Chicago Puppet Fest presents:
Plunge into a world on the edge of the fantastic, where the heroine is a prisoner of her own web of lies, woven over many years. A Doll’s House brings together puppets, actors, music and video projections in this eerie retelling of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play, one of the great Nordic classics. Created by and starring artistic director Yngvild Aspeli, the production features one female and one male actor-puppeteer in a house haunted by hyper-realistic, life-sized puppets, dead birds and a possessed female choir. Nora, the main character, experiences a collision with her own reality, akin to a bird hitting an invisible barrier. Throughout, the old house filled with ghosts that still affect us today is explored, creating not just a performance, but an invitation to explore your own life choices.
Dates/Times:
Thursday, January 22 at 6 p.m.
Friday, January 23 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, January 24 at 6 p.m.
Location:
DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre
60 E Balbo Dr
Cost:
$48 Regular
$40 Students and Seniors
Ages: 13 and up
Running Time: 80 mins
ADA Accessible? Yes
France’s internationally acclaimed Plexus Polaire returns for its fifth Chicago Puppet Festival, having already wowed audiences with spectacular, sold out performances of Dracula: Lucy’s Dream (2025), Moby Dick (2023), Chambre Noire (2019) and Cendres (2017). Now they’re back with large-scale spectacle, human size bunraku puppets, hypnotic video projection and their signature style of imbuing the puppet with storytelling power.
DePaul’s historic Merle Reskin Theatre is located at 60 E. Balbo Drive and has been a neighborhood landmark in Chicago’s South Loop since 1910. The stage has served as a foundation for the training of hundreds of artists.
Since its opening, the theatre has changed owners, names, audiences, and has seen the city of Chicago grow and change around it. Read below to learn more about this Chicago treasure!
