New Work in Development
Living in a world surrounded by abundance and distractions, Lena faces dual milestones of loss, bringing her life to a standstill. A chance encounter with the Zen poetry of a medieval mountain Monk inspires her to relocate to an isolated apartment in an industrial corner of her city. There she tends both a small garden and her mind, discovering how to do so with less. Imagining the foreign and ancient time of the Monk, Lena is brought to life in his remote mountains as a young deer left surviving the loss of her mother from an attacking Tiger. Transformation comes through processing her suffering and encountering her original nature.
Lena is played by Taiwanese film actor Guay Lun-Mei. The visual storytelling features bunraku-style puppetry, shadow puppetry and projections. Choreographed into this world is the chamber ensemble sextet Eighth Blackbird performing a commissioned score by contemporary composer Andy Akiho.
Lena
Production Credits
Director, Designer, Writer Blair Thomas
Composer Andy Akiho
Musicians Eighth Blackbird
Lena Guey Lun-Mei
Puppet & Set Designer Tom Lee
Shadow Designer Myra Su
Puppet Build Team Chicago Puppet Studio (Zac Sun & Caitlin McLeod)
This work will premiere: January 20-23, 2028
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago, Illinois
August 2026
Workshop #3
Hosted at the Wurtz Center with full tech support and… Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore.
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October 2025
Workshop #2
Hosted at Lookinglass Theater… Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
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June 2024
Workshop #1
Hosted at Tiny Tempest Farm… Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
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Workshops and Showings
May 20, 2023
Burning Karma Cabaret
Zen Buddhist Temple
Chicago, Illinois
Stonehouse poems
Solo puppet performance, Blair Thomas and Frank Karall
May 26, 2023
Blackbird Lab
Tiny Tempest Farm
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Stonehouse poems
Solo puppet performance, Blair Thomas and Zachary Good
Workshop #1
October 2025
Lookingglass Theater’s Rehearsal Room
Chicago, Illinois
Written and Directed by Blair Thomas
Puppet Design by Tom Lee and Myra Su
Performances by Guey Lun-Mei, Ashwaty Chennet, Tom Lee, Rowan Magee, Rosh Ratnam
Puppets built by Chicago Puppet Studio
Workshop #2
June 12, 2024
Blackbird Lab
Tiny Tempest Farm
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Stonehouse Project
Directed, Designed and performed by Blair Thomas with Tom Lee
Music by Eighth Blackbird and the participants in the 2024 Blackbird Lab
Puppets built by Chicago Puppet Studio
Workshop #3
August 16, 2026
Northwestern Theater’s Wurtz Center
Evanston, Illinois
Written and Directed by Blair Thomas
Music performed by Eighth Blackbird
Puppet Design by Tom Lee and Myra Su
Performances by Guey Lun-Mei, Tom Lee, Rowan Magee, Leah Ogawa, Rosh Ratnam
Puppets built by Chicago Puppet Studio
Workshop #5
May 2027
Northwestern Theater’s Wurtz Center
Evanston, Illinois
Workshop #4
January 2027
Zen Buddhist Temple
Chicago, Illinois
First Preview
Sept. 3-4, 2027
Northwestern Theater’s Wurtz Center
Evanston, Illinois
Premiere
January 20-23, 2028
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago, Illinois