Our Vision.
Puppets.
Our theater collective creates unconventional performances conveyed largely without dialogue or exposition, trusting expressive puppetry and live musical accompaniment to tell the story, evoke emotions, and create powerful moments of compassion, frustration, contemplation, and connection.
Collaboration.
As the lead artists on what is collective and collaborative work, it is our responsibility to provide opportunities and support to those we work alongside, so that we are empowering people to take on leadership roles themselves. We want art-making to be an invigorating, validating, and educational experience.
Heart.
We hope to engage our audiences, positively impact our theater community, and inspire our greater community to art-making. We believe that imagination is integral when envisioning a kind, compassionate future. We must imagine it before we can make it real.
Our Commitment.
As Lead Artists
Coming from a mindset of abundance, not scarcity, we are committed to maintaining transparency in all aspects of production, and sustainably supporting other artists.
We will cast and hire people based on enthusiasm and commitment over experience.
We will financially compensate all of our performers and collaborators.
We will financially recognize time spent in rehearsals, workshops, and tech.
We will give all of our performers and collaborators full access to budgets, scripts, reference materials, production designs and schematics, and construction methods and materials for all the puppets, sets, and props.
We will provide context for and insight into the financial choices we make.
We will publicize information about our budgets and how we allocate funds to production and payroll costs.
We will provide specific, detailed feedback to performers and contributing artists.
We will field criticism and questions with professionalism and a focus on excellence rather than ego.
To Our Collaborators
The work we do must be safe and validating to create, perform, and promote.
We will care for our bodies and warm up and stretch before rehearsals.
We will block and choreograph action that is within a healthy range of movement for our bodies.
We will work to provide a safe physical performance environment through movement trainings, adequate rehearsal time, and body education.
We will allow time at the end of workshops, rehearsals, and tech for discussion and decompression.
We will provide food at every single workshop, rehearsal, and tech.
We will hold meetings and rehearsals that will accommodate families.
We will acknowledge and compensate creative design and developmental time.
To Our Audiences
We strive to inspire art-making in our community by broadening the ways in which audience members can access the stories we tell.
We will create work that thematically inspires altruism and empathy.
We will provide content and accessibility information up front.
We will create shows that children are able to embrace, wherever they may be in their development.
We will invite young people and people with sensory and/or content concerns to learn more about the puppets and set before performances.
We will provide an opportunity for all audience members to learn more about the puppets and set after performances.
We will host performances that are considerate of and accommodating to a variety of cognitive, behavioral health, and mobility needs.
We will perform in locations and at facilities that are, at the very least, ADA-compliant.
We will ensure that our team addresses audience needs regarding visible and invisible disabilities with kindness and confidentiality.