The humble puppet, often crafted from rags, paper or even wire, is having its moment in Chicago theater. Once relegated to puppet-specific stages, the use of marionettes alongside actors in mainstream productions is “exploding,” said Roell Schmidt, the director of Links Hall performance space.
Puppets have been used in the past year to depict children, Greek gods and spirits alongside actors, as local companies add more nontraditional forms to productions, Ms. Schmidt said.
“Puppets stir the imagination in a visceral and tangible way that is not as distancing as digitalization has been,” said Michael Halberstam, artistic director of the Writers’ Theater in Glencoe. And they are cost-effective. “They’re cheaper than hiring actors and can always be pulled out of storage,” he said.
At the end of February, “The World Is Flat!” — a toy theater puppet festival featuring New York’s Great Small Works — and world premieres from local puppet artists Blair Thomas, Michael Montenegro, Meredith Miller and Chantal Calato will come to Links Hall.