John Toot and the Great Metastization by Stop Puppeting Yourself Puppet Co.
Schedule
Sat, 14 Mar, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
10 Mayo St, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04101 | Portland, ME
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Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM), 50 minute performance with no intermissionSunday, March 15 at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM), 50 minute performance with no intermission
Tickets are available for $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and $25 for preferred seating (pay-what-you-can available)
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The full-length debut of Stop Puppeting Yourself Puppet Company, "John Toot and The Great Metastization," is a cyborg tabletop puppet show with live camera generated stop-motion video projection. It features bunraku-style puppetry, toy theater, string, and shadow, augmented by text and technical elements. The show's aesthetic is a remix of surreal and science fiction, experimental film, anime, alternative-pop music, and modernist literature.
The performance presents a "live documentary" composed of collected images, footage, and text regarding a real super city on another planet called New Puppet City, New Puppet. The city spans the entire world's surface, and eventually is born in an event called the Great Metastization, wherein urban development mimics embryonic growth, and urban life mimics cellular activity. During the Metastization, famous New Puppet resident John Toot is killed while celebrating his 38th birthday.
Stop Puppeting Yourself Puppet Company is a Portland-based puppetry collective born out of the puppetry practice of Elliot Nye alongside numerous friends and collaborators. The team behind "John Toot" features Caroline James, Simi Kunin, Asa Shadis, and Phoebe Kolbert with contributions from Maggie Muth, Shane Cynewski, Carver Arena, and Michela Micalizio. The ensemble typically works with direct operated puppetry and object theater met with experimentation, onstage sound and lighting design, embodied performance, and camera/video technology.
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Where is it happening?
10 Mayo St, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04101Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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