Daniel began creating sculpture and puppeting at the age of eight, and continued with these and with theatre while at the Putney School, Harvard College, L'Ecole des Beaux Arts, and the Harvard  Graduate School of Design (M. Architecture).  He is additionally a potter and a metal sculptor. 

click here to see Dan's sculpture

Dan was a founding member of the Mystic Paper Beasts Theatre Company in 1976. There are approximately 350 masks, most of which were sculpted by Dan. 

Marya began dancing at the age of 3. She continued dancing while pre-med and political at Swarthmore College (BA), and while in grad school at Columbia University, (psychoneuroendocrinology). Following the stronger lure of the dancing arts, she finished her BA in art history, went to Paris to study at L'Ecole de Mime Marcel Marceau, and returned to NYC to train under Merce Cunningham, in whose studio she taught for eight years. Through the '70s and '80s, Marya performed as a dancer and mime in NYC, ran a dance studio in New London, Ct., and taught (and continues to teach) yoga and dance at Connecticut College's Continuing Ed, the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Centre, and Mohegan College.  In 1989, Marya joined the Mystic Paper Beasts, of which she is now the Artistic Director. She writes and directs the plays performed by the Beasts, and designs and paints some of the masks sculpted by Dan.

Dan and Marya are married to one another, and are ever amazed by their  daughters:  Ana Ursin-Nichols, Chloe Potter, Giselle Potter

Contact Us

Dan Potter and Marya Ursin
8 Hancox St., 
Stonington, Ct. 06378

860 535 3346/ fax 535 3257

or email us at mybeasts@aol.com

Who We Are


The Mystic Paper Beasts is a collaboration between two performing artists, Daniel Potter and Marya Ursin, each of whom has been independently involved in theatre since childhood. 

The Company has performed variously as a family  circus, a duet, a solo with audience participation, a quartet, a quintet, a large group of roving friends. 

Marya (artistic director) and Dan (producer) engage local dancers and performers to expand their core troupe of two, often performing with four, sometimes with forty.  Most frequently seen performers include Doug Moffat, Lissa van Dyke, Rosemary Gentile, George Clark, Jean and Gary Williams, Robin Rice. 


The tales told by the Beasts are original and re-told dream myths of transformation and humour which are danced in the  witty and whimsical masks for which the troupe has gained international renown.  These performances are appropriate for, and have delighted, audiences of all ages.



Appearances

The Beasts have performed in many types of venues.  Some of these include:
Yale Center for British Art, Brooklyn (NY) Children's Museum, Williams College Museum of Art, Kid Around Downtown Festival (NYC), Westport Arts Festival, the Kortwright Centre, First Nights Boston, Providence, Hartford, Mystic, Westerly, Wooster, Norwalk; many festivals, libraries, and schools.