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2024 Object Movement Festival *

Curated by Rowan Magee, Marcella Murray, and Justin Perkins

The Center at West Park
165 West 86th St
New York, NY
centeratwestpark.org/object-movement-puppetry

Object Movement Puppetry festival is the culmination of The Center at West Park's annual residency program, featuring eight original works in a two week celebration of puppetry and object theater. This year's festival runs March 22th through 30th, featuring new work created by Cohlie Brocato, Duygu Bayar Ekren, Leah Levine, and Julia Chien the first weekend, and Marina 'Heron' Tsaplina, Brenna Ross, Emmy Brett, and Sienna Aczon the second. The curators for Object Movement are Rowan Magee, Marcella Murray, and Justin Perkins.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Presenter's Grant

March 22 - 30, 2024
Fridays at 7:30pm
Saturdays at 2:00pm and 7:30pm

$28.52


The Four Lives *

Skysaver Productions, Created & Directed by Theodora Skipitares

La MaMa
66 East 4th St
New York, NY
lamama.org/shows/the-four-lives-2024

The ancient philosopher Pythagoras believed that each of us experiences four lives: as a mineral, a vegetable, an animal and a human. In this immersive multi-media spectacle, with live music, and several puppets, giant and tiny, the audience moves through different environments, encountering worlds where humans are not the main attraction......Do sheep dream?

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant (2024)

April 4 - 21, 2024
Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:00pm
Sundays at 2:00pm

$30 adult / $25 Students & Seniors


The Human Dream Project *

Admiral Grey

The Tank
312 W 36th St
New York, NY
thetanknyc.org/human-dream-project

The Human Dream Project is an irreverent, moving multimedia performance project that collects recordings of people candidly describing their dreams and illustrates these recordings onstage with vivid puppetry performance and live music. Admiral Grey's technicolor handmade puppets and costumes and Chad Raines' rich textural foley and music manifest these dreams onstage, alongside in the dextrous abilities of the puppeteers/performers of the Snake In The Boot Collective. Cross the liminal curtain and navigate the odd, sometimes hilarious, sometimes despairing world of dreams that all humans experience as they sleep. The dreams are recorded via The Human Dream Project Dream Hotline (1-845-750-8891), a 24 hour hotline run by artist Admiral Grey. The hotline is becoming an international archive of human dreams from our time.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Presenter's Grant

April 5 - 28, 2024
April 5, 7, 11-13, 18-20, 22, 25-28 at 7:00pm
April 6, 14, 21 at 3:00pm

$35


Madama Butterfly

Anthony Minghella, Puppetry by Blind Summit Theatre

The Metropolitan Opera
30 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY
metopera.org/season/2023-24-season/madama-butterfly/

The title character of Madama Butterfly—a young Japanese geisha who clings to the belief that her arrangement with a visiting American naval officer is a loving and permanent marriage—is one of the defining roles in opera. The story triggers ideas about cultural and sexual imperialism for people far removed from the opera house, and film, Broadway, and popular culture in general have riffed endlessly on it. The lyric beauty of Puccini’s score, especially the music for the thoroughly believable lead role, has made Butterfly timeless. Three extraordinary sopranos—Aleksandra Kurzak, Eleonora Buratto, and Asmik Grigorian (in her highly anticipated Met debut)—tackle the demanding role of Cio-Cio-San, the loyal geisha at the heart of Puccini’s devastating tragedy. Tenors Matthew Polenzani and Jonathan Tetelman co-star as the callous American naval officer Pinkerton, whose betrayal destroys her. Mezzo-sopranos Elizabeth DeShong and Eve Gigliotti share the role of the steadfast maid Suzuki, and baritone Davide Luciano and Lucas Meachem are the American consul Sharpless. Acclaimed maestro Xian Zhang makes her Met debut conducting Anthony Minghella’s vivid production.

January 11 - May 11, 2024

$40


Screening - The Jim Henson Hour: Dog City / The Song of the Cloud Forest 35th Anniversary

Introduced by Jim Henson Legacy President Craig Shemin

Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35 Ave
Astoria, NY
movingimage.org/event/henson-dog-city/

Although it ran only one season, The Jim Henson Hour was a creative triumph, bringing together Jim Henson’s many worlds, from the classic Muppets to The Storyteller. We’ll celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Jim Henson Hour with a screening of two programs from the series directed by Jim Henson himself. Inspired by the classic paintings of dogs playing poker, the canine gangster comedy Dog City won Henson an Emmy for Outstanding Direction. The Song of the Cloud Forest, a product of Henson’s goal to leave the world a better place, tells the story of Milton, an endangered golden toad searching for his mate so his species can live on. Approx. 75 mins.

April 6 - 7, 2024
Saturday, Apr 6 at 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, Apr 7 at 12:30 p.m.

$15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for MoMI members at the Senior/Student level and above


PGOGNY General Meeting

Puppetry Guild of Greater New York

Swedish Marionette Cottage
W 29th St
New York, NY
pgogny.org/

Save the date for our next General Meeting, "Legacy and Tradition, "April 15th at 7pm at the Swedish Marionette Cottage

April 15, 2024
7:00pm


John Adams' El Niño

Puppetry by James Ortiz

The Metropolitan Opera
metopera.org/season/2023-24-season/el-nino/

Eminent American composer John Adams returns to the Met after a decade-long hiatus for the company premiere of his acclaimed opera-oratorio, which incorporates sacred and secular texts in English, Spanish, and Latin, from biblical times to the present day, in an extraordinarily dramatic retelling of the Nativity. El Niño brings together three of contemporary opera’s fiercest champions, all of whom make highly anticipated company debuts: Marin Alsop, one of the great conductors of our time, who has led more than 200 new-music premieres; soprano Julia Bullock, a leading voice on and off stage; and pathbreaking bass-baritone Davóne Tines. Radiant mezzo-sopranos J’Nai Bridges and Daniela Mack take turns completing the principal trio. The moving, fully-staged new production also marks the Met debut of Lileana Blain-Cruz, resident director at Lincoln Center Theater, who received universal acclaim for her Tony-nominated 2022 production of The Skin of Our Teeth.

April 23 - May 17, 2024
See website for dates and times

Starting at $47


UNDERWORLD: Uncanny Valley

Tiresias

House of Yes
2 Wyckoff Ave
Brooklyn, NY
eventbrite.com/e/underworld-uncanny-valley-tickets-872019342327

+++[DRAG] [PUPPETRY] [PERFORMANCE]+++ You are cordially invited to UNDERWORLD: Uncanny Valley, where quantum fluctuations distort perception and algorithmic anomalies warp time itself. Prepare for an experiential journey through the enigmatic amalgamation of synthetic and biological entities, honey!Prepare for the merging of drag divas and puppetry personas, a mesmerizing spectacle that defies categorization. Witness as sequins and strings intertwine in a symphony of uncanny enchantment. Featuring Dev Doee, Amygdala, Linda Felcher, Paty Girasola, Goitia Studio, Cheeks Voila, Ode, S Laughter, Tristan Allen, and hosted by Tiresias, Alexander Cameltoe, and God Complex. Participants are encouraged to embrace the unknown, surrendering to the allure of the enigmatic. So, snatch your tickets and get ready to sashay your way through the Uncanny Valley! Can you feel the sparkle already? 21+

April 25, 2024

Starting at $23.46


David Leon: A Divine Echo

Puppets Designed and Constructed by Yuliya Tsukerman

Roulette
509 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY
roulette.org/event/david-leon-a-divine-echo/

For his 2024 Roulette Commission, saxophonist and composer David Leon premiers A Divine Echo, a hybrid work of chamber music and wordless puppet theatre. Engaging with love and compassionate sacrifice, aging, decay, and familial duty, A Divine Echo tells the story of a boy and his grandmother whom live together. The piece is inspired by bunraku puppetry and contemporary musics alike, expanding on Leon’s compositional practice to include a trio of puppeteers alongside a trio of musicians on vibraphone, cello, and clarinet. Together, the disciplines work in measured counterpoint, elucidating the parallels between them while weaving a narrative about the bonds we share with loved ones. All puppets designed and constructed by Yuliya Tsukerman featuring puppetry by Dorothy James, Emily Batsford, and Andy Manjuck.

May 14, 2024
8:00pm

Advance $25 / Doors $30 / Student & Senior $20


Little Shop of Horrors

Off-Broadway

Westside Theatre Upstairs
407 West 43rd St
New York, NY
littleshopnyc.com

The world's most ravenous plant has returned to its acclaimed, sold-out run at the Westside Theatre! Winner of the 2020 Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is “wildly exuberant” (The Hollywood Reporter), and a New York Times Critic's Pick. Get tickets now and enjoy a taste of what we’ve all been craving: live theater!

Tuesdays & Thursdays - 7:00pm
Fridays - 8:00pm
Saturdays - 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Sundays - 2:00pm & 7:30pm

Starting at $59