Thinking Theater NYC

Dreamcats! Written and directed by Charlotte Lily Gaspard Music by Nebraska ( FKA Jessie Davis ), Sabrina Chap , Zera Bloom , Doc Frost, and Malik Work Presented by Midnight Radio Show at The Gene Frankel Theatre 24 Bond Street, Manhattan, NYC April 23-May 3, 2026 Puppeteer Laurynn Starkey. Photo by Richard Termine. Cats, as anyone who lives with them knows, spend a lot of time sleeping. But what if all that shuteye were not merely relaxation but research? In Dreamcats! , the family-friendly world-premiere puppet musical from Brooklyn-based science-fiction fairy-tale theater company Midnight Radio Show, the eponymous Dream Cats are an ancient race who live cloistered from the rest of "the fantastical galaxy" on the planet Dicee One-I, where they collect and study dreams in pursuit (or purr-suit?) of "understanding all the riddles of existence." Written and directed by Midnight Radio Show creative director Charlotte Lily Gaspard, Dreamcats! fuses live action, diffe...

CUMULO Created by Emily Batsford Presented by Emily Batsford and Concrete Temple Theatre at MITU580 580 Sackett St Unit A - Ground Fl, Brooklyn, NYC April 15-May 3, 2026 Photo by Ken Pao Studio If the image of a person riding a candy-studded cloud like a bucking bronco as they freefall from some unimaginable height sounds like your cup of creatively inspired, visually spectacular tea, CUMULO brews up a perfect storm of such moments. A world premiere from Brooklyn-based theater artist and access consultant Emily Batsford, CUMULO is a wordless puppet play that drops its protagonist into an unpredictable–and often vertical–journey through a preternatural world of candy floss clouds. CUMULO 's consistently inventive set mechanics and an expressive score by composer David Leon flawlessly complement exquisite work by puppeteers Emily Batsford, Camille Cooper , Gaby FeBland , Takemi Kitamura , and Justin Otaki Perkins for a captivating and enchantingly unique experience. Photo by Ke...

Footnotes Created, designed, and directed by Theodora Skipitares Music and lyrics by Sxip Shirey Presented by La MaMa and Skysaver Productions at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club 66 E 4th St., Manhattan, NYC February 27-March 15, 2026 A trio of philosophers. Photo by Victoria Forbes. Anyone who goes to see veteran artist and theatermaker Theodora Skipitares's world-premiere play Footnotes at La MaMa will have had to walk (which, as the play reminds us, might be defined in different ways) at least a little bit to reach a seat inside the theater. What emerges from the punningly titled Footnotes is a sort of wide-ranging collage that highlights the foot and walking as fundamentally binding humans–and non-human animals–together across time, place, and experience. This sweeping scope of this visually remarkable production stretches as far back as 3.6-3.7 million year-old footprints, through Classical Era myths, and all the way to contemporary academic disability studies and the curr...

Internationally celebrated puppeteer Adam Francis Proulx (Netflix, CBC, Family Jr.; original Canadian casts of Avenue Q and Disney’s Frozen ) is set to dazzle New York audiences with his puppet-filled musical spectacular, Emilio's Million Chameleons . The production will be featured as part of the SoHo Playhouse's International Fringe Encore Series, showcasing the best fringe productions from around the globe. In a show directed by Canadian Comedy Award-winner Byron Laviolette and featuring music by cabaret sensation Chris Tsujiuchi, Emilio runs a chameleon circus, just like his father did, where a million different chameleons do amazing acts. But what happens when it all goes wrong? Emilio and his favorite chameleon Juan must learn that the key to success lies in embracing authenticity and letting his inner sparkle shine. “There is fabulous family-friendly foolishness at work here in the classic Muppet tradition," writes Orlando Weekly , an...

54 Below, a recipient of the 2022 Tony Awards® Honor for Excellence in the Theatre and a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve the music of Broadway and expand the art of the cabaret while growing opportunities for diverse communities of emerging and established artists, will present Best of Broadway Puppetry on Monday, January 27 at 9:30 PM. The show, produced by Julia Schemmer ( Puppetry on Broadway ), with Show Direction by Peter Charney ( A Eulogy for Roman) , Puppet Direction by Jake Bazel ( Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation ), and Musical Direction by Joshua Turchin (Netflix’s 13 the Musical ), celebrates puppetry by putting the spotlight on the puppeteers who bring puppets to life 8 times a week! Hosted by the Bad Idea Bears of Avenue Q (Rick Lyon and Jennifer Barnhart), the show brings together puppeteers and performers from shows featuring puppetry, from the past and the present. “We’re so excited for people to se...

The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the First World War Adapted and directed by Vít Hořejš Based on the novel by Jaroslav Hašek Presented by Theater for the New City , produced in cooperation with GOH Productions , at Theater for the New City 155 First Ave., Manhattan, NYC February 1-18, 2024 Michelle Beshaw, Deborah Beshaw, Rocco George. Photo by Jonathan Slaff. Published between 1921 and 1923, Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek's unfinished, multivolume satirical novel The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the World War , commonly shortened to The Good Soldier Švejk , holds the distinction of being the most translated novel in Czech literature and has had a cultural impact of which its probable Influence on Joseph Heller, author of seminal World War II satire Catch-22 (1961), and its definite influence on Bertolt Brecht, who wrote a sequel titled Schweyk in the Second World (1943), represent only two examples. Now, adding a sadly necessary modifier to the title, the Czec...

WE, PUPPETS Story of a Life Shattered by Racism ( NOI, PUPAZZI  Storia di una vita sconvolta dal razzismo ) Written and performed by Marco De Simone Production Associate: Campania Danza Presented at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU 24 W 12th St, New York, NY May 2 and 5, 2023 Marco De Simone. Photo by Nicola Niceforo. WE, PUPPETS Story of a Life Shattered by Racism ( NOI, PUPAZZI Storia di una vita sconvolta dal razzismo ), presented, for free, in Italian with English supertitles as part of the 2023  In Scena!  Italian Theater Festival, offers an interrupted-childhood themed one-man show. It opens with a lively dialogue between Mastro Leccornia (Hare) and Spillo (Squirrel). The two work in a pastry shop, and Spillo confides in his friend that he longs to make it to the shore, someday, to see the ocean. Lights come on, and the puppeteer comes in front of the puppet stage to introduce himself: His name is Saul Di Cori; he is 12 years old and lives in Riapino (a...

Image courtesy Kampfire PR Brazilian theater company Group Dot BR and House of Yes are pleased to announce Opa! São João, a taste of the Brazilian Festas Juninas also known as Festas de São João (June Parties/Saint John Parties). The day-long party will occur on Sunday, June 12 from 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm at House of Yes (2 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237). Tickets are $20-$35 and available at https://www.group.br.com/opasaojoao . Kids accompanied by parents or legal guardians are welcome from 3 - 6 pm, with free entry for kids under 12 years old. The event will be 21+ after 6 pm. The eight-hour long party will feature live music with Forró in the Dark and Mambembé , and DJs Greg Caz , Victoria Mussi , Gaspar Muniz, and Tietta will be spinning the best Brazilian beats. The party will also include traditional food and drink from Andrea's Brazilian Homemade Goods , Mari Tamiozzy Vegan Chef and Yubakery . Performances by Group Dot BR will include the character of Santo Antônio urg...

  Photo courtesy Party Claw Productions New Ohio Theatre for Young Minds invites families to its historic Greenwich Village theater for Party Claw Productions’ Petunia's Playhouse Live!: Petunia's Big Day – a new musical puppetry experience based on the award-winning web series Petunia’s Playhouse , conceived during the COVID lockdown as a tool to help children cope with the mental health challenges of our new reality. With a brand-new book and story by Laura Kay Clark, directed by Christina Rose Ashby, the interactive show follows the titular character on her first day of school and weaves together puppetry, original songs by Billy Recce, and participatory activities designed to introduce young audiences to the crucial practice of self-care in times of stress and uncertainty. The show, suitable for young theatergoers aged 6-12, will be presented at New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street, NYC) from December 22, 2021 to January 1, 2022. Tickets ($25; $18 for groups of four o...

  Mine Created and performed by Shayna Strype Presented by Dixon Place via Theatermania.stream Streaming live April 21-24, 2021 and on demand April 26-May 3, 2021 Photo courtesy Michelle Tabnick PR Not many plays come to mind that feature a mountain as a central character. Creator and performer Shayna Strype, in her new show Mine , inhabits characters from said mountain to some sentient home appliances to a TV psychic by way of an eclectic mix of costumes, puppets, green screen, and more. Even her toes get to dress up and take part. Strype makes a wry gesture to the show's being livestreamed by replacing the usual request for audience members (here composed of claymation figures) to silence their cell phones with encouragement to close their other browser tabs. Visions , a psychic call-in show of the type that one might find on late-night cable and complete with a satirical commercial break, provides the frame for Mine 's meditations on ecosystems both actual and emotional. Wh...

  Planet of the Grapes Live Created by Peter Michael Marino Directed by Michole Biancosino Presented by Project Y Theatre Company and PM2 Entertainment via YouTube Live April 16-May 15, 2021 Photo credit: Mikiodo Even if you've somehow managed never to see 1968's Planet of the Apes , moments of which remain cultural touchstones more than 50 years later, that won't make Peter Michael Marino's Planet of the Grapes Live any less of a blast. Marino reimagines the sci-fi classic as a live hourlong toy theater production, blending the main beats of the film's story and its unintentional humor with some added comedy (yes, there are some grape puns; and yes, at least one of them made us laugh out loud). The show's website includes some great background on toy theater, as well as on the Apes film and the creation of this miniaturized parody, which viewers should make some time to peruse before or after their live Grapes experience. The plot finds a quartet of astro...

  Journey Around My Bedroom Written by Dianne Nora Directed by Jaclyn Biskup Presented by New Ohio Theatre for Young Minds December 26, 2020-January 10, 2021 live via Zoom and January 11-February 11, 2021 on demand Photo by New Ohio Theatre In 1790, French military and government official Xavier de Maistre penned the parodic travel narrative Voyage Autour de ma Chambre ( Voyage Around My Room ; published 1794) while under house arrest for dueling. A sequel, Expédition Nocturne Autour de ma Chambre ( Night Voyage Around My Room ), followed in 1825. While this might seem like an unlikely point of departure for a play aimed at children, many children's lives must feel like a form of house arrest right now, and Dianne Nora takes inspiration from de Maistre's works for Journey Around My Bedroom , a charming, whimsical puppet play about a girl, the power of her imagination, and her embracing of her own courage.   That girl is Xavi (Ashley Kristeen Vega), and when we first meet her...

Image courtesy Emily Owens PR No Puppet Co. (Krista Knight and Barry Brinegar) are presenting the world premiere of Crush , a video puppet play written by Krista Knight, presented in six parts and released in separate installments on YouTube , from August 4th through 20th. Picking up roughly from where Kafka left off—a loner, squatter, and rebel dares to love. We follow the anti-morphosis through a series of beat poetry performances as our hero draws nearer to the object of his desire and his undoing. Playwright and co-creator  Krista Knight  is a Juilliard School Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program Fellow (2016-2018), Page 73 Playwriting Fellow (2007), MacDowell Fellow (2008), Shank Playwriting Fellow at the Vineyard Theatre (2011-2012), Vanderbilt Writer-in-Residence (2020), the Chance Theater Resident Playwright (2020), and winner of the Heideman Award at Actors Theatre of Louisville (2016). Co-creator Barry Brinegar is a composer, performer, and multi-media...

PackRat Written and directed by Renee Philippi Presented by Concrete Temple Theatre at Dixon Place 161A Chrystie St., Manhattan, NYC January 31-February 14, 2020 L-R: Alanna Strong (Kitt); Maggie Gayford (Kip); Carlo Adinolfi (Bud); and Kayla Prestel (Happy). Photo by Stefan Hagen The inciting incident in Renee Philippi's new puppet-forward play PackRat is a fire. Ignited accidentally by a careless rancher, it forces the animals of the Valley to flee before its advancing flames. PackRat cites Watership Down as an inspiration, but in these opening minutes, it is hard to avoid also thinking not only of the animals in Bambi desperately running from a forest set ablaze by a human campfire but also of how much worse human avarice and disregard has made such events in the close to 80 years since the Disney film, as witnessed by the fires in California in recent years and, even more immediately, by the catastrophic, heart-sickening crisis in Australia. In PackRat, the ...

A Christmas Carol, Oy! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan Adapted and directed by Vít Hořejš Presented by Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre at Theater for the New City 155 1st Avenue, Manhattan, NYC December 19-January 5, 2020 Vit Horejs and Scrooge puppet. Photo by Jonathan Slaff. By the late nineteenth century, Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol had already been adapted for the stage, and it has remained perennially popular and frequently adapted ever since, most recently for the screen by Steven Knight in a dour reimagining for FX. Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre's version, A Christmas Carol, Oy! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan , now playing at Theater for the New City, is something like its opposite, a genial, humorous, inclusive production created by founding company member Vít Hořejš. Hořejš stages this Carol using an array of marionettes, most of which hail from Prague and which include some new puppets, some 200 ...