What To Know About Attending a Paperhand Show

(At the Forest Theatre at UNC)

If you have questions, please DO NOT call the NC Botanical Gardens. Use the contact form to reach our front of house at the end of this page.
We will get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Forest Theater was built in 1916 and it is made of stone and wood. Therefore, it’s not the most comfy place. But it is a beautiful spot to see us perform every year. Because this is a natural outdoor theater, please not that wildlife does reside in the forests surrounding the theater. Please exercise caution when entering the sides of the theater as well as allowing children to play in the woods.

    Please bring stadium seats, cushions or blankets to sit on. We ask that you do not bring lawn chairs as they take up a lot of room and our shows are well attended and we want everyone to have a spot to see us perform.

    You’re welcome to come early and bring a picnic if you like! It’s a great way to get a choice seat and enjoy the pre-show. We also strongly encourage folks to bring reusable water bottles.

    Please remember to pack out whatever you take in to the Forest Theatre. There are several trash cans and orange recycling bins for your use. Please take a minute after the show to pick up any fallen trash or food and dispose of recyclables in the orange bins.

    Phone use is allowed at performances, but please silence your ringtone and be courteous of those around you.

    Please not that all tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE. We give vouchers for rained out dates and if you don’t have the time to see us again in the season, your ticket is a donation to our organization. More information about vouchers is provided further down in the FAQs. Paperhand Puppet Project is a 501(c)(3). Your ticket not only gives our creative community jobs throughout the summer but helps us educate the next generation of artists as well as serve our community.

  • We try to adhere to the adage, “The show must go on,” however, occasionally we have to postpone or cancel a show to prevent damage to the puppets, instruments and sound equipment.

    Rain before a show: We wait until 6:00 pm at the latest to make a final decision as to whether or not the show can go on.

    Rain during a show: We will pause the show to see if the rain will pass, but will not delay the show longer than 30 mins.

    Updates will be posted on our Facebook page, on our Instagram and ticket buyers will also receive an email notifying them of changes. WE ALWAYS POST ABOUT RAIN CANCELLATIONS. We do not always have time to respond to an influx of emails as we prepare for shows, so please refrain from emailing us about cancellations.

    In the event of rain and the show needs to be canceled, Paperhand will issue you a voucher to order tickets for another date for this year’s run. This is a change we made in 2024. Previously, we would allow you to just show up for another show. This system presented problems due to the limited seating at sold out events. Reissuing tickets will allow us to make sure that we do not exceed our seating capacity on a given night. But please note, all sales are final and there will be no refunds.

  • The Forest Theatre is over 100 years old. And therefore, it is not the most accessible venue. We do our best to do what we can, but we cannot change the infrastructure of the theater.

    The Forest Theatre is made of rustic stone and wood. We recommend bringing a stadium seat, cushion or blanket.

    Inside the Theatre:

    There are no handicap accessible ramps within or around the theater.

    Seating: There is wheelchair seating on a ledge beside the speaker, however the sound is louder here, so please bring ear plugs in case you need them.

    We recommend entering at the entrance off Country Club Rd if you are able to be dropped off.

    Parking:

    We recommend arriving an hour early to find parking - there are a few handicap scapes in the lot directly behind the Forest Theater. Our crew is happy to help people that use wheelchairs and other mobility devices to find a way to see the show. You can find more about parking in the parking section of the FAQ.

    If you would like to view the seating beforehand, the Forest Theatre is open to the public throughout the day.

    if you have any questions about accessibility or if you would like to let us know in advance that you have accessibility needs, please email us or use the form below on this page at least 24 hours before the show you need to see. It is hard for us to respond to emails in the hours leading up to a show.

  • You should anticipate that if you sit closer to the stage, that the louder the sound is. We have a large sound system, so if you sit closer to the stage, of if you have sensitive hearing, it may be good to bring earplugs or headphones.

    If you want to get ideal seating, we recommend showing up an hour before showtime- around 5:30pm for evening shows or 1:30pm for matinees

What to Expect/About the Venue

  • Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for students and senior citizens,
    $15 for children ages 4-14 and free for children ages 3 and under.

    However, we feel that it’s important to make art accessible to all – we won’t turn anyone away due to lack of funds. Pay what you can tickets are only available at our shows and not online.

  • Tickets are available by pre-sale online. They usually go on sale in June. There is a limit of 800 pre-sale tickets per show. 200 tickets will be held at the door for folks without access to digital ticketing.

    Please note that there are no physical paper tickets. You can show us proof of purchase on your phone or just show up and tell us your name – if you buy tickets online, your name will be on a list that we have at the door. There is a PDF link to your tickets on the bottom of your confirmation email.

    All tickets sold at the theatre are on a first come first serve basis. Seating is general admission.

    If you need to switch show nights - keep reading in the dropdowns below!

  • The Forest Theatre’s address is 123 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. It is located on the eastern part of the UNC campus and is sandwiched between Boundary Road (north side of the theatre) and Country Club Drive (south side of theatre). The entrance is on Country Club Road and directly across the street from Playmakers Repertory Theatre.

  • You’re welcome to bring a picnic dinner or any other food to the Forest Theatre. The closest spots to find food is off Franklin Street, which is about a 15-20 minute walk to most restaurants.

    Event goers should bring their own water to the Forest Theatre shows. We also have water available at the front of the house tables off Country Club Rd.

    As we get closer to showtime, you wll be asked to consolidate your space so that we can seat everyone who has purchased tickets for that evening.

  • We ask that the lot directly behind Forest Theatre be reserved for disability and performer parking.

    Parking off S. Boundary Street is FREE after 5pm on Friday as well as on the weekends.

    Parking can be a little tricky in Chapel Hill. Your best option is the Park Place Lot, located on S. Boundary St. just beyond the Forest Theatre. If the Park Place lot is full, the visitor lot on South/Raleigh Rd is not too far away. Street parking is open to the public most nights and weekends. Parking can be harder to find when UNC has a home football game, so we suggest arriving extra early to find a spot and walk over to the theater. You can find the UNC campus parking map HERE.

    Franklin St Parking: There are parking decks on Franklin Street that are a short walk away, check out the Franklin St Parking Map (PARK ON THE HILL) for more info.

    ALWAYS read the signs before you park and NEVER park in unauthorized spaces or along the road – they WILL ticket and/or tow!

  • Port-a-potties are located near the main entrance of The Forest Theater.

  • Pets are not allowed at The Forest Theatre. Service animals are, of course, welcome.

  • Smoking is not allowed at the Forest Theatre.

  • All sales are final and there will be no refunds. You may change the date of your tickets to another performance up to one day prior to the performance. Instructions are below under the transfer ticket dropdown.

    Please note that if you cannot attend a show after you’ve purchased tickets, your purchase supports us in our off-season. Paperhand is a 501c3 non-profit and we educate the next generation of puppeteers as well as serve our community through the art of puppetry.

  • Yes! Our new ticket platform allows you to do this yourself. Please see instructions below under the transfer ticket dropdown.

  • If you have NOT been issued a voucher due to a rained out show, then yes, you can transfer your tickets. Please see the instructions below, as you can do this yourself.

    1. From your order confirmation email that you received from Paperhand when you purchased your original tickets, there are two links that you may select, Manage Tickets or Contact the Event Organizer. Select "Manage Tickets".

    2. You will receive another email with a subject "Manage your tickets". Open the email and select the "Manager your tickets"

    3. A page will open for you to enter the email that you used to purchase your original tickets. You will be asked to complete the security process. Then select "Get a secure login link"

    4. You will receive a notification that a login link has been sent to your email. If you do not receive this email, be sure your email is correct or contact the box office at tickets@paperhand.org

    5. In the new email, select manage tickets again and you will open a page that says "View Order". Select view order.

    6. From this point, select reschedule select the new date from the drop down. Your will be asked to confirm the change. You will receive three emails: a cancellation of you original tickets, a confirmation of the new tickets and the email with your QR codes.

About Our Shows

  • Our Summer Shows are created for everyone. Adults and children of all ages are welcome. Some small kids are startled by the combination of loud sounds and large moving objects. Try sitting in the back for your first show and move closer each time you come until they are hooked, and become fans for life.

  • Most of our shows run approximately 1.5 hours with no intermission. You can expect our shows to be done by no later than 9pm for evening shows at 5pm for matinees.

    Openers go on at 6:20pm for the evening shows and 2:20 for the matinees.

    We have an opening welcome from our executive director, Donovan Zimmerman. Then we present our show - which ends with a LIVE shadow puppet show - this is not a video and helps end our shows by honoring the ancient form of puppetry. We hope you enjoy it!

  • Evening performances begin at 7:00 with a pre-show act at 6:20. Matinees begin at 3:00 with a pre-show act at 2:20.

    We highly recommend arriving early to see the wonderful opening acts and to ensure you get the seating you desire.

    On Saturday’s, we recommend arriving extra early (around 5:30) to ensure you have a seat. For Sunday matinees, we recommend arriving an hour early at 1:30pm. Saturday shows as well as Sunday matinees at the Forest Theatre usually sell out! Get there EXTRA early or, if possible, choose a Friday or Sunday. Same great show, more elbow room. Give yourself some extra time to find parking as well!

  • Desire to have more room with friends and family at the show? Then attend a Friday or Sunday performance! Saturdays are our most attended shows. At The Forest Theatre, these performances are at full capacity and it’s necessary for everyone to scoot in and make room for all to enjoy the show.

  • Sometimes. Some of our shadow puppet and illuminated segments of the performance necessitate darkness. Therefore, we may shift the performance slightly in order for the show to be beautifully presented!

  • Yes! You can purchase t-shirts and stickers at our Front of House tables off Country Club Rd during the show. Be sure to stop by our “Cheap Art” table for incredible unique art made by our cast and crew. Cheap Art is exclusively available only at our summer shows and cannot be shipped!

  • We love talking to the audience and are happy to show off the puppets after the show. That being said, packing up at the end of the night is quite a process. We carry heavy and sometimes delicate materials, so we ask that you be mindful and make room for the puppeteers and musicians who begin packing up after the show.

  • Each show has a different story, but much of our work revolves around climate change, healing, connecting with the earth and our communities. We use our platform to lift up voices that are not normally heard. If you want to learn more about us, head to our About page. Head to the show page to learn more about it!

Still have questions?

Email us directly using the form below.