The next Festival is coming right up: January 19-29, 2023
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Over 100 performances at dozens of venues across Chicago
A guided experience of the Festival programming
In-person workshops at the Festival's new studio space
Civic partnerships make the Festival possible
Festival artists and scholars in conversation
Family-friendly shows around the city
Don't miss The Plastic Bag Store, an immersive experience
View show-specific program PDFs
Semi-annual benefit event series offering intimate performances, dinner, and conversation in private homes
Monthly series which offers direct access to local artists through performances and hands-on demonstrations
Providing puppeteers structured support and community context for the development of their work
Providing high-quality puppetry design, fabrication and innovation for the local and national theater community
A series of videos sharing insights from local, national, and international puppeteers and puppet builders
Instituto Cervantes Chicago & Chicago Puppet Fest present:
From award-winning, Brooklyn-based puppet artist and theater maker, Nick Lehane, comes the heartfelt, poignant, and stranger-than-fiction story of a chimpanzee raised as a child in a human home in a cross-fostering experiment conducted in the United States. An exquisite bunraku style puppetry performance breathes in life and illuminates the need for humanity.
With special support from Cheryl Henson
Nick Lehane is a Brooklyn based puppet artist and theater maker. His puppet play Chimpanzee premiered at HERE Arts Center through Basil Twist’s Dream Music Puppetry Program, with the support of The Jim Henson Foundation and Cheryl Henson. It has since been presented at the World Puppet Theater Festival in Charleville-Mézières, by Casteliers at Théâtre Aux Écuries in Montreal, and by The London International Mime Festival at The Barbican Centre. His collaboration with Derek Fordjour, Fly Away, ran in 2020 at Petzel Gallery as part of Fordjour’s premiere solo exhibition, SELF MUST DIE. Lehane has collaborated with PigPen Theatre Co. as puppet designer for The Tale of Despereaux (The Old Globe, Berkeley Rep co-directed by Marc Bruni), as puppet designer for The Phantom Folktales (Virgin Voyages), and as the understudy for The Old Man and The Old Moon. He will be puppet designing Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn’s Hood (Asolo Rep., dir Mark Brokaw). His original work has shown at St. Ann’s Warehouse, Puppet BloK at Dixon Place, The Jim Henson Carriage House, Special Effects Festival at wild project, and Pillsbury House Theatre. Select performance credits are Robin Frohardt’s The Plastic Bag Store and The Pigeoning (HERE Arts Center, international tour), Petrushka (Giants Are Small, New York Philharmonic, Barbican Centre), Islamic Solidarity Games Opening Ceremonies (Baku, Azerbaijan), Doug Fitch’s El Retablo de Maese Pedro (American Symphony Orchestra, Bard SummerScape), James Ortiz’s The Little Mermaid (Glass Bandits Theater, Strangemen Theatre Company), and Lore (Amazon). Lehane provided puppet and movement direction for SeaWife (Naked Angels). He studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School and received his B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. nicklehane.com
Instituto Cervantes of Chicago is a not-for-profit cultural center which promotes the engagement of Hispanic art and culture and the teaching of the Spanish language in the greater Chicago area. We are located at 31 W. Ohio Street in downtown Chicago. Our facility is easily accessible by public transportation (subway, bus, car) and features a large gallery, a 160 seat auditorium, extensive classroom space and one of the largest Spanish language libraries in Illinois. For 25 years, Instituto Cervantes has celebrated the diversity and common ground among all Hispanics in Chicago. Our cultural program is unique, serving as a bridge between the various Hispanic communities where all Chicago area residents, including Mexicans, Central and South Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Spanish-Americans, and non-Hispanics, all come together to share and experience an exhibit, theatrical or dance performance, music concert, literary panel, symposium, workshop or lecture under one roof. chicago.cervantes.es
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Fine Arts Building
410 S Michigan Ave
Studio 310
Chicago, IL 60605
Administrative Office:
312 753 3234
info@chicagopuppetfest.org