Manufacturing Mischief is back, babies!
This zany puppet show created by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes and directed by Meghan Finn of The Tank NYC features puppet versions of Ayn Rand, Noam Chomsky, Steve Jobs, and Tiny Donald Trump–to name only a few.
I play Elon Musk, Frida Kahlo, and Karl Marx (who raps!). Oh, and a scared Wendy’s employee named Chip.
Our first stop on this tour is Chicago, as part of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.
Day 1:
We flew in from New York on Thursday morning and headed straight to the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts–a perfect space for our show!
After a slight delay at airport security, we were finally reunited with the puppets. It was good to see these little guys again after six whole months!
After tech rehearsal we headed to The historic Fine Arts Building to kick back and catch up with friends at the Opening Night Celebration.
Day 2:
Friday morning allowed for some Chicago sight-seeing. Here is a picture of us in front of the famous Bean! Now I can say, “I’ve BEAN there!”
After a great opening night we went to get deep-dish pizza to celebrate Mery Cheung’s Birthday!
Then back to the hotel for some serious relaxing in our swanky hotel bathrobes. Just look at this adorable family photo…
Oh, and did I mention we had a massive Anarchy pillow fight? Yeah, we did. You definitely don’t want to mess with these bad hombres.
Day 3:
Saturday morning brought an opportunity to catch a show. I saw Shank’s Mare, a collaborative puppet performance by American puppet artist Tom Lee and Japanese traditional puppeteer Koryu Nishikawa V. It was a beautiful production which featured a traditional form of Japanese puppetry developed from the Bunraku tradition.
After the show my cast mate, Liz Dapo got to play with one of the puppets!
And then of course, game faces on for another great show!
Day 4:
A final Matinee, and then it was time to say good-bye! Chicago, we shall miss you!
Christina Puppets 