PACKRAT: THE QUEST POR LA ABUNDANCIA to be Presented at Dixon Place

Dixon Place will present the world premiere of Concrete Temple Theatre’s PACKRAT: The Quest por la Abundancia, a visually crafted puppet-forward play that asks urgent questions about home, belonging, and responsibility at a time of global displacement and climate crisis. Written and directed by Renee Philippi and featuring puppetry and set design by Carlo Adinolfi, PACKRAT: The Quest por la Abundancia runs January 7–23, 2026, at Dixon Place with an opening set for Thursday, January 8. 

Inspired by the Comcáac, an Indigenous people of northern Mexico, PACKRAT: The Quest por la Abundancia embraces the language of dreams and the presence of ancestors to help guide us on our journey of taking care of ourselves, our planet and each other. This new play, presented in English and Spanish, is a seamless blend of puppetry, projections and original music as well as a new intercultural co-production rooted in Indigenous knowledge, ecological awareness, and cross-border artistic collaboration.

PACKRAT: The Quest por la Abundancia once again stars Bud, the packrat. He, along with his new friend Amoz, a jackrabbit from the Comcáac territory, embark on a quest shaped by dreams and threatened by a multifarious array of natural dangers, including a flood. Their journey brings them to the Comcáac lands in Sonora, Mexico, where they finally discover the Basket of Abundance.

This new production grew out of a collaboration between Concrete Temple Theatre and Contenidos Artísticos, a performing arts organization dedicated to fostering cultural exchanges between Mexico and the United States. Residencies, both in Mexico and in the U.S., were supported by the Government of Sonora. PACKRAT: The Quest por la Abundancia has the support and endorsement of the Council of Elders of the Comcáac Nation.

The creative team for PACKRAT: The Quest por la Abundancia includes Eric Nightengale (dramaturg, lighting & sound design), Laura Anderson Barbata (costumes), Lewis Flinn (original music), J Hann (associate director, puppet consultant, swing), Carson Robles (production stage manager), Daniel Garcia (assistant director, translator), Paulina De La Parra (assistant director, ASM, puppeteer intern), Nat Marvan (projections animation), Max Mooney (associate producer), and Contenidos Artísticos (associate producer).