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 raised in India, Russia, and England. Her recent plays include Yoga Play, The Art of Gaman, and In Braunau. She is currently under commission from Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory, Barrington Stage and Berkeley Rep. For TV, she’s written on American Gods, Sneaky Pete, projects at AMC and Netflix, two seasons of Black Monday and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Dipika received her BA in English Literature at University College London, was a Frank Knox Fellow at Harvard University, and was awarded her MFA from Yale School of Drama.

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.