Written and Composed by Josh Gross
Directed by Hunter Prutch
Music Director & Harmony Composer
Katy Curtis
CAST
Forest Gilpin …………………………… (B.L.T) Broadband Linked Toaster / Doc Bot
Alex Giorgi ……………………………………………………………………. Wilson H. Daniels
Brianca Knight ……………………….. S.P.A.M Bot (Spare Parts and Machines Bot)
Alyssa Marie Mathews ………………….. Ha.G (aka Hacker Girl, aka Jolie Daniels)
R.L. Routh …………………………….. A.C.E. (Artificial Consciousness Experiment)
Owen Webb ……………………………………………….. Ubervagon / Chip McDougan
Hype Bot Chorus performed by full cast
Puppets designed and fabricated by Alyssa Marie Mathews
Lead Puppeteer
Forest Gilpin
Music performed by
Josh Gross (synths) & Jen Scaffidi (guitar)
Technical Director / Projection Design and Sound Design
Aubry Hollingshead
Lighting Designer / Assistant Technical Director
Mads Hamilton
Merch Manager / Promotions Assistant
Sorrel LaLune
Videography
Arturo Martinini
Opening set by Blunderbusst
Booking by MV Touring
SPECIAL THANKS TO
The Wyrd Hut, Raef Wheaton, The Prutch Family, Rockafairy, Trent Beck, Andrew Peel, A. Walker Spring, Asta Baker
COMPANY LEADERSHIP
Artistic Director: Josh Gross
Managing Director: Alyssa Marie Mathews
Design Director: Aubry Hollingshead
Puppeteers For Fears is supported in part by:
Oregon Community Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation, and Hand2Mouth Theatre
MEET THE CAST & CREW
KATY CURTIS
Music Director & Harmony Composer
Originally from Arcata, California, Katy Curtis moved to Southern Oregon in 2012, attending SOU for her BFA in Performance. This is where her hand held its first puppet, and the rest is history… After performing in two and directing four Puppeteers For Fears shows, Robopocalypse is her first go at vocal directing with the company. When she isn’t working with these talented weirdos, she’s playing music with her band Ponderosas or hanging with her adorable fur child, Ghost.
FOREST GILPIN
Lead Puppeteer
What does he want? Where did he come from? No one knows when Forest exactly joined the group, a spectral outline theorized to be Forest can be seen in the background of Puppeteers photos dating back to 1846. His first recorded physical manifestation was in PFF’s 2018 Cthulhu: The Musical! tour and he’s been haunting the productions of Puppeteers For Fears ever since, murmuring poorly conceived jokes and bits to induce minor bouts of madness, despair and anger. “Ang-er? I Hardly know ‘er”
ALEX GIORGI
Puppeteer
After graduating with a BFA in Theater from Southern Oregon University, Alex joined the ranks of Puppeteers For Fears in Cattle Mutilation: The Musical! He soon took on the cosmic mantle of both Burt and Cthulhu in Cthulhu: The Musical!, performing on tours across the west and east coasts. The mayhem of national touring took its toll—but like any scrappy engineer, he gathered the spare parts, ran a full system diagnostic, and rebuilt himself stronger than before. Now upgraded and fully operational, Alex 2.0 is ready to bring Wilson H. Daniels to life in Robopocalypse: The Musical!
JOSH GROSS
Writer / Composer / Synths
Josh: Hi, ChatGPT. Write a 150-word bio for Josh Gross.
ChatGPT: Joshua Gross, b. September 10, 1973, is an accomplished attorney, and the founder and CEO of Beverly Hills Weekly…
Josh: Stop. That’s the wrong Josh Gross. Make it about me, the founder of Puppeteers for Fears.
ChatGPT: Josh Gross is the writer and producer (and composer) of Puppeteers for Fears, a rogue (rogue?) puppet musical theater company based in southern Oregon.
Gross wrote and directed (I don’t direct) the cult-favorite (not yet, but 🤞) Robopocalypse: The Musical!, along with Cthulhu: the Musical!, (actual cult favorite) and The Puppets Take Shakespeare (never heard of that one), and more. When not sewing googly eyes onto monsters (I can’t sew, actually) Gross is also the author of the nonfiction book The Hack (it’s a novel, of which I’ve written five), and a frequent contributor to various publications (I tried that once in college, but didn’t care for it).
Combining sharp satire, rock ‘n’ roll, and handcrafted felt creatures, Gross’s work pushes the boundaries of what puppet shows can be (awww, thanks!) and has been called “hilarious,” (fuck yeah!) and “definitely not for kids” (rude), and he takes all three as compliments (true).
MADS HAMILTON
Lighting Designer / Assistant Technical Director
Mads Hamilton (they/them) is a Portland based stage manager and technician who’s ecstatic to be returning for their third full tour with Puppeteers! Originally from Sacramento, Mads discovered PFF while procuring their BFA in button pushing and hasn’t turned back from the company since. This production is utilizing all their skills and has constantly required them to expand their knowledge, but they could not be prouder of the show and the entire team involved for their work. They hope you enjoy the show and this brave new world!
AUBRY HOLLINGSHEAD
Technical Director / Projection & Sound Design
Aubry/Aubz has been with PFF since the dawn of PFF, dubbing the company “Puppeteers for Fears,” designing the logo (insert logo merch plug here), and doing the company’s artsy, designy, webby, techy, video productioney stuff. Aubz has been involved with every show, first wielding a box cutter to craft cardboard-on-stick props for the company’s inaugural self-titled Halloween show in 2015, then computering a computer to design projections and sound for everything else since. When off-duty from PFF, Aubz is a scenic artist, graphic designer, film maker, and spooky charcoal artist. She lives in Southern Oregon with some guy named Josh and the best dog on planet earth (fight me), Milo.
BRIANCA KNIGHT
Puppeteer
Once upon a time in Ashland, Oregon, Brianca sat in the audience for one of PFF’s earliest productions of Cthulhu: The Musical! Nearly a decade later, her grand scheme of infiltrating Puppeteers for Fears has finally come to fruition. (Now that’s what we call a slow burn!) Sure, she earned a BFA in theatre arts from SOU, performed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and has been featured at the Goodman Theatre Walter Lab, but who cares? Her life’s all about puppets now, baby!
SORREL LALUNE
Merch Manager / Promotions Assistant
Sorrel LaLune (she/her) is horrified to have woken up in the back of a van full of puppets, but she is making the most of it. When she’s not selling merch to earn her freedom, she operates Rent-a-Butch, the queer handywork business voted Portland’s Best Moving Company in the Willamette Week. Please set her free. Please.
ALYSSA MARIE MATHEWS
Puppeteer / Puppet Designer & Fabricator
Alyssa Marie Mathews (she/her) is a longtime member of PFF, being involved in every production since 2016 except one, but she was busy getting her MA in Puppet Arts at the University of Connecticut at that time, so there’s really been no escaping the puppet-verse for her. Besides her wild puppet creations being seen here, they have also been spotted at the Woodland Opera House, The Ashland Beckett Shorts Festival, Broadway Sacramento, Youtube, and all over her apartment (seriously, all over). Alyssa is delighted to return to Robopocalypse again, after having directed and created puppets the first time around. Now she’s performing and making all new puppets with more complicated structures than ever before, and she can assure you no A.I. was used in the process. Alyssa lives in Portland Oregon with official PFF groupie Danny and their two sweet cats.
HUNTER PRUTCH
Director
Hunter Prutch is a long time member of the company and regular puppet performer. He started his journey with PFF with the first production of Robopocalypse: The Musical! And has performed as various puppets in Cattle Mutilation: The Musical!, The Cabaret at the End of the World, and Cthulhu: The Musical! This year he is incredibly excited to be this production’s director and work with such an incredible team of artists.
R.L. ROUTH
Puppeteer
R.L. Routh (they/them) is a performer and artist based in Portland, OR. Previously, they have performed with Artists Repertory Theater, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Bag&Baggage Productions, the Oregon Fringe Festival, and are a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of experimental theatre company Basement Stair Collective. R.L. is stoked to be back on tour with PFF, and dedicates this performance to their cat, who lives in blissful ignorance of the meaning of Roko’s Basilisk.
JEN SCAFFIDI
Guitar / Opening (class) Act: Blunderbusst
You may know Jen Scaffidi from such theatrical productions as “dancing at the grocery store” and “wait, how does a live stream work.” A songwriter and musician based in Northern Nevada, Jen is enjoying her second year in the puppet band, and has been so fully assimilated into the puppet troupe that puppets have started showing up at her house of their own volition. Or maybe the internet has been sending them? While Jen is away on tour commanding an army of tiny pedalboard robots (or are they commanding her?), the other members of her noise-pop band Blunderbusst wait patiently for her at home. If Jen approaches you in the parking lot, move slowly and speak in low, comforting tones. She’s harmless and probably just wants a hug.
OWEN WEBB
Puppeteer / Lighting Assistant
Originally from Visalia California, Owen was initially introduced to PFF while completing their BFA at Southern Oregon University. This is Owen’s second show with PFF and they’re super excited to continue on this unique journey with such a talented and accepting crew. When they don’t have their arm shoved up a puppet, they can be found acting and auditioning their way throughout Portland, Oregon, as well as working as a mover. Owen would like to thank all of their friends and family who have supported them and their work during their creative journey.