Jack Dogherty and the Soul Cages

Jack Dogherty, a fisherman and part time scavenger, longs to meet a merrow (merman). When he finally does, the two swap tales of their abilities to drink and scavenge fine liquors from shipwrecks. The merrow invites Jack to his home for a taste of the many beverages he has collected over the years. While visiting beneath the waves, Jack discovers a collection of cages containing the souls of sailors lost at sea. Unbeknownst to the merrow, Jack is horrified and vows to free the trapped souls.

Director Alissa Mello
Lead Designer and Builder Michael Kelly
Designer and Builder Eva Lansberry
Co-conspirator Brian Snapp
Music Director Mike “Donk” Weiss

Alissa Mello is a director, performer, writer and founding member of Inkfish – a collaborative, interdisciplinary theater company that uses historical, literary, biographical and verbatim source material to create work about social and political subjects for adult audiences. Her productions include: Three Good Wives, The Brain: an experiment in puppet theater and The Nose. She has performed and choreographed productions by Theodora Skipitares, Anna Kiraly and Jane Catherine Shaw. She taught at Royal Holloway and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and has published in Performance Research, Puppetry International, Performing Arts Journal, Puppet Notebook, OffOffOnline and Animations Online.