Puppetry in modern days

Historically, puppet theater has been associated with comedy and children’s education. With shows like Avenue Q, attendees saw a dark, more vulgar side. Brian Orr’s DoneUndone show attempts to bridge the gap by incorporating dark elements to explore the metaphysical, emotional and contemplative states of the mind through the art of puppetry.

This is a stark contrast from his immensely popular children’s education show that he brings to various schools around the Portland area, teaching kids about the environmental impact of their actions and how to conserve. But like his youth-driven show, DoneUndone will feature the trademark, reused puppets Orr is known for. By utilizing recycled and reused materials such as cardboard, scrap fabric and rubber tire tubes, Orr creates whimsical puppets that are environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing.

The hourlong DoneUndone show explores one character’s futile attempt to sleep, haunted by demons of the psyche. The main character, Cora Gated, struggles for slumber as it is bombarded with visions, demons, nightmares and a shadowy apparition of itself. All of this is accomplished solely through music—there is no spoken script for the entire performance.

 “I’ve done some adult shows but this is my first full-length adult puppet show,” Orr said. “This one is more autobiographical, dealing with anxieties, personal demons and obsessions. There are a lot of stranger puppets representing things such as death and a Jungian shadow-self puppet based off the main character. There are a lot of monsters in this show, and a lot of different kinds of puppetry styles.”

To create the ethereal, dream-like state that the main character is trapped in, Orr enlisted musician Lara Triback.
“I met [Lara] last summer while we were teaching together at an arts camp. Laura was playing all this Balkan Middle Eastern music on [the] doumbek and accordion. She was playing a song that was a folk tale about a giant ice troll that eats children, and I said ‘perfect!’ There’s something about that music…it’s the best match for puppets. I’m trying to produce a dream-like state for this show and this music just goes with the puppets.”

During the performance, four musicians will be on hand to perform pieces chosen by Orr and Triback and to create the somber mood of the piece.

“What’s amazing is that [Balkan] music at times can be very sad in a way that other music can’t be and at the same time [it] can be hopeful and joyous and celebratory in a way that other music can’t be,” Orr said.

While he is overtly passionate about his educational Mudeye Puppet Company, this endeavor marks a personal passion for Orr.

“For me personally, I am more into shows that aren’t targeting a specific audience. They just are what they are,” he said.

DoneUndone is the first in what Orr hopes will be a series of mood-driven, Eastern European-inspired performances that focus on the craft of puppetry to convey a story more so than scripts or funny costumes and let the audience interpret it how they see fit.

“We’ll see if people get it or they don’t,” Orr said. “It’s important that people see different things—I want this to be open to interpretation. I don’t like seeing a movie or reading a book where my intelligence is not respected enough to make my own interpretations. This show isn’t good versus bad, it’s not a battle. It’s more about the things going on in this person’s head at night when it’s trying to sleep.”

Orr has a simple formula of recycled material puppets acting out the demons and monsters that humans face, all set to Balkan-inspired music, a unique approach to an old tradition and one that should be able to get his message across.