Shadow, Sound, Spectacle to Perform at 2025 Providence Fringe Festival

What do Mary Shelley, Emily Dickinson, Jules Verne, and Anne Rice have in common? They all make shadowy guest appearances in Literary Monsters, a genre-bending blend of original music, puppetry, and storytelling from the multimedia performance trio Shadow, Sound, Spectacle. This richly theatrical evening of gothic whimsy and sonic texture premieres at the 2025 Providence Fringe Festival on Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16 at 7:00 PM at 50 Sims.

A haunting and playful meditation on monsters-real, imagined, inherited, and internal-Literary Monsters brings together shadow play, song, and story. Audiences will hear echoes of Poe and Dickinson, watch ghosts emerge from the pages of Irving and Shelley, and revisit the fantastical creatures of Greek myth and summer monster movies alike. The show is both visually striking and emotionally resonant, grounded in themes of identity, transformation, and creative rebellion.

The ensemble Shadow, Sound, Spectacle was co-founded in 2023 by three artists working at the intersection of music, puppetry, and narrative performance:

• Jess Martin is a singer-songwriter and storyteller based in Western Massachusetts, blending gothic folk, modern rock, and immersive performance. Their work explores identity, longing, and metamorphosis through lyrically rich, visually layered productions.

• Amy West, a Boston-based puppeteer, writer, and musician, performs in puppet slams nationwide and creates custom puppets for stage and screen. A graduate of the UConn Puppet Arts Program, she also serves on the board of Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline.

• Abby Hanna is a Pioneer Valley musician and YouTuber whose honest, acoustic songwriting is matched by multi-instrumental chops on guitar, bass, and drums. She collaborates across mediums and is currently recording her debut EP, with singles streaming on all platforms.