New York
PUPPET HAPPENINGS:
New York Adult | New York Family | National | Puppetry Festivals | Museum Exhibits | Professional Classes
* Subscribe to the Puppet Happenings Newsletter and receive a weekly email of Puppet Happenings highlights every Friday. *
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
Kayfabe *
Josh Rice
Photo by: Kat Kuo
Dixon Place
161A Chrystie St
New York, NY
dixonplace.org/performances/kayfabe/
A puppet wrestling entertainment spectacular! Table-top puppetry meets pro wrestling meets a rock show! High art meets low art meets Samuel Beckett!! This 70-minute frenetic frenzy of puppet wrestling action is an absurdist love letter to professional wrestling written, directed and designed by aspiring wrestler and inspired puppet artist, Josh Rice. Philosopher Roland Barthes wrote, “the function of the wrestler is not to win; it is to go exactly through the motions that are expected of him.” What is expected of a puppet when the persona of Dr. Kiss, and the tropes and trappings of the professional wrestling world are thrust upon them, as they barrel toward their destiny as the main event of PuppetMania?? Expect the unexpected when form meets function, when reality and fantasy collide, when the lines between real and fake blur—this is Kayfabe.
* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2024) and Workshop Grant (2023)
May 30 - June 7, 2024
7:30pm
$30
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
Water for Elephants
Broadway
Imperial Theatre
249 45th St
New York, NY
waterforelephantsthemusical.com/
The critically acclaimed bestselling novel comes to “thrilling, dazzling” life (Time Out New York) in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical with “one of the more remarkable ensembles ever seen on Broadway” (New York Daily News)! Hailed as a Critic’s Pick, The New York Times calls it “stunning, emotional and gorgeously imaginative.” After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.
March 21 - September 8, 2024
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:00pm
Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:00pm and 8:00pm
Sundays at 3:00pm
Starting at $84
John Adams' El Niño
Puppetry by James Ortiz
The Metropolitan Opera
30 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY
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
Exagoge
Untitled Theater Company No. 61
Photo by: Edward Einhorn
La MaMa
66 E. 4th Street
New York, NY
lamama.org/shows/exagoge-2024
An immersive opera/play/Passover seder, based on the oldest known Jewish play, written in Alexandria in the second century BCE by Ezekiel the Tragedian. Written and directed by Edward Einhorn, music by Avner Finberg. Puppet design by Evolve Puppets (Tanya Khordoc and Barry Weil), additional puppets by set designers Tom Lee & Grace Grace Needlman, masks by Ramona Ponce, electronic effects by Jim Freeman. Puppeteers Rebecca Jay Caplan, Yanniv Frank, and Parker Sera. The audience gathers round the seder table or watches from the risers, joining the performers for a traditional 15-part modern seder. An opera composer, Zeke, has brought home his girlfriend Aliya, a non-practicing Muslim, for the first time. Meanwhile, in the middle of it all, opera performers sing an adaptation of the ancient Greek interpretation of the Book of Exodus.
April 26 - May 12, 2024
Thu - Sat at 7pm, Sun at 3pm
and Mon, April 29 at 7pm
Livestream: May 3 at 7pm Eastern Time
$35
Small Acts of Daring Invention
Mason Holdings Theatre
Here
145 6th Avenue
New York, NY
masonholdings.org
Small Acts of Daring Invention, inspired by the life and work of Dare Wright, is an image rich, musically driven exploration of the space between this life and the next. The play teases the realness of the unreal and investigates the endless resources of the imaginative realm. With one actress and four puppeteers, Small Acts follows an unmoored woman, adrift in the isolation and fog of forgetfulness, towards an encounter with her long-lost companions – and life. Puppetry Designed and Directed by Simple Mischief Studios.
May 1 - June 1, 2024
Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30, Saturdays at 4:00pm
$35
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