She Took to the Sea, 2017-2024

Creator & Performer Chelsea M. Warren

OVERVIEW: An ongoing solo puppet show with multiple episodes begun in 2018. The protagonist is Harriet the Aguanaut, an underwater scientist-explorer-inventor, on a mission to save the oceans and our planet through human and marine interconnection. The episodes explore a juxtaposition of classical and innovative puppetry technologies through the mediums of hand carved marionettes, toy theatre, shadow puppets, stop animation and live feed projection.

*see production photos & videos below

mission 1: The Song of the Sea

  • DESCRIPTION: Harriet the Aguanaut is on a mission to save the oceans by finding lost secrets from the Minoan civilization. Upon her first exploratory mission she ventures in an outrageously noisy vessel. Scaring away all marine life and any hope of discovery, ultimately her ill-conceived Oceaviator sinks. Floating alone, time suspends and the ocean’s music is unveiled. Harriet’s ability to hear the beauty of the world around her opens. A tale told through shadow puppetry, composed soundscape and rear projection of ink painting as light source.

  • Shadow Puppetry with rear projected stop animation ink painting

  • Originally performed at Open Eye Figure Theatre’s Sweet Songs & Flying Objects Festival in Summer 2018

  • Performed at NYState Puppet Festival, Puppet Slam, Summer 2022

  • Performed at Southern Theatre, Minneapolis, May 2024

    Creator & Performer Chelsea M. Warren Collaborating Sound Artist Brett Masteller

mission 3: The Heart of the Whale

  • DESCRIPTION: Harriet the Aguanaut is on a mission to save the oceans and our planet through human and marine interconnection. While attempting to install hydrophones, she is swallowed by a whale. With only her echo for conversation, Harriet hears a low rumble. Deep in the belly of the whale, she finds the whale’s beating heart. A tale told through traditional Czech marionettes, classic toy theatre with scenic transformations, shadow puppetry and live sonic score.

    • Toy Theatre with Shadow Puppetry and Traditional Czech Wooden Marionettes

    • Developed in Fall 2020 with Chicago Puppet Festival’s Toy Theatre Online Workshop with instructor Blair Thomas.

    • Further developed and performed via zoom in Summer 2021 with Puppet in Prague’s Let’s Make a Puppet Show Workshop with Czech Puppet Master Zuzana Bruknerova & Co-Founder Leah Gaffen.

    • Performed live at the 2022 Chicago Puppet Festival, Nasty Brutish and Short Cabaret.

Window Installation

  • DESCRIPTION: Episode 1: The Song of the Sea was the inspiration for my multimedia installation which included a vinyl applique script, puppet theatre boxes and a looping shadow puppet show on a tv monitor.

  • When Jungle Theatre was dark during the first summer of the pandemic, they invited a cohort of artists to create window installations.

MISSION 2: THE EYE OF THE OCTOPUS, in development

  • Shadow Puppetry

  • In development, currently a draft developed in Chicago Puppet Festival’s online workshop Shadow Puppetry, taught by Tom Lee.

  • To come: additional Minoan Civilization search & profound interaction between Harriet and the Octopus.