Like Puppets

Curious about who controls us?

On my last visit to Chicago, I had a little extra time before I had to get to the airport. I stopped and wandered into the Chicago Cultural Center. I had not taken the time to visit this building which often has free to art exhibits for the public to enjoy. An interesting exhibit of puppets greeted me as I walked into the gallery.

Some people fondly remember “The Muppets” as their introduction into the world of puppeteers. Others may think of Pinocchio as the hallmark story about a puppet who came to life to become a real little boy. This exhibit had everything and more curiously coming to life through the eyes of their creators.

First, let me introduce you to "Reverend Punchfizz and the Congregation.” This display of Reverend Punchfizz and his intergalactic puppet band brought me back to the Muppets. With their soft, pillowy, cartoon-like bodies and wires coming from their wrists, creating movement, they invite the imagination to go with them to a time and place where reality can be suspended for a moment. That’s what the Muppets did for me as a child back then. I could forget the real world, and be sucked into the imagination of those educators and creators who wanted me to learn through the joyful lessons of a puppet. It was fun and some of the lessons stuck with me longer than the boring books we read in school.

But, beyond Rev. Punchfizz, other larger, more complex puppets made me curious about the creativity and imagination that came to life for the creators through their puppeteering skills. “See What I Wanna See” designed by Tom Lee was created to tell stories written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. This Japanese writer lived over a hundred years ago and his stories have been brought to life through a musical created by Michael John LaChiusa. In this musical, these shadow puppets were used to give visual imagery to the unfolding story that danced upon the eardrums of the audience as the tragedy of Kesa and Morito is brought to life.

The display description noted that the musical “See What I Wanna See” was performed in 2024 by an all Asian American Pacific Islander cast, “bringing LaChiusa’s Americanized adaptation into conversation with the Asian-American experience.” (DISPLAY DESCRIPTION)

Although there were people who had to literally control the movements of the puppets, there were many people who influenced the actual musical story as it unfolded. It was the inspiration given by a prolific author who lived over a hundred years ago, who tapped the soul of a talented composer, lyricist and woke up the imagination of a designer named Tom Lee. Tom Lee, created the puppets at the Chicago Puppet Studio that made this story come to life visually and brought the conglomeration of creation to the stage.

None of this could be done without the connections from one storyteller to the next, which is why I was intrigued by this puppet display at the Chicago Cultural Arts Center.

At first, I was curious about who controlled the puppets, but what I discovered is that it’s less about control and more about creativity, inspiration, and wonder. This is how we are as humans when we are at our best. We are inspired to do things and become more vibrant participants in our world when we take something from the past, merge it with the talents we have been given, and reconnect it to the future for others to be inspired, too.

These are some of the gifts of creativity through puppets that I discovered when I opened up my mind and got curious about puppets and wandered off the beaten path of Chicago to see something new! I hope you take a minute to wander this week, too!