One rainy day on the way to work, a female employee at a press office discovers that she, and everything around her is made out of paper.

Version 1 debut: Sept 23, 2013
Version 2 debut: Dec 2, 2017

2017 Version Photo Archive

Newspaper line

Waiting at train platform

Running in rain

Awkward elevator

Typing

Cutting paper

2013 Version Photo Archive

Waiting for the train

Reading a newspaper

In the subway

Opening title

Typist office

Turned into paper!

Original story and design by:

Myra Su

Puppeteers:

Myra Su, Jason McCreery (1st run), Allyson Gonzalez & Mitch Salm (2nd-3rd run), Nick Hall & Kevin Michael Wesson (4th run)

Venue:

Nasty, Brutish & Short at Links Hall on Sept 23, 2013
(Chicago IL)

Chi-More Puppet Exchange at Black Cherry Puppet Theater on Dec 2, 2017
(Baltimore MD)

Trade Routes Festival at Links Hall on Dec 8-9, 2017
(Chicago IL)

Shadow’s Play at Elastic Arts on July 14, 2018
(Chicago IL)

AN INTER–DIMENSIONAL LOVE STORY follows a long distance relationship between a square and a cube. Inspired by the ideas in Edwin A. Abbott’s ‘Flatland,’ a² is a square who lives a monotonous, prescribed routine each day. But his life is turned upside down when he falls in love with a three-dimensional being, Charlotte. In order to reach her, he travels between the 2D and 3D world, wherein each dimension is represented by a different style of puppetry.

Flatland’s social hierarchy

The factory

Pop-up shadow puppetry

Hypercube tunnel

In 3D space

↑Stills from video recording, courtesy of links hall and rough house↑

Script and Design:

Myra Su

PuppeteerS:

Myra Su & Cynthia Campos Costanzo

MUSIC AND SOUND Design:

Corey Smith

Featuring music by:

Takashi Terada

Venue:

Immaculate, Poignant & Medium Length at Links Hall for the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival on Jan 23-25, 2017
(Chicago IL)

After the fall of Imperial Russia, the Romanovs have become the stuff of legend. They are painted as monsters – or saints – or children’s cartoons. Using original source material, this documentary play tells the real story of the people at the center of a revolution. What happens when one family can change the fate of the whole world?

For more information: http://www.waltzingmechanics.org/cosmic-events-production-info

The play is inter-cut with shadow puppet vignettes that are housed inside a pop-up book. There are also mobile shadow puppet silhouettes on dowels.

Farmers in a wheat field

Inside the palace

Church bells

Graveyard

Winter palace gates

Lenin propaganda poster

↑Photos by Tyler Core for Waltzing Mechanics↑

Soldiers at attention

Charging soldiers

Lenin projection

Pop-up book cover

My cat chilling on pop-up wheat 🙂

Palace interior page

Church bells page

Fleeing crowd page

Barbed wire page

Graveyard page

Angry mob page

Design & choreography:

Myra Su

FULL CAST AND STAFF

Written & Directed by: Keely Leonard

Cast: Zach Bundy, Samantha Dedian, Emily Demko, Chloe Dzielak, Elena Feliz, Zack Florent, LaKecia Harris, Maximillian Lapine, Tim Lueke, Julia MacMillan, Adrienne Matzen, Martin Monahan, Bob Pantalone, Gloria Petrelli, Carlye Pollack, Jonathan Rooney, Thomas Sparks, Alexander Utz, Lew Wallace, Tanner Walters

Stage Manager: Alyson Kulin

Second Stage Manager: Margaret Baughman

Associate Director: Kaitlin Taylor

Dramaturg: Nathan Lamp

Shadow Puppet Designer: Myra Su

Props Designer: Emmy Weldon

Costume Designer: Rachel Parent

Scenic Designer/TD: J.D. Ostergaard

Lighting Designer: Karen Thompson

Sound Designer: Grover Gollway

Violence Designer: Chloe Baldwin

Assistant Dramaturg: Symone Powell

Production Managers: Kanomé Jones, Carinne Uslar

Casting Director: Kanomé Jones

Assistant Casting Director: Rachel Paige

Commissioned by Opera on Tap Chicago, New World Productions, and Main Street Opera. The show features two one-act musical works – an adaptation of Jacinto Guerrero’s zarzuela “The Guest at the Sevillano Inn” and Manuel de Falla’s puppet opera “Master Peter’s Puppet Show.”

“Master Peter’s Puppet Show” is plucked from an episode in Miguel de Cervantes’s famed novel “Don Quixote de la Mancha”. While staying at an inn, Don Quixote watches a puppet show based on the medieval legend of Don Gayferos, a knight in Charlemagne’s court, and the rescue of his wife Melisendra from Moorish captivity. The knight errant soon becomes a bit too invested in the puppet show, leading to a chaotic and hilarious finale.

DIRECTOR & DESIGNER:

Myra Su

Puppeteers:

Ilana Goldstein, Alana Grossman, Jesus Alfredo Jimenez Jimenez, Daniel Johnson

Singers:

Dennis Kalup, Sal Perez, Melissa Segarra

Pianist:

Amy Wurtz

Venue:

Ravenswood Church on Jul 30 – Aug 1, 2015 (Chicago, IL)
Cultura in Pilsen on Aug 6-8, 2015 (Chicago, IL)
Instituto Cervantes on Aug 13-15, 2015 (Chicago, IL)

FULL CAST AND STAFF

Compositions by: Jacinto Guerrero & Manuel de Falla

Prose additions by: Tony Castellon

Directed by: Melissa Segarra & Myra Su

Cast: Ilana Goldstein, Alana Grossman, Jesus Alfredo Jimenez Jimenez, Daniel Johnson, Dennis Kalup, Joachim Luis, Erin Moll, Sal Perez, Melissa Segarra

Pianist: Amy Wurtz

Puppet design: Myra Su

Set design: Melissa Segarra

Costume design: Melissa Segarra

Props design: Jesus Alfredo Jimenez Jimenez & Melissa Segarra

Lighting design: Joachim Luis

Surtitles: Daniel Johnson & Melissa Segarra

Production manager: Melissa Segarra

Board op: Dennis Kulup, Joachim Luis, Erin Moll, Melissa Segarra

Set in backcountry America, THROUGH THE LOOKINGGLASS is a psychological thriller of Alec, a young boy on his first deer hunt. In this Midwestern retelling of the classic coming-of-age story, Alec confronts death and the savage power of man for the first time.

Opening title

Hunting scope

First shot

Alec panicking

Alec approaches deer

Empty swing set

STORY BY:

Myra Su & Mitch Salm

ART DIRECTION:

Myra Su

SOUND DESIGN:

Mitch Salm

PUPPETEERS:

Myra Su, Mitch Salm (1st-5th run), Sara Corsini (1st run), Allyson Gonzalez (2nd-5th run), Nick Hall & Kevin Michael Wesson (6th run)

SOUND OP:

Andreas Södermark (1st run), Cynthia Campos Costanzo (2nd run)

VENUE:

Nasty, Brutish & Short at Links Hall on Mar 16, 2015
(Chicago IL)

In Anticipation of Belonging exhibit opening at Smart Museum on Aug 13, 2016
(Chicago IL)

National Puppet Slam at The Center for Puppetry Arts on Sep 2-4, 2016
(Atlanta GA)

Chi-More Puppet Exchange at Black Cherry Puppet Theater on Dec 2, 2017
(Baltimore MD)

Trade Routes Festival at Links Hall on Dec 8-9, 2017
(Chicago IL)

Shadow’s Play at Elastic Arts on July 14, 2018
(Chicago IL)

Enter the world of Madame Flora. With the help of her daughter Monica, and a mute boy, Toby, Madame Flora fleeces her customers by performing fake séances. During one of these séances, Madame Flora feels someone–or something–grab her throat. Could it be an angry spirit? Was it Toby? Or was it all in her imagination?

For the séance scene, I built a magic lantern out of cardboard which projects shadow puppets from acetate slides. Three of the slides are ghostly photographs. The longer slide is a hand-drawn fairy tale about a mute dwarf saving a princess from an evil witch.

Magic Lantern – Front

Magic Lantern – Interior

Puppet Slides

Puppetry design:

Myra Su

Venue:

Collaboraction Pentagon Theater on October 24 – November 2, 2014
(Chicago IL)

FULL CAST AND STAFF

Scored by: Gian Carlo Menotti

Directed by: Rose Freeman

Musical Director: Jason Carlson

Set & props design: Jimmy Jagos

Lighting design: Julian Pike

Costume design: Stefanie Johnsen

Stage manager: Sarah Collonge

Puppet design: Myra Su

Fight Choreographer: Will Bennett

Assistant Director: Kathryn Satoh

Cast: Amanda Runge/Rena Ahmed, Caroline Wright/Angela Born, Will Green, Mary Lutz Govertson, Christopher Skyles, Adrianne Blanks

THE CAT DAYS OF CHRISTMAS is my current year-long project based on real cats, inspired by my experience as a cat sitter last Christmas. During that time, I was taking care of an obscene number of cats – enough to designate one cat for each day of Christmas. The final goal for the project is to create 12 episodes surrounding the relationships – cute, miserable, retarded, and everything in between – of a cat sitter and the 12 cats in her care.

A preview of the show was presented at Nasty, Brutish & Short on September 29, 2014. The episode featured Gypsy, an abused tortoise-shell cat who hates people. 

Scary cat sitter

Angry Gypsy

Wailing girl

Original Story and Design:

Myra Su

Design assistant:

Harry Gao

Puppeteers:

Myra Su & James Brooks

Venue:

Nasty, Brutish & Short at Links Hall on September 29, 2014
(Chicago IL)

A collaboration with REB records to create shadow puppet visuals to accompany a music mash concert. Featured bands and artists include: Theft to the Gallows, Lovecartel, Turntable Hoggz, Tarek 22, Sunny, Nila, and Jeremiah.

Micro Music Mash opening

Theft to the Gallows

Tarek 22

TTTG & Tarek 22

Sunny

Transition to Lovecartel

Lovecartel’s entrance

Lovecartel

Backstage for Lovecartel’s IN BETWEEN CHAOS AND SLEEP

Lovecartel performing ZOLTAR SAYS to SPOT OF BOTHER

Photos by Hidden Gem Productions

Design and choreography:

Myra Su

Build and storyboard assistant:

Andrew Mao

Puppeteers:

Myra Su & Andrew Mao

Venue:

Dunes Summer Theater on June 28-29, 2014
(Michigan City IN)

This is the shadow puppet segment in the show when Agamemnon and his family reenact the Trojan War. The shadow puppets originally served as set decoration pieces on the fireplace and then were pulled from the mantle for a “spontaneous” performance with puppets and live-action actors. The shadow show was also accompanied by live foley using the dinnerware on the table.

Pre-show

Shadow puppets as set decoration

Plagued by mosquitos

Paris meets Helen

Horses pull Hector through the ground

Odysseus gets inspired

Inside the Trojan horse

Iphigenia tells her version of the story

design and choreography:

Myra Su

Puppeteers & actors:

Rurik Baumrin, James Brooks, Ian Chronis, Emma Glass, Ruben Lesnick, Andrew Mao, Emma Pauly, Stefan Popov, Martha Templeton, Ruth Wellin

Venue:

Ida Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago on May 29-31, 2014
(Chicago, IL)

Full cast and staff

Based on the works of: Chuck Mee, Seneca, Aeschylus, Sophocles & Euripides

Written by: Eric Shoemaker & Rebecca Segall

Directed by: Rebecca Regall & Myra Su

Cast: Rurik Baumrin, James Brooks, Ian Chronis, Emma Glass, Ruben Lesnick, Andrew Mao, Emma Pauly, Stefan Popov, Martha Templeton, Ruth Wellin

Stage manager: Brett Pepowski

Assistant stage manager: Rohan Goyal

Puppet design: Myra Su

Assistant puppets: Isabel Ochoa Gold, Cynthia Campos Costanzo & Lauren Wright

Scenic/props design: Ivy Malao

Assistant scenic/props: Niki Chen

Lighting design: Tiffany Wang

Assistant lighting: Calgary Haines-Trautman

Costume design: Kathleen Qiu

Assistant costumes: Rebeka Alvarez-Heck & Kenneth Zheng

Sound design: Alex Hale

Assistant sound: Rohan Goyal, Myra Su & Martha Templeton

Production manager: Eric Shoemaker

Choreography: Annie Pei

Videography: Hamid Bendaas

Accordion: Paul Dillon

Marketing design: Josh Miller