“Working together, we’re able to bring the puppets’ world to life.” “From the sound to light effects, everything we perform is in sync,” said Collins, an experimental theater artist who also shows off her Baptist church singing vocals as Beauty. In another, leaves actually look and sound like they’re rustling in the wind. The two collaborate with a nearly 15-member crew of other puppeteers and stage/ musical/ lighting/ sound/ scenic designers to pull off the cleverly crafted, well-illuminated performance.Ī real “quitting time” horn blows in one scene. The actors are clothed in all-black attire with a tight light only curtaining the puppets. The center’s main stage is where the magic happens.įor the past month, Hunter and Collins have given the popular musical a hip-hop spin in a puppetry style known as Czech black theater. It’s about bringing our puppets to life in a way that’s relatable to different cultures and people coming from different places.” The Actors

“What we do is universal,” said Hunter, also 27. It puts diversity and inclusion at the forefront of its productions and museum exhibits yearlong. The two puppetry artists’ leading presence in this 2019 summertime love tale signifies a cultural shift in who exactly is telling the world of puppetry’s stories.Īfrican-Americans playing prominent roles both on the stage and behind the scenes isn’t taken lightly at the center - America’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of puppetry.

Puppetry arts of atlanta