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Ben has built puppets for productions in NY and LA. He studied with Anurupa Roy in New Delhi and is heavily influenced by traditional Japanese Bunraku puppetry that he saw in Osaka.

 

Scroll down to see selections of his work as a puppet builder and read about specific productions.

Left, the title character of The Lovely Miller Maid, operated by Nicola McEldowney & Flor Bromley

Above: Ben assisted Broadway puppeteer Jessica Scott during a workshop of Mabou Mines' La Divina Caricatura. It eventually premiered at La MaMa in NYC under the direction of MacArthur Genius Award Winner Lee Breuer. Pictured are the "Poppers" that Ben helped to carve out of foam.

Left: a puppet Ben helped build under the guidance of international puppet artist Anurupa Roy for a production in Los Angeles.  Ben also studied with her at the 

Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust in New Delhi.

PUPPETRY

Above: Ben designed and built the Prince Edward puppet for WOW Café Theatre's production of Edward II, which he also co-directed. This Japanese bunraku-style puppet could be operated by one or two people.  Pictured here with Lindsay Tanner as Lord Mortimer.

Above: More puppets Ben designed and built for The Lovely Miller-Maid. In the foreground are found-object marionettes which pay homage to the Austrian marionette opera and ballet traditions. They are operated by Flor Bromley (left) and Nicola McEldowney (right). In the background are shadow puppets operated by Elizabeth Spano.

Right: The Hunter who steals the Miller-Maid away from the main character. The puppet is made of wood, leaves, moss, and cork, with bullets for a mouth and a flint-lock pistol for a nose. Puppeteers Equiano Mosieri (left) and Chris Gebauer (right) assemble and disassemble the puppet onstage.

Above: Ben designed the "Grief Monster" puppet for Chrysalis, a solo show by Evangeline Crittenden, which toured the US and performed at the NYC Fringe Festival.

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