Fireside Puppet Chats

an intimate series of conversations with NYC puppet artists about topics OTHER than puppetry

The series began in 2010,

with the sneaking suspicion that puppeteers – people who think visually, make theater, are interested in the secret life of objects, and suspension of disbelief – might have interesting opinions about the world in general.

Nestled in the lounge at Dixon Place, Fireside Puppet Chats provided a forum to chew on random concepts together as a community.

"I think recently, when Steve Jobs died...this is kind of going off the topic..."

--- Cathy Shaw

Each panel was made up of amateurs, which empowered audience contributions to the discussion. It cemented the notion that everyone has a valid opinion on topics which impact our cultural consciousness.

Topics included: Horror, Amusement Parks, Outer Space, The Future, Robots, the Deep Sea, the End of the World, Transhumanism, Math, Games, Uselessness, Dirt, and Highways.

Panel Moderator Kate Brehm

Esteemed guests Jenny Campbell, David Michael Friend, Gretchen Van Lente, James Walton, John Bell, Jenny Romaine, Gwendolyn Warnock, Kirjan Waage, Erik Sanko, Jessica Grindstaff, Liz Hara, Eric Wright, Adam Pagdon, Ron Binion, Christopher Williams, Patti Bradshaw, Sxip Shirey, Julian Crouch, Cathy Shaw, Basil Twist, Lindsay Abromaitis-Smith, and Hanne Tierney, Lake Simons, Erin Orr.

Topics

Horror
Amusement Parks
Outer Space
The Future
the Deep Sea
the End of the World
Transhumanism
Math
Games
Uselessness
Dirt
Highways