My People Be Mermaids – Marcella Murray

This piece is an experiment in service of a larger exploration. One which meditates on the moment in which an individual or community decides to “try anyway” despite or, perhaps,  to spite an overwhelmingly oppressive situation. What lives between despair and celebration?

Marcella Murray is an NYC-based theater artist from Augusta, Georgia. She is a playwright, performer, and puppeteer. Her work is inspired by the ways in which people tend to segregate and reconnect. Her work tends to focus on themes of identity within a community and forward momentum in the face of trauma.  Performances include Sonntags wird gelogen Or We Only Lie on Sundays(Leonie Bell/The Brick), The Slow Room (Annie Dorsen/Performance Space NY), and Shoot Don’t Talk (Andrew Murdock/St. Ann’s Warehouse Puppet Lab). Along with David Neumann, she co-created  Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed (Obie Special Citation) which opened at Abrons Arts Center(co-produced by Chocolate Factory) in January 2020 and the digital piece Primer for an Impossible Conversation at MCA Chicago in 2021. Marcella is currently 1 of 4 curators of the Object Movement Puppetry Residency and is a 2022 Resident Artist at La MaMa

Our bodies like dams (excerpt) – Sarah Finn

Set in a handmade, flooding city, this part love story, part eco-fantasy, imagines a woman’s unexpected metamorphosis in the face of romantic and coastal decay. A short live excerpt from the upcoming short film premiering January 16-21 at The Brick – featuring various puppetry styles, a miniature set within a 40-gallon aquarium, live sound mixing, and live-feed video.

Sarah Finn is a multimedia artist who creates live performance, video, and film, seen at the Prague Fringe Festival, FringeArts, and in NYC at The Brick, The Tank, Hudson Guild Theater, Cloud City, Mabou Mines, and Dixon Place. Finn is a 2022-2023 Object Movement Artist-in-Residence at Center at West Park, and a 2022 Fresh Ground Pepper BRB Artist-in-Residence. Finn trained at Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France, and got their BA from Sarah Lawrence College. www.sarahkfinn.com @sarah.k.finn

Monarch Report– Andrew Murdock

Monarch Report is a multimedia puppetry piece exploring the relationship between humans and insects. This is an excerpt of a work-in-progress full length piece.

Andrew Murdock is an interdisciplinary artist. His work often bridges the tangible and digital by utilizing techniques in video, physical theatre and puppetry. He holds a BFA dual major in Sculpture and Film, Animation, Video from RISD and an MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College. Recent credits: Technical Director and Performer for 9000 Paper Balloons (Japan Society, NYC) Video and Set Designer for Tragedy: A Tragedy (Recovery Lounge, Upper Jay, NY) www.AndrewMurdock.com

End of the World Dance: Study #2 – Justin Perkins

End of the World Dance: Study #2 is an in-development puppet work on themes of theology, humanity, forgiveness, and disaster, inspired by the work of Hieronymus Bosch and Roland Emmerich.

Justin Perkins has appeared in puppet works by Ping Chong+Company, Basil Twist, Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Tom Lee, Lake Simons, Patti Bradshaw, Puppet Cinema, Unitards, imnotlost and more. Justin’s show ‘Unicorn Afterlife’ was produced with support from Jim Henson Foundation and premiered at Dixon Place in 2021. Justin is a curator at Object Movement Festival, a residency program for puppet artists at the Center at West Park. http://www.justinaperkins.com has appeared in puppet works by Ping Chong+Company, Basil Twist, Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Tom Lee, Lake Simons, Patti Bradshaw, Puppet Cinema, Unitards, imnotlost and more. Justin’s show ‘Unicorn Afterlife’ was produced with support from Jim Henson Foundation and premiered at Dixon Place in 2021. Justin is a curator at Object Movement Festival, a residency program for puppet artists at the Center at West Park. http://www.justinaperkins.com