it to move freely. What points do I augment, tone down, or accent? How do I fuse the bird’s emotions with those of the performer? Hopefully, with each incremental decision I make, the mask’s form, rhythm and texture emerge on their own. In that way, the mask exhibits my own personality as well. And for sure, it will be nothing like than the next one I create.

Studio address

6 Campbell Park Place (private way), West Somerville, Mass. 02144
behindthemask1@gmail.com | 617. 417. 4961
Our studio is generally open from 10am to 6pm, Monday through Friday by appointment.
We are located just minutes away from Davis Square T-stop.
Free parking is available.

Directions to Behind The Mask Studio
By Car [ map ]
By Subway
Take the Red Line T to Davis Square
Exit Turnstiles towards Holland Street
Off Stairs/Escalators exit left to Meacham Street
Walk through small park to bike path, walk 25 yards to circle
Exit Path to left and turn right onto Kingston Street
Walk ½ block to Campbell Park Place and turn right
Our house is #6 on the left against the bike path fence
The studio is in the rear.