PUPPETOPIA 2026 to be Presented at HERE Arts Center

HERE Arts Center and Dream Music Puppetry are pleased to present their winter edition of Puppetopia 2026, curated by HERE co-founder Barbara Busackino and Dream Music Artistic Director Basil Twist. This two week puppetry state of mind will be presented at the Mainstage and DOT at HERE Arts Center.

Puppetopia is Dream Music's annual celebration of imagination, possibility, exciting techniques and community creation. Featuring the World Premiere of Parched by Official Puppet Business and co-produced by HERE, Ruby & Charlie by Jessica Simon & Co, and The Magnificent Ms. Pham written by Tommy Nguyen and co-directed by Tommy Nguyen and Doug Fitch.

"For over three decades, HERE has been a home for puppeteers to experiment, take risks, and build community. We're honored to collaborate with Basil Twist and Dream Music Puppetry to present this incredible lineup," said HERE Co-Directors Annalisa Dias and Jesse Cameron Alick. "We couldn't be more excited to share these two weeks of imagination, hope, and joy with our audiences."

Parched

Presented by Official Puppet Business and co-produced by HERE's Dream Music Puppetry Program

In the far-flung future, water scarcity has led to humanity's extinction. A sentient mushroom, inhabiting plastic bottles like a hermit crab, is scouring the wastes for water. Getting lost in a sandstorm she stumbles upon a remnant of human technology, a deep well drill, and manages to turn it on. The earth trembles as the machinery is resurrected, succeeding in extracting some water, but also awakening something forgotten, buried deep in the sand. Something with an insatiable thirst...

From the team that brought you Bill's 44th (2025 Drama Desk Nominee for Outstanding Puppetry, New York Times Critics' Pick), Parched is a cinematic theatrical experience that uses intricate puppetry, stunning visuals, a live band, sharp humor, and no dialogue to explore ideas of revenge, scarcity, greed, and finding hope in a tumultuous ride among the tumbleweeds.

Performances are scheduled in the Mainstage on: Thursday, February 17 at 8:30pm (Preview); Wednesday, February 18 at 8:30pm (Opening Night); Thursday, February 19 at 8:30pm; Friday, February 20 at 8:30pm; Saturday, February 21 at 4pm (mask required performance); Saturday, February 21 at 8:30pm; Sunday, February 22 at 4pm; Tuesday, February 24 at 8:30pm; Wednesday, February 25 at 8:30pm; Thursday, February 26 at 8:30pm; Friday, February 27 at 8:30pm; Saturday, February 28 at 4pm; Saturday, February 28 at 8:30pm; Sunday, March 1 at 4pm.

Developed with funding from The Jim Henson Foundation at the O'Neill Theater Center.

Ruby & Charlie

Produced by Jessica Simon & Co.

Ruby & Charlie is an award-winning piece of puppet theater featuring live music celebrating swing dance and the music of Ray Charles. Mining the iconic music's themes of longing, love, and heartbreak, the work centers on a young couple in the 1950s brought together by swing dance. Highlighting the puppetry talents of Victor Ayala, Tau Bennett, Maria Camia, Monica Lerch, Kayta Thomas, and Ashley Winkfield, Ruby & Charlie follows the pair through a whirlwind courtship and the tensions of establishing a life together. Musicians Jordyn Davis, Jeremiah Flack, and Milton Suggs, drive the show which culminates in a swing dance celebration on stage with the audience.

Performances are scheduled in The Dorothy B Williams Theatre on:

Tuesday, February 17 at 7pm (Preview)

Wednesday, February 18 at 7pm (Opening Night)

Thursday, February 19 at 7pm

Friday, February 20 at 7pm

Saturday, February 21 at 2pm (mask required performance)

Saturday, February 21 at 7pm

Developed with funding from The Jim Henson Foundation at the O'Neill Theater Center and The Freight.

The Magnificent Ms. Pham

Produced by Puppetual Motion

Written by Tommy Nguyen

Co-Directed by Tommy Nguyen Doug Fitch

The world's first-ever Vietnamese American water puppet show, bringing the millennium old Vietnamese tradition to these shores to tell new stories in a disobediently untraditional way, The Magnificent Ms. Pham is a fantastic retelling of the true story of boatperson Kim Pham and her unwitting journey to becoming American. Moving fluidly between lived experience, memory, literature, and myth, this work reframes her exodus from Saigon to Houston as a Country Western Musical with original songs and music direction by downtown theatre marvel MUR and additional music by Vietnamese American composer Hao Le. This story of self-discovery and resilience is told through humor, spectacle, and song, celebrating the bonds of sisterhood and feminine power.

Performances are scheduled in The Dorothy B Williams Theatre on: Wednesday, February 25 at 7pm; Thursday, February 26 at 7pm; Friday, February 27 at 2pm; Friday, February 27 at 7pm; Saturday, February 28 at 2pm (mask required performance); Saturday, February 28 at 7pm.

Developed with funding from The Jim Henson Foundation.

Official Puppet Business produces innovative puppet theater while pushing the boundaries of the art form. We tell stories that are simultaneously grounded and fantastical, serious and silly. Using a devised process, we experiment with different objects, materials, and methods of manipulation to best communicate the story we wish to tell. Our goal is surprising and magical moments of theater, with an emphasis on visual storytelling. Our focus is allowing the audience to make significant connections with simple objects that are thoughtfully realized and thoroughly explored.