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About the Show
What happens when a father and daughter create puppet shows together?! Meet performers Azaria Rose and Dirk (a professional puppeteer, educator — and dad!) who bring a collection of playful bedtime stories to the Puppet Showplace stage!
In one story, a cat and dog host a talk show, interviewing every item needed to get ready for bed — including a gentle moon, some sassy stars, a toothbrush, and even a roll of toilet paper!
In another tale, a young boy's attempts to fall asleep are interrupted by fantastical creatures from his dreams, who charge him with a daring mission! If he journeys to "a land within," can he help save the forests and end a war? Kids (and adults!) who love adventure stories and dreams will appreciate this story.
These stories celebrate the power of imagination — "very much inspired by my joy of playing/performing with my daughter," says Dirk — and how our inner worlds fit into the larger world around us.
Meet the Puppets
Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 – 10
Mixed puppetry styles, including hand puppets, marionettes, and shadow puppets
Length: 40 minutes
Language: English
From Baltimore, Maryland!
“DEGRAG” was developed with support from a Jim Henson Foundation grant.
About the Artist
String Theory Puppet Theater is a small puppet troupe composed of Dirk Joseph and his daughters Sequoia and Azaria Rose. They have been performing since 2016, starting at the Black Cherry Puppet Theater’s puppet slams in Baltimore, sharing the stage with veteran and new puppeteers, Since then they have continued to be a regular at Black Cherry’s puppet slams. String Theory has also performed at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance and in multiple venues in D.C., as well as public schools and house shows.
String Theory Puppet Theater performs a variety of puppetry styles for children and adults, including hand puppets, rod puppets, crankies, shadow puppets, marionettes, and toy theater. Their shows employ various narrative structures, ranging from one act pieces to multi-act stories to talk show formats, and they also produce “sing-along” performances and scrolling abstract progression. One of their performances titled “For the Love of Cats and Dogs” was nominated in 2018 for the National Puppet Slam held in Atlanta. “For the Love of Cats and Dogs” is a hilarious satire punctuated with dark metaphors about the dethroning of the tyrannical leader of the free world.
Dirk Joseph, founder of String Theory Puppet Theater is a professional artist, storyteller, and community arts facilitator. He has been teaching visual arts and theater, including puppetry, in the New York and Maryland public school systems for almost 30 years. Before forming String Theory Puppet Theater, he performed with Pierre Bennu as a puppet duo known as The Drapetomaniacs. In 2020 Dirk was part of Puppet Showplace’s first Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers.
