Basil Twist and Lee Nagrin’s Behind the Lid

A film by Steve ‘Flip’ Lippman, introduced by David Bartolomi and Sally Ann Parsons

Dir. Steve ‘Flip’ Lippman, 2014, 80 mins. Digital projection. With Basil Twist, Lee Nagrin. The late Steve ‘Flip’ Lippman directed this highly original and thoroughly magical performance film that captures the immersive 2007 theatrical experience Behind the Lid, which was co-created by avant-garde playwright/performer Lee Nagrin and master puppeteer/performer Basil Twist. Nagrin died just a few days after its first performance. Her final work looks back on her own life through the realm of dreams. Shot on 16mm film, the camera, taking the place of an audience member, journeys with her life-sized effigy and Twist through a constantly astonishing hand-made world as Nagrin’s memories expand, open, and reveal in a fantasia of puppetry, spoken word, ambient soundscape, music, and light. This screening is also a tribute to Lippman, who died unexpectedly this summer, and was one of the most beloved creative figures in independent film. The original production of Behind the Lid was made part in possible by support from the Jim Henson Foundation. The screening will be introduced by David Bartolomi (Steve Lippman’s partner) and Sally Ann Parsons, costume designer for Behind the Lid.

Tickets: $15 ($11 seniors and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for children under 3 and Museum members at the Film Lover and Kids Premium levels and above). Order tickets online.(Members may contact [email protected] with questions regarding online reservations.)

Ticket purchase includes same-day admission to the Museum (see gallery hours). View the Museum’s ticketing policy here. For more information on membership and to join online, visit our membership page.