House of the Exquisite Corpse VI: LULLABIES at Rough House Puppet Arts

Rough House Puppet arts presents House of the Exquisite Corpse VI: LULLABIES runs October 8 - November 1 at The Merle at Steppenwolf. Six teams of Chicago artists will bring life to six unique puppet terror experiences, tapping into the horrors embedded in Lullabies for its unifying theme in 2026. Stroll through and experience terror the Chicago Reader calls "the discerning horror lover’s ideal haunted zone." No jump scares, no visceral gore, but tons of deep dives described here by director Corey Smith "The lullaby promises motherly comfort, but our early explorations have uncovered something darker underneath — a plea for control in an uncontrollable world. These songs sit at the uncanny threshold between consciousness and dream, life and death, parent and child, culture and family...Who left that baby in a tree? What happens after that cradle falls?! The truth of the lullaby is that our mothers cannot save us, no matter how deeply we wish they could." This is the hot ticket for spooky season.

Shows run October 8 - November 1 with the first time slot starting at 6:50 PM Thurs- Sat, and at 1:50 PM on Sundays. Booking early to guarantee you preferred times slot is highly recomended.

BONUS: Rough House is offering an All-Inclusive Experience on Thursdays & Sundays (Oct 8- Oct 25) that includes the perks you crave, including a backstage tour so you can get in the box with those frightful puppets!

The all inclusive experience includes:

• 1 ticket to Thursday or Sunday exclusive LAST show of the Night Exquisite Corpse VI: Lullabies

• 1 post show backstage tour/photo ops with puppets

• 1 drink ticket per VIP customer

• 1 entry into our giveaway!