Everybody Loves Puppets

Dec 01, 2023

(L-R) Eric Wright, Tom Lee, Matt Acheson, and Chris Green in Disfarmer (text by Sylvan Oswald, score by Dan Moses Schreier) at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Photo: Richard Termine

The history of puppets is a fascinating dive down a rabbit hole of information and theory. According to the World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts, “the earliest reference to puppetry in India is in the Mahabharata, which reached written form around the 4th century BCE though oral stories themselves date to the 9th century BCE.” Other sources cite puppetry as far back as 4000 BCE, making puppets one of the oldest forms of performance technology.

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Rinne B. Groff

’s plays and musicals have been produced in the U.S and internationally. Before the WGA strike, she also wrote for TV! Guggenheim Fellowship, Whiting Writers Award, Obie Award grant. Elevator Repair Service Theater Company. NYU’s Department of Dramatic Writing. New Dramatists and Dramatists Guild!

Dipika Guha

was born in Calcutta and raised in Russia and the UK. Her plays include Yoga Play (South Coast Rep, Playmakers Rep, SF Playhouse), The Art of Gaman (Theatre 503, London), and most recently Asilomar (Sloan Commission, MTC). She was the inaugural recipient of the Shakespeare’s Sister Award, the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, and the Venturous Fellowship for her play Passing. She is currently writing plays for South Coast Repertory, Berkeley Rep, and Hampstead Theatre.

Sylvan Oswald

(he/him) creates text-based projects exploring trans identity, history, and nonviolent dramaturgy. He is the author of High Winds, Trainers, Pony, and other plays. Sylvan is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, is an alum of New Dramatists, and heads the playwriting programs at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television.

Jen Silverman

is a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Plays include Spain, Collective Rage, The Moors, The Roommate, and Witch. Jen is the author of the books The Island Dwellers, We Play Ourselves, and There’s Going to Be Trouble (coming from Random House April 2024). Honors include fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim.