About This Event
Uncanny Valley Puppet Slam Returns!
Back by popular demand! After a sold-out performance in March, Uncanny Valley Puppet Slam makes its triumphant return—this time with a fresh lineup of bold, boundary-pushing puppeteers from the Hudson Valley. Inspired by the eccentric spirit of vaudeville and cabaret, and infused with the daring energy of experimental theater, visual art, music, and dance, puppet slams are curated showcases of short-form puppetry designed for adult audiences. Expect the unexpected: performances that are funny, surreal, haunting, poetic, and provocative—sometimes all at once.
As Newburgh’s first-ever puppet slam, Uncanny Valley offers a rare and riveting mix of puppetry styles—from shadow and object theater to marionettes and multimedia creations. Each act is a miniature world unto itself, crafted to surprise, delight, and challenge.
Uncanny Valley is produced and presented by Safe Harbors in association with Dov Manley
Puppeteers:
J Hann (@jhannham) is a puppeteer and fiber artist based in Upper Manhattan. Their unique textural work draws inspiration from the past and is centered in the weird and whimsical. J uses traditional craft work including felting, crochet, and embroidery to create fantastical worlds highlighting the queer experience. Their work has been supported by the The Jim Henson Foundation and the New York State Council for the Arts. www.jennyhann.com
Adam Izen (@siradamizen) Born in the late 20th century to a military man and a stationery purveyor, Izen grew up moving from one air force base to another. With few human friends, he crafted his own—sculpey creatures, puppets, and sock monsters. His work blends whimsy with drama, a style he calls “haute couture fairy tale" and can often be seen in Beacon, NY at art shows and in various community theatrical productions. adamizen.com
Infinite Arms Production Company began in 2016 as some moms who went overboard with cardboard and glue guns. It has since evolved into a group of parents making all kinds of puppets to avoid the terror of being alive. We have performed in schools in the Hudson Valley, at High Falls Fun-A-Day performance night, SUNY New Paltz climate theatre action, random backyards and playgrounds where people needed to hear Waiting for Godot on a Wednesday. As one does. We continue to make art that is fun, dumb, and performancy. As proud Uncanny Valley alums, we’re thrilled to unleash more puppet mayhem with our fellow oddballs.
Liz Joyce (goatonaboat.org) believes that puppetry breathes beauty, life and humor into storytelling and that it is the gateway to a life-long love of theater. She was trained as a fine artist, and was certified in Art Education K-12. Throughout her career, Liz has created numerous original puppet shows and retellings of fairy tales for young children and their families. Liz’s puppet operetta, Sing a Song of Sixpence was awarded an UNIMA Citation, the highest award in American puppetry. Since 2001, Liz has hosted many talented puppeteers at Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY where she is founder and artistic director of this non-profit organization. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Jim Henson Foundation, the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York and recently served a two-year term as President of Puppeteers of America. Every once in a while, she likes to do weird puppet shows for adults.
Dov Manley (@upinarmspuppets) is the founder and artistic director of Up In Arms, a Newburgh, NY-based puppet company. With a talented team of artistic collaborators, Dov has created and performed an original catalog of musical puppet shows, captivating audiences in theaters, schools, and libraries nationwide. He is excited to be part of the vibrant puppet arts scene in the Hudson Valley as a co-producer of the Uncanny Valley Puppet Slam. linktr.ee/upinarmspuppets
Cabot Parsons’ (cabotparsons.com) short work review “Strange Things I’ve Shoved My Hand In” sold out Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center in 2024. He’s performed at Berlin Art Week, The National Puppet Slam, and at venues from Boston to Atlanta. Two full length works for adult audiences, “Gristle & Thumbs” and “Searching for a Mirror in the Dark” (a 2025 National Puppetry Conference Emerging Artist Resident) are currently in pre-production.
Brad Shur (@paperheartpuppets), founder of Paper Heart Puppets, is a puppeteer, builder, and arts educator. He’s toured nationally, built puppets for American Idol and Dollywood, and was Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theater for eight years. His work has received multiple honors, awards and grants, including two Jim Henson Foundation grants. Now based in Poughkeepsie, he is dedicated to sharing and expanding the art of puppetry. paperheartpuppets.com
Advisory Warning: Themes and language may not be suitable for younger audiences. Adults only.
About This Event
Uncanny Valley Puppet Slam Returns!
Back by popular demand! After a sold-out performance in March, Uncanny Valley Puppet Slam makes its triumphant return—this time with a fresh lineup of bold, boundary-pushing puppeteers from the Hudson Valley. Inspired by the eccentric spirit of vaudeville and cabaret, and infused with the daring energy of experimental theater, visual art, music, and dance, puppet slams are curated showcases of short-form puppetry designed for adult audiences. Expect the unexpected: performances that are funny, surreal, haunting, poetic, and provocative—sometimes all at once.
As Newburgh’s first-ever puppet slam, Uncanny Valley offers a rare and riveting mix of puppetry styles—from shadow and object theater to marionettes and multimedia creations. Each act is a miniature world unto itself, crafted to surprise, delight, and challenge.
Uncanny Valley is produced and presented by Safe Harbors in association with Dov Manley
Puppeteers:
J Hann (@jhannham) is a puppeteer and fiber artist based in Upper Manhattan. Their unique textural work draws inspiration from the past and is centered in the weird and whimsical. J uses traditional craft work including felting, crochet, and embroidery to create fantastical worlds highlighting the queer experience. Their work has been supported by the The Jim Henson Foundation and the New York State Council for the Arts. www.jennyhann.com
Adam Izen (@siradamizen) Born in the late 20th century to a military man and a stationery purveyor, Izen grew up moving from one air force base to another. With few human friends, he crafted his own—sculpey creatures, puppets, and sock monsters. His work blends whimsy with drama, a style he calls “haute couture fairy tale" and can often be seen in Beacon, NY at art shows and in various community theatrical productions. adamizen.com
Infinite Arms Production Company began in 2016 as some moms who went overboard with cardboard and glue guns. It has since evolved into a group of parents making all kinds of puppets to avoid the terror of being alive. We have performed in schools in the Hudson Valley, at High Falls Fun-A-Day performance night, SUNY New Paltz climate theatre action, random backyards and playgrounds where people needed to hear Waiting for Godot on a Wednesday. As one does. We continue to make art that is fun, dumb, and performancy. As proud Uncanny Valley alums, we’re thrilled to unleash more puppet mayhem with our fellow oddballs.
Liz Joyce (goatonaboat.org) believes that puppetry breathes beauty, life and humor into storytelling and that it is the gateway to a life-long love of theater. She was trained as a fine artist, and was certified in Art Education K-12. Throughout her career, Liz has created numerous original puppet shows and retellings of fairy tales for young children and their families. Liz’s puppet operetta, Sing a Song of Sixpence was awarded an UNIMA Citation, the highest award in American puppetry. Since 2001, Liz has hosted many talented puppeteers at Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY where she is founder and artistic director of this non-profit organization. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Jim Henson Foundation, the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York and recently served a two-year term as President of Puppeteers of America. Every once in a while, she likes to do weird puppet shows for adults.
Dov Manley (@upinarmspuppets) is the founder and artistic director of Up In Arms, a Newburgh, NY-based puppet company. With a talented team of artistic collaborators, Dov has created and performed an original catalog of musical puppet shows, captivating audiences in theaters, schools, and libraries nationwide. He is excited to be part of the vibrant puppet arts scene in the Hudson Valley as a co-producer of the Uncanny Valley Puppet Slam. linktr.ee/upinarmspuppets
Cabot Parsons’ (cabotparsons.com) short work review “Strange Things I’ve Shoved My Hand In” sold out Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center in 2024. He’s performed at Berlin Art Week, The National Puppet Slam, and at venues from Boston to Atlanta. Two full length works for adult audiences, “Gristle & Thumbs” and “Searching for a Mirror in the Dark” (a 2025 National Puppetry Conference Emerging Artist Resident) are currently in pre-production.
Brad Shur (@paperheartpuppets), founder of Paper Heart Puppets, is a puppeteer, builder, and arts educator. He’s toured nationally, built puppets for American Idol and Dollywood, and was Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theater for eight years. His work has received multiple honors, awards and grants, including two Jim Henson Foundation grants. Now based in Poughkeepsie, he is dedicated to sharing and expanding the art of puppetry. paperheartpuppets.com
Advisory Warning: Themes and language may not be suitable for younger audiences. Adults only.