Humanity (End of the World excerpt 3) by Justin Perkins

Character study for a puppet who, I hope, is all of us: bound ineluctably for the Pit, the Abyss, the End of It All, and diligently chugging along anyway, trying to make something beautiful.

Justin Otaki Perkins is a puppet and props artist. He puppeteers regularly at Metropolitan Opera, in theaters across New York, and extensively on tour in the US and abroad. His works of puppet theater have been supported by grants from Jim Henson Foundation and Jerome Foundation, and through residencies at Puppet Lab, Dixon Place, Center at West Park, and Catwalk. Justin is a founder and curator at Object Movement Festival, a residency program for puppet artists at Center at West Park.

Collaborator: Gabriel Aronson (projection design)

Raft Project: My Shapes Are In Turmoil by Lake Simons

Balance is almost impossible. The raft is a wavering stage. It tips and is tossed. Will adding wings to everything help it all fly away?
Connecting the dots of emotions and missing using materials, wings, and people, performers explore spacial perspectives: bird’s-eye view, ground’s-eye view, and object’s-eye view.  

Lake Simons is a director, designer, puppeteer, physical performer, and a maker of things. She has collaborated with many artists creating theatre productions from the ground up. These productions utilize puppetry, movement, & live music. Most importantly, Lake relies on and believes in make-believe. Lake has received multiple Jim Henson Foundation grants in support of her original puppetry productions. She was the Associate Puppetry Director for Warhorse on Broadway as well as for the National Tour. Lake has created productions for various institutions including Miller Theater at Columbia University, Texas Woman’s University, and Dixon Place in New York City. She has been a resident artist at The Carriage House and HERE Arts Center. Her productions have been seen at many New York Theaters including HERE, La MaMa, Dixon Place, One Arm Red, and Theatre for a New City. Lake is the Managing Artistic Director of the Hip Pocket Theatre in Texas. She is a co-director for the Puppet Lab at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. She is an adjunct professor for the theatre department at Sarah Lawrence College where she teaches puppetry. Lake attended the Ecole Interntionale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France and North Carolina School of the Arts.

Collaborators: John Dyer & Cy Oak Dyer, Photo credit: John Carlisle Moore

The Neverending Nothing by Kate Brehm

A toy theater excerpt of a long form puppet drama about life, the universe, and menopause.

Kate Brehm is a puppeteer and movement director. Fun performing credits: Psychic Self Defense by Normandy Sherwood, Dogugaeshi and Symphonie Fantastique by Basil Twist, Unicorn Afterlife by Justin Perkins, Beautiful Evil Lost by Viva Deconcini, The Poofs in Dumbo by imnotlost. Cool directing credits: The Poacher at Harvard University, The Eye Which We Do Not Have by imnotlost at Here Arts Center, Book of Mountains and Seas (associate director Amsterdam tour) dir Basil Twist.

Camp Water Bear – Act 1 Scene 2 by Mariel Sanchez

First time camp counselor, Dilon, prepares for their campers arrival while Terry gets settled. An excerpt from a larger piece called Camp Water Bear.

Mariel Sanchez is a New York based freelance theatre maker, writer, designer, producer, puppeteer and actor. They started working alongside Maria Camia since 2020 and haven’t stopped puppeteering and collaborating with her since. Mariel is so thrilled to begin her own journey as a writer/puppeteer and is so excited to have the opportunity to be a part of Puppet Block! @next6enhero

Collaborators: Maria Camia & Stefano Brancato