Interlochen Center for the Arts

Shadow Puppetry

I explored storytelling in collaboration with two other students in my cohort. The piece was inspired by my research on Ancient Egypt. I studied Egyptian art, artifacts and symbolism to design characters and a dynamic story. These original characters were created digitally in procreate, printed, and laser cut.

The story captures an American adventurer challenged with the task of traveling back in time to ancient Egypt to find a rare artifact. He opens the sarcophagus and finds the crown, but it came with an ancient Pharaoh cursed to rise and be the undead. The Pharaoh summons a hoard of mummies that are transformed to zombies. The adventurer narrowly escapes and steals the crown. He breaks the crown in half to break the curse which leaves the Pharaoh defenseless. The adventurer kills the Pharaoh and travels back to America where they celebrate his return.

The project enhanced my skills from research and design to performance showcasing how light and shadow can bring history, art, and imagination to the stage.