UPCOMING

UPCOMING

May 2026

Photo by Alex U. Griffin

Premiere in Portugal!
MILO, O MAGNÍFICO
by Alex and Olmsted
May 7-10, 2026
at the FIMFA - Festival Internacional de Marionetas e Formas Animadas
Lisbon, Portugal
Milo video trailer
Tickets: HERE

Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation grant awarded Milo the Magnificent® is a highly engaging puppet show about an aspiring magician. This wordless comedy, inspired by turn of the century vaudeville entertainers, is as highly physical as it is charming. Using stunningly innovative puppetry, Milo presents a variety of magic tricks which don’t always go as planned.

Milo the Magnificent® was awarded a 2017 Jim Henson Foundation grant and a 2026 UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence.

Photo by A&O at the American Visionary Art Museum

A Workshop in NYC!
Create-athon: DIY Automata Workshop
with Alex and Olmsted
Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 1:00 pm
at Lincoln Center in the Clark Studio Theater
New York City
FREE! More info HERE

Join internationally acclaimed puppeteers and filmmakers Alex and Olmsted for a DIY Automata workshop! For hands-on learners who love to tinker and experiment, for artists looking to expand their toolbox, and for anyone who just loves making things move, this workshop will cover the basics of kinetic sculpture mechanics. You will create your own experimental pieces from cardboard and other simple materials, and no prior mechanical knowledge is necessary.

June 2026

photo by DJ Corey Photography

A Week-Long Intensive Workshop!
The Worm Circus with Alex and Olmsted
for the National Puppetry Conference
at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
June 6 - June 14, 2026
Learn more: HERE.
Apply: HERE.

Workshop Description: From the heartbreakingly beautiful, to the comically absurd, to impossible feats of skill and wonder, circus contains the human experience at its most magnified. Participants will join Alex and Olmsted in creating original short-form puppetry acts for a Worm Circus. With a strong focus on storytelling, clear manipulation, and virtuosity through simplicity, we will work collaboratively to hone skills that can be applied to further creation of new work. Essentializing the puppet to a single line (the humble worm), our goal is to explore the possibilities of expression and intention without relying on faces, limbs, or other humanoid features. Rod puppetry will be the primary style. Though the structure of the work will be circus, the focus of this strand is puppetry and engaging storytelling. Participants are not required to have a circus arts background, and human circus skills will not be on display.

Fool's Cap Map of the World (ca. 1585).

A Tarot-inspired Mystery Play full of slapstick comedy, whimsy, and music to drive away fear and offer relief from impending doom. As the Fool faces Death and seeks guidance, you too can consult the Oracle, be comforted by the High Priestess, put your trust in the Doctor, and give your troubles to the Crone.

Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon.

A Northeast Tour!
"Death and the Fool"
with Happenstance Theater

Howland Cultural Arts Center in Beacon, NY
Saturday, June 20, 2026 @ 2pm
Tickets: HERE

The Foundry in West Stockbridge, MA
Sunday, June 21, 2026 @ 3pm
Tickets: HERE

Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA
Monday, June 22, 2026 @ 7pm
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 @ 7pm
Tickets: HERE

Sandglass Theater in Putney, VT
Thu, Jun 25th, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Fri, Jun 26th, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Tickets: HERE

Mayo Street Arts in Portland, ME
Saturday, June 27, 2026
Tickets: HERE

July 2026

Photo by Leah Huete

Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon.

ADRIFT | A Medieval Wayward Folly
with Happenstance Theater
at Round House Theatre Mainstage
4545 E West Hwy | Bethesda MD 20814
July 16 - August 2, 2026
Tickets: SOON

A ship of fools adrift at sea. They ask, “What do we do now?”
After an apocalypse, the search begins. Characters from the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, archetypes from the Tarot, and medieval marginalia are brought to life in this ingeniously staged production of theatrical alchemy using live music, physical comedy, puppetry, and so much more. This pod of eccentrics will drift into the world to bring delight, share hopes and fears, and find a way forward. A dynamic medieval tapestry of pure theater…and it wouldn’t be the Middle Ages without a hellmouth, demons, and angels.

September 2026

Our September 2026 bookings are coming together. Stay tuned for our performance announcements!

October 2026

Fool's Cap Map of the World (ca. 1585).

DEATH & THE FOOL
with Happenstance Theater
at the Maryland Renaissance Festival
1821 Crownsville Rd. | Annapolis MD 21401
Saturday Oct 3 & Sun Oct 4
Saturday Oct 10 & Sun Oct 11
Tickets: HERE

A Tarot-inspired Mystery Play full of slapstick comedy, whimsy, and music to drive away fear and offer relief from impending doom. As the Fool faces Death and seeks guidance, you too can consult the Oracle, be comforted by the High Priestess, put your trust in the Doctor, and give your troubles to the Crone.
Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon.

"BAROCOCO" by Leslie Swan Photography

BAROCOCO
with Happenstance Theater
at Baltimore Theatre Project
45 W Preston St, Baltimore, MD 21201
October 29-Nov 15, 2026
Tickets: SOON

BAROCOCO dives into the late Baroque and flaunts 18th century finery, wigs, panniers, gestural styling, elaborate ornamentation, and the excesses of Rococo in this unique physical comedy. A charming and charismatic six-person ensemble exposes an indulgent aristocratic lifestyle precariously perched on the edge of its extinction. Happenstance Theater invites you to experience the charade — from parlor games to pantomime, from the exquisite to the revolting — in this delightful comedy of manners.

Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon with musician Stephanie Baird.

November 2026

Photo by Alex U. Griffin

Milo the Magnificent® was awarded a 2017 Jim Henson Foundation grant and a 2026 UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence.

Milo the Magnificent®
by Alex and Olmsted
November 18-22, 2026
at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Milo video trailer
Tickets: SOON!

Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation grant awarded Milo the Magnificent® is a highly engaging puppet show about an aspiring magician. This wordless comedy, inspired by turn of the century vaudeville entertainers, is as highly physical as it is charming. Using stunningly innovative puppetry, Milo presents a variety of magic tricks which don’t always go as planned.

December 2026

Photo by Leah Huete.

JUXTAPOSE | A Theatrical Shadow Box
with Happenstance Theater
Sunday, Dec 20, 2026
at Leila Gordon Theatre
2310 Colts Neck Rd, Reston, VA 20191
JUXTAPOSE video trailer.
Tickets: Soon

JUXTAPOSE is inspired by the shadow boxes of Joseph Cornell, the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie), and Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati. Eccentric characters trying to coexist in a magical-realist tenement building during the sixth mass extinction have their lives interrupted and illuminated by a human shooting star who crash-lands through their roof. As humanity teeters on the edge of the frame, we remember that our shared mortality, the ability to laugh at fear, and the limitless hope of imagination might save us from the despair of ending.

Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon.

Previous 2026 Performances

January 2026

Photo by Leah Huete.

JUXTAPOSE | A Theatrical Shadow Box
with Happenstance Theater
Jan 7-25, 2026
at 59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022
JUXTAPOSE video trailer.
Tickets: HERE.

JUXTAPOSE is inspired by the shadow boxes of Joseph Cornell, the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie), and Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati. Eccentric characters trying to coexist in a magical-realist tenement building during the sixth mass extinction have their lives interrupted and illuminated by a human shooting star who crash-lands through their roof. As humanity teeters on the edge of the frame, we remember that our shared mortality, the ability to laugh at fear, and the limitless hope of imagination might save us from the despair of ending.

Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon.

Photo by Leah Huete.

Class, cultures, and expectations clash when Jacques’ American cousin Sam visits him in Paris for a birthday celebration. Winner of a 2024 Jim Henson Foundation grant award, Happy Birthday, Mon Ami combines glove puppetry, live music, and audience participation to create a delightful hour of fun for the whole family.

Chicago Premiere!
Happy Birthday, Mon Ami
Jan 28-Feb 1, 2026
at Neighborhoods all over Chicago!
Wed, Jan 28 at 5pm & 8pm
The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60642
Thursday, January 29 at 4 p.m.
Tuley Park, 501 E. 90th Pl.
Friday, January 30 at 4:30 p.m.
Loyola Park Fieldhouse, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave.
Saturday, January 31 at 1 p.m.
Austin Town Hall Cultural Center, 5610 W. Lake St.
Sunday, February 1 at 11 a.m.
Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave.
Happy Birthday, Mon Ami video trailer.
Tickets: FREE! More Info: HERE.

Happy Birthday, Mon Ami was awarded a 2024 Jim Henson Foundation grant.

A workshop!
Cardboard Automata
Friday, January 30
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, IL
Register: HERE

Learn the basics of automata and kinetic sculpture design and prototyping. You will use simple materials like cardboard, tape, and bamboo skewers to create a working hand-cranked sculpture.
Taught by Alex Vernon and Sarah Olmsted Thomas.

February 2026

Photo by Blonnie Brooks of WAGS Media.

POCKET MOXIE | A Happenstance Vaudeville
by Happenstance Theater
February 6 & 7 at 7pm
at the Publick Playhouse
5445 Landover Rd, Hyattsville, MD 20784
POCKET MOXIE video trailer HERE.
Tickets: HERE.

Happenstance Theater brings old Vaudeville back with POCKET MOXIE!, an homage to the style and spirit of the Great Age of Vaudeville with slapstick comedy, tight harmonies, and celestial charades. Five versatile players breathe new life into classic old routines. From a ventriloquist’s dummy to a magic act that goes awry, from novelty songs and a musical saw to waiters juggling meatballs, all acts are accompanied by live music and “foley” sound effects.

Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon.

Photo by Leslie Swan Photography.

PREPOSTEROUS! A Happenstance Circus
with Happenstance Theater
Sunday, February 8 at 3:00 pm
at the Leila Gordon Theater
2310 Colts Neck Rd, Reston, Virgina 20191
PREPOSTEROUS! video trailer.
Tickets: HERE.

A sophisticated, family-friendly, pocket-sized theatrical clown circus! These charming vintage clowns play circus animals, sing as a human calliope, do the classic circus mirror routine, invent a number of ridiculous "entrées," perform live music, and execute a very satisfying slow motion number involving a PIE!

Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon.

March 2026

Workshop Premiere!
REALLY QUITE A LOT OF MECHANISMS
by Alex and Olmsted
March 12-29, 2026
at the Baltimore Theatre Project
45 W Preston St, Baltimore, MD 21201
Tickets: HERE.

REALLY QUITE A LOT OF MECHANISMS is a darkly comedic puppet show set in the not-too-distant Now when nations are at war, bad things happen to good people, and dropped toast always lands butter side down. Life is illogical but you know what isn't? Mechanisms! The Lever! The Pulley! And, O! Hail the Wheel and Axle! In Really Quite a Lot of Mechanisms, there is, at the center of the Earth, an unseen boiler room full of machines and the semi-capable technicians who operate them. Told with puppets and simple machines, two workers form their tasks, troubleshoot mechanical failures, and struggle to maintain productivity quotas.

Really Quite a Lot of Mechanisms was awarded a 2026 Jim Henson Foundation grant and a Creativity Grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

Original poster designed by David Plunkert.

April 2026

Original poster design by A&O

Official Selection!
Marianne's Onion
by Alex and Olmsted
Saturday, April 11, 2026
7:30 p.m. – Short Film/Feature Presentation
9:00 p.m. – Talkback Session with Alex Vernon of Marianne's Onion
at the Gaithersburg Film Festival
311 Kent Square Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Tickets: HERE

In this true story from the pandemic, 86 year-old Marianne Ross, in need of an onion, unexpectedly finds one in the woods and is left to contemplate the nature of miracles.

Photo by Alex U. Griffin

Milo the Magnificent® was awarded a 2017 Jim Henson Foundation grant and a 2026 UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence.

California Premiere!
Milo the Magnificent®
by Alex and Olmsted
Sunday, April 26, 2026
@ 12:30 pm
@ 1:45 pm
@ 3:30 pm
at the Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Milo video trailer
Tickets: HERE

Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation grant awarded Milo the Magnificent® is a highly engaging puppet show about an aspiring magician. This wordless comedy, inspired by turn of the century vaudeville entertainers, is as highly physical as it is charming. Using stunningly innovative puppetry, Milo presents a variety of magic tricks which don’t always go as planned.