The International Puppet Slam - NYC

Duygu Bayar Ekren is an author, puppeteer, and puppet designer with a background in journalism and political science from Turkey. She accomplished an individual program on contemporary puppet theater practices at the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts (NATFIZ) in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her one-person show "Joy"; created during her time at NATFIZ, received recognition at various puppet festivals for its original concept and design. She also contributed to puppet designs for the MM Theater of Sofia.

She broadened her artistic horizons by attending several workshops in puppet making, contemporary dance, physical theater, mask theater, clowning, and writing. She also shared her knowledge by conducting puppet manipulation and puppet-making workshops herself. Duygu participated in the Puppets Come Home online puppet slam with a piece inspired by Franz Kafka's "Odradek." She collaborated with fellow actors to adapt Anton Chekhov's "Misery" for the stage, where she crafted puppets and stage design for the production. As part of the Object Movement Puppetry Festival 2023-2024 residency program, she crafted a short puppet show inspired by the text "Treatise on Tailors’ Dummies" by Polish writer Bruno Schulz. It premiered alongside other works at Center At West Park in late March.

She is a published author in Turkey, with her novel "Komşu Kapı" Duygu finds endless fascination in the whimsical and ethereal wisdom of puppets, along with the unique narratives, textures, and designs they bring to life. As someone whose life was previously centered around words, she witnessed firsthand the profound power of non-verbal communication and diverse storytelling techniques through puppetry. Since January 2023, Duygu has been pursuing her artistic endeavors in NYC. @duygubayarekren

Emmanuel Elpenord is a Brooklyn, NY born, Haitian-American actor, puppeteer, and voice-over artist. Puppeteer in El Niño (Metropolitan Opera); Eeyore, Rabbit, and Owl in the original cast of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: A New Musical Adaptation (Rockefeller Productions); first National, International, and Off-Broadway casts of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (Rockefeller Productions); Puppeteer at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater (9+ years). Member of Haiti Cultural Exchange's 2023 LakouNOU Artist Residency, Puppet Showplace Theater's 2023 Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers, and recipient of the Jim Henson Foundation's 2024 Family Grant. @sword.of.elpenord

Jakub Jelinek was born in Pilsen, which still remains in his heart. He is a graduate of the alternative and puppet acting program at the DAMU in Prague. In addition to the theater, he is a big fan of physical performance, original writing and creation, and among other things. He is also looking for the right means of self-expression through music. @j_jlnk

Puppet Artist Tim Lagasse, who most recently performed Scatter on Sesame Workshop’s new AppleTV+ show Helpsters, has been entertaining audiences with his unusual skill set for over 30 years. A Sesame Street alumnus, Lagasse designs, builds, and performs all forms of puppets. A series of short puppet films he created for the PBS children’s series Between the Lions garnered him three Daytime Emmy nominations. Additionally, Tim has designed and fabricated puppets for Blue’s Room, and Chappelle’s Show, among many others. He may be best known for playing the title role on Nick Jr’s Oobi.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BFA in Puppet Arts, Lagasse was the first student to receive the Jim Henson Memorial Prize in Puppetry. Lagasse was part of the creative team for the first Handmade Puppet Dreams commissioned film, Sammy & Sofa. He also received a Broadcast Design Silver Award and the coveted Union International de la Marionette Citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry. Tim also designs and builds puppets for The Jim Henson Company, regularly performs his Cabaret Hand Shadow Act, and is a Magician Member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle. More at www.timlagasse.com & @puppettim.

Maisie is a Philadelphia based shadow caster. They have toured and practiced their original storytelling with communities including Studio 34, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, The Baltimore Crankie Festival, and Asian Arts Initiative, as well as developed shadows for collaborations with fellow artists in film, dance, music, and theater. Maisie has studied puppetry in moments of academia and reckless abandon like Bread & Puppet Theater, Spiral Q, The University of Connecticut, The O’Neill National Puppetry Conference, the Chicago International Puppetry Festival Workshops, and the National Puppetry Festival. As a second generation arts educator they also work to encourage the People's voices with puppetry and narrative arts workshops, summer camps, and festivals. @maisie_oh on instagram. Website is maisieobrien.com

Masashi Kadoya is one half of the physical theatre duo ZEROKO. Utilizing the skills of pantomime and clowning, he presents playful performances combining delicacy and improvisation. Past performance spaces have included a theatre, a café, a train car, an old house, street. Invited to a number of festivals in and outside Japan, ZEROKO won the Best Comedy Award of Asian Arts Awards 2019 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019. @kadoya_masashi @zeroko_jp 

https://www.zeroko.net/

rike aka Ricky Chavez is a Los Angeles based director, DP, puppeteer, and puppet builder who loves making cool stuff and bringing others joy. He’s just happy to be here. Don't laugh, you'll only encourage him. @rikemind

Toybox Theatre has existed for more than 20 years creating live performance spectacles, unique works of puppet theatre, one of a kind works of art, as well as hosting and producing festivals and community events. Toybox Theatre is a multiple award winning production company and among Toybox's many awards include Fan Favorite and Best Performance at The National Puppetry Festival, an UNIMA Citation Of Excellence in The Art Of Puppetry (the highest award given in the field) and funding from The Jim Henson Foundation. Toybox Youtube page.

Toybox Theatre website. Facebook page.

In the late 1980s the Reagan Administration authorized a black site program Codename: Cool Zone.

The result? An educational and informative children’s TV show, Follow New York’s only transfem drag king Vape Kid Jr and America’s darling Courtney the pig boy as they learn the importance of good manners, healthy foods, and a strong military.

Enter The Cool Zone Vape Kid Jr. is NYC’s only transfeminine drag king. He aims to use his perspective on forced boyhood to better understand the conditions of masculine crisis and radicalization. @vapekidjr

Classically trained at the National Academic Theatre of Drama and Musical Comedy in Ukraine, Zlata entered the world of puppetry and design. She recently worked on “Threepenny Opera” at Hunter College, and "A Chorus Line” at Theare Row as an actress. You can find her in Central Park, where she works as a puppeteer at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater. @zlata_god zlatagodunova.com