Category: Show Programs – Cast & Crew

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.

Written and Composed by Josh Gross

Directed by Katy Curtis and Alyssa Marie Mathews

CAST

Forest Gilpin ……………………………… John Lagrasse

Alex Giorgi …………… Burt the Shoggoth / Cthulhu

Alyssa Marie Mathews ………….. Francine Thurston

Hunter Prutch ………………………… Captain Collins /
Henry Wilcox

Owen Webb ……………… Jenkins / George Angell

Music performed by
Josh Gross (guitar), Jen Scaffidi (bass guitar), and Anthony Combest (drums)

Projection Design and Sound Design by Aubry Hollingshead
Lighting Design and Tech Operation by Mads Hamilton

Puppets by Brooke Sharpe
Shadow Puppetry by Alyssa Marie Mathews

Marketing Manager: Sasi Brindle

MEET THE CAST & CREW

SASI BRINDLE

Jack of all trades, master of….ALL! …at least for this tour. You need something handled? Sasi will have a solution before the thought even finishes. Selling her soul to big tech for years drove her more mad than Cthulhu could even fathom, so when she switched to using her assets for good (the arts, marketing local bands, promoting small businesses) it was all joyful chaos from there! While working in the music industry her skills were noticed by the Puppeteers for Fears and she was taken on to bring her magic to this ever growing production!

ANTHONY “ANT” COMBEST

Drummer and fresh recruit of the Cthulhu “family”(definitely not a cult) accomplished sleeper, and future past life regressionist. Originating from the city of angels currently residing in the Rogue Valley where he can often be seen behind a bar or a bass guitar but somewhat elusive beside those occasions.

KATY CURTIS

Originally from Arcata, California, Katy Curtis moved to Southern Oregon in 2012, attending SOU for her theater performance education. This is where her hand held its first puppet, and the rest is history…. After performing in two Puppeteers For Fears shows and directing another three, Cthulhu: The Musical! will be her sixth production with the company. When she isn’t working with these talented weirdos, she’s playing music with friends or hanging with her adorable dog, Ghost.

FOREST GILPIN

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 2018 Cthulhu 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” He’d combat Cthulhu by explaining the man-made horrors we’ve already designed without him, kinda making him obsolete in this modern era.

ALEX GIORGI

Alex was once a normal college student who went to Southern Oregon University in Ashland to study Theatre. He grew up in the Portland (OR) area and had a history of messing around with the dark magic known as puppetry in the past. So one day, while in college, his curiosity led him to see a previous run of Cthulhu: The Musical. From the moment he saw that show, he was forever changed. He must wield this dark power, he thought to himself. After he performed in a few shows at the Oregon Center for the Arts and graduated with a BFA in theatre, he soon found himself performing in his first PFF show: Cattle Mutilation The Musical. Rumor has it that he moved back to Portland afterwards, but he has not been seen since… until now. He was spotted last year in in Cthulhu: The Musical – Back From The Dead Tour. Reports are now stating he is reprising his roles as Burt and Cthulhu for the Road To R’lyeh. Now that he has joined forces with Cthulhu once again, he may actually be unstoppable.

JOSH GROSS

Known loudmouth and ukulele hooligan. Olympic Gold Medalist in vocabulary and legendary fabulist. A recovering journalist with coffee for blood, Josh enjoys long walks on the peach and dubious spelling. When not on tour with PFF, he can be found fronting bands you’ve never heard of like Thunderchud and The Totes Adorbs and writing books you haven’t read like Summer of Smoke and The Pilgrimage. Don’t feed after midnight. Also, he wrote the show.

MADS HAMILTON

Mads is a Portland based stage manager and technician thrilled to be touring with PFF again after receiving the call to action to join forces against Cthulhu and the crew for a third time. Known for being their own creator of chaos, Mads is unfazed by Cthulhu’s rumored madness, and thinks they actually might have him beat. He may be an evil dictator with a plan to take over the world, but can he single-handedly run all of the tech for a touring rock puppet show? They’d love to see him try…

AUBRY HOLLINGSHEAD

Aubry has been with PFF since the dawn of PFF — first wielding a box cutter to craft cardboard-on-stick props for the inaugural Halloween show in 2015, then computering a computer to design digital projections and run sound for every show since. She also designed that logo on your shirt (…wait, did you *not* get a PFF shirt yet?) and dubbed the operation Puppeteers for Fears (narrowly overtaking the contending name suggestion, Hand-in-Butt Theatre). Aubry has been involved with every production of Cthulhu: The Musical, which means every hard drive she owns is riddled with Lovecraftian imagery and her tech is now exclusively powered by nightmares. So if anything goes wonk during the show, blame old man Cthulhu and his psychic temper tantrums.

ALYSSA MARIE MATHEWS

This is actually Alyssa’s 5th time being in Cthulhu: The Musical, and they say the 5th time’s a charm, right? That, or she’s just slowly going more insane as the years go on….. She is a long-time member of PFF, being involved in every show except one since 2016. The resume is too long to list, so she’s not gonna try. Being decently obsessed with puppetry, she holds a Masters degree in Puppet Arts(yes, that really exists) at the University of Connecticut and a BFA in Acting at Southern Oregon University. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon with official PFF groupie, Danny, and their two sweet cats. Alyssa uses any and all art tools to keep up her defenses against the nightmares Cthulhu brings.

HUNTER PRUTCH

Hunter Prutch is a Pacific Northwest native that found his way to Ashland, Oregon for his college career. During that time he studied and received a BFA in Performing Arts from Southern Oregon University. It was while treading through those treacherous waters that he was shown the eldritch horror that was Puppeteer for Fears. Since then he has been getting dragged further and further into rabbit hole having performed in other PFF productions such as: Robopocalypse: The Musical, Cattle Mutilation: The Musical, and The Cabaret At The End Of The World. You can find him scrawling eldritch runes on the inside of the puppet box, while playing dungeons and dragons, and laughing at his own jokes.

JEN SCAFFIDI

You may know Jen Scaffidi from such theatrical productions as “dancing at the grocery store” and “no seriously, where the hell are my keys.” A songwriter and musician based in Northern Nevada, Jen is having way too much fun on her first adventure playing bass in the puppet musical — the other members of her noise-pop band Blunderbusst wait patiently for her at home. If she 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

This is Owen’s first show with PFF and is so excited to join this welcoming and talented group on the Road to R’lyeh! They graduated from Southern Oregon University with a BFA in performance, and are currently based out of Portland, OR. They would like to thank all of their fantastic friends and family for supporting them on their journey as a performer and theatre artist.