About the Show
Join us for a one-night double feature of thoughtful, mind-bending, and whimsical marionettes and shadow puppetry: PHANTASMAGORIA, by one-man marionette-building extraordinaire Puppet Pants, and UNRAVELING, by Henson Grant-awarded duo Shadow Girls Cult.
Clowns, monsters, and mysteries amuse and interact with the audience in PHANTASMAGORIA. This marionette variety show features whimsical acts ranging from endearing to odd, set to an original score. Specializing in marionette making and manipulation, Puppet Pants delivers a wordless performance, fading into the background while in full view of the audience. Somewhat circusy, a little edgy, and with a closing message about believing in yourself, PHANTASMAGORIA will definitely intrigue and delight you!
Infused with elements of sci-fi, film noir, classic horror, and surrealism, UNRAVELING explores the inexplicable moments in time when we, and the world around us, seem to come apart. A series of shadow vignettes takes the audience on a journey through yearning, curiosity, and wonder, moving through fractured identity and grief, and ending with a dream sequence. Shadow Girls Cult uses a mind-bending blend of light techniques, old-school overhead projectors, shadow masks, and hundreds of intricate and layered shadow puppets to create an animated film-like experience. UNRAVELING touches on the echo of a question: is the world (and by extension, are we) destined to always, always come apart at the seams?
These performers are coming to Q.E.D. Astoria all the way from Seattle and Atlanta — you won’t want to miss this special evening!
Recommended for adults and teens ages 16+
Shadow puppetry and marionettes
Length: 2 hours with an intermission
UNRAVELING
Created and Performed by Shadow Girls Cult
Music by Kin of The Moon, Bad Angels, Orion
Sound design by Zane Exactly
“Birdwatching” — based on poem by Franny Choi
“They’re Only Dreams” — text by Amy Escobar & voiceover by Cass Bray
Puppets designed and built by Shadow Girls Cult
Other sound design by Shadow Girls Cult
PHANTASMAGORIA
Created and Performed by Puppet Pants
Music by Puppet Pants
Creation of this production was supported in part by The Henson Foundation.
About the Artists
Founded in Atlanta in 2024, Puppet Pants is committed to providing top quality marionette entertainment for audiences of all ages, and has performed at the New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival, Puppeteers of America 2024 South East Festival, DragonCON, Asheville and Atlanta Fringe, as well as music festivals, private events and independent tours of the United States.
Shadow Girls Cult is an award-winning queer shadow puppetry and projections duo based out of Seattle, WA. Using overhead projectors, adapted camera irises, 2-D shadow puppets, human silhouettes, and other analog technology, they create puppet magic for audiences all over the U.S. Their full-length shadow show UNRAVELING was awarded the 2025 Henson Foundation Workshop Grant & 4Culture’s 2025 Project Grant, and was recently voted “Most Surprising Performance” & “Fan Favorite” at the 2025 Asheville Fringe Festival. In 2025, SGC also made their debut at The Center for Puppetry Arts, and were teaching artists in residency at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, and the Bright Ideas Project in Vermont.
