ALEX & OLMSTED
  • THEATER
    • Milo the Magnificent
    • Marooned! A Space Comedy
    • Hubba Hubba
    • Homebodies
    • Crankies
    • Variety Acts
  • FILMS
    • Marianne's Onion
    • Kindred Spirits
    • 2020 Short Films
    • 2021 Short Films
    • World Puppetry Day Shorts
  • Build Videos & Tutorials
  • UPCOMING
  • SUPPORT
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
DJ Corey Photography

UPCOMING

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Original poster design by David Plunkert
WORLD PREMIERE!
HUBBA HUBBA
by Alex and Olmsted
at Baltimore Theatre Project
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Hubba Hubba video trailer.
March 23 – April 2, 2023
​
General Admission: $20
Student/Senior/Artist/Military: $15
Tickets: HERE

March 23 at 8pm (Pay-What-You-Can)
March 24 at 8pm
March 25 at 3pm & 8pm
March 26 at 3pm (ASL Interpreted)
March 30 at 8pm
March 31 at 8pm
April 1 at 3pm & 8pm
April 2 at 3pm

Created and performed by the Jim Henson Foundation grant award winning Alex and Olmsted (Milo the Magnificent®​ and MAROONED! A Space Comedy) comes the world premiere of HUBBA HUBBA, a collection of vignettes that explores the different aspects of romantic love using puppetry and physical comedy. From the dawn of life to modern romance and everything in between, HUBBA HUBBA is a comedy that incorporates handmade puppets, dynamic masks, and innovative storytelling to investigate the many qualities of love’s triumphs and obstacles. Suitable for all ages!

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Poster by Jordan Kamp of Kamp Ground Design
Southwest Premiere!
HUBBA HUBBA
by Alex and Olmsted
at the Santa Fe Playhouse
Santa Fe New Mexico, USA
Hubba Hubba video trailer.
April 6 - 15, 2023
Tickets: HERE

April 6 at 7:30pm
April 7 at 7:30pm
April 8 at 2pm & 7:30pm
April 13 at 7:30pm
April 14 at 7:30pm
April 15 at 2pm & 7:30pm

Created and performed by the Jim Henson Foundation grant award winning Alex and Olmsted (Milo the Magnificent®​ and MAROONED! A Space Comedy) comes the world premiere of HUBBA HUBBA, a collection of vignettes that explores the different aspects of romantic love using puppetry and physical comedy. From the dawn of life to modern romance and everything in between, HUBBA HUBBA is a comedy that incorporates handmade puppets, dynamic masks, and innovative storytelling to investigate the many qualities of love’s triumphs and obstacles. Suitable for all ages!

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Blonnie Brooks of WAGS Media
POCKET MOXIE! A Happenstance Vaudeville
with Happenstance Theater
at Riderwood Village
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
POCKET MOXIE video trailer.
April 21, 2023
Tickets: SOON

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. ​

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© RTL / Stefan Gregorowius & Frank Hempel
Chicago Premiere!
Milo the Magnificent® 
by Alex and Olmsted
for the Spring Living Room Tour
of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Milo video trailer.
Chicago, Illinois, USA
April 27, 28, & 29 at 6:30pm  

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.

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photo by Michael Kintzbranch
It's an A&O In-Person Workshop!
​How to Create a Puppet Slam Show (Level 1)
with Alex & Olmsted
for the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Chicago, Illinois, USA
April 30, 2023 10am – 2pm CST (4 hours)
Cost: $80
REGISTER: Here.

How to Create a Puppet Slam Show (IN PERSON) is a workshop for those who would like to learn to create a short form puppet show. This workshop covers idea generation, overcoming writer’s block, refining the idea into a clear story, and then finding how puppetry best serves that story. This workshop includes writing in addition to hands-on exercises. We encourage participants to bring a puppet of their own or an object they may wish to explore within the context of a slam piece.

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Photos by Kintz
Milo in the Parks!
Milo the Magnificent® 
by Alex and Olmsted
for the The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
Milo video trailer.
A Park Near You! in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
June 13, 14, & 15  

Tickets: FREE. More information 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.

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Leslie Swan Photography
Milo the Magnificent® 
by Alex and Olmsted
at Port Discovery
in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Milo video trailer.
June 17
Tickets: FREE with admission to the museum.

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.

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Ryan Maxwell Photography
Midwest Premiere!
​MAROONED! A Space Comedy

by Alex and Olmsted
at the Detroit Institute of Arts
​MAROONED! video trailer.
Detroit, Michigan, USA
June 24, 2023 at 2pm ET
​
Tickets: SOON

​Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation grant awarded MAROONED! A Space Comedy is an innovative new puppet show, featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, that takes place at the outer reaches of space. An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet.Will she be able to survive strange creatures, anomalous atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in MAROONED!

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Leslie Swan Photography
PREPOSTEROUS!
with Happenstance Theater
at the Celebration Barn
South Paris, Maine, USA
PREPOSTEROUS! video trailer.
July 8th, 2023
Tickets: SOON

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. 

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Leslie Swan Photography
Happenstance in the Parks!
PREPOSTEROUS!
with Happenstance Theater 
for the The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
PREPOSTEROUS! video trailer.
A Park Near You! in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
J
uly 15th, 2023
Tickets: FREE. More information soon
​
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. ​

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Ryan Maxwell Photography
MAROONED! A Space Comedy
by Alex and Olmsted
at the 66th Puppeteers of America Festival
College Park, Maryland, USA
​MAROONED! video trailer.
July 19, 2023 at 9pm ET
Festival Registration: HERE
​

​Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation grant awarded MAROONED! A Space Comedy is an innovative new puppet show, featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, that takes place at the outer reaches of space. An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet.Will she be able to survive strange creatures, anomalous atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in MAROONED!

We feel incredibly honored to perform at the 66th Puppeteers of America Festival taking place at the Univeristy of Maryland, College Park.

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Leslie Swan Photography
Virginia Premiere!
BAROCOCO
with Happenstance Theater 
at the Staunton Music Festival
Staunton, Virginia, USA
BAROCOCO video trailer.
August 14th, 2023
Tickets: HERE

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


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Leslie Swan Photography
CABARET MACABRE
with Happenstance Theater
at Baltimore Theatre Project
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
CABARET MARACBRE video trailer.
Tickets: SOON
​
Inspired by the illustrations of Edward Gorey, Victorian nightmares, dangerous croquet, gothic romance, afternoon tea and perils of the deep, Cabaret Macabre features music played live with deadly flare and Happenstance Theater’s witty, visual theatrical collage. Cabaret Macabre was nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards in 2014 for Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production (Sabrina Mandell), Outstanding Movement, Resident Play, and The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical. 
Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon. ​

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Glenn Ricci Photography
Off-Broadway Premiere!
ADRIFT: A Medieval Wayward Folly

by Happenstance Theater
November 29 - December 24, 2023
at 59E59 Theaters
New York City, USA
ADRIFT video trailer.

Tickets: SOON
​
Happenstance Theater is developing a new work inspired by medieval imagery and archetypes collected from the works of Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, the Tarot, and reinterpretations of religious art. Drawing parallels between our current moment and the "dark ages," the ensemble will explore and exploit buffoonery, magic, notions of good, evil, and absurdity with angelic music, devised and existing text, puppetry and movement. Like a ship of fools, this pod of eccentrics will drift into the world to bring delight, share hopes and fears, find a way forward, and then parade away. 
Featuring Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon. 
PAST 2023 PROJECTS:
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DJ Corey Photography
FRESH OFF THE PRESS!
Alex & Olmsted: two people at play with the infinite possibilities of puppets.
by Lisa Traiger
in DC Metro Arts
published February 15, 2023
Read: HERE

In a series called 'The Companies We Keep,' DC Theater Arts spotlights the good work done by theater companies in the DC region. This month we focus on two artists who use objects to make theater to express their hearts’ feelings.

​We are feeling so grateful to Lisa Traiger and the fine folks at DC Theater Arts for this wonderful feature of our company.

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Hieronymus Bosch's Ship of Fools, c. 1491-1500
WORLD PREMIERE!
ADRIFT: A Medieval Wayward Folly

by Happenstance Theater
January 26 - February 5, 2023
at Joe's Movement Emporium
3309 Bunker Hill Rd. |  Mt. Rainier MD
Mt. Rainier Maryland, USA
​Tickets  $25 General Admission |  $15  Senior/Student​​​
Tickets: HERE

Happenstance Theater is developing a new work inspired by medieval imagery and archetypes collected from the works of Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, the Tarot, and reinterpretations of religious art. Drawing parallels between our current moment and the "dark ages," the ensemble will explore and exploit buffoonery, magic, notions of good, evil, and absurdity with angelic music, devised and existing text, puppetry and movement. Like a ship of fools, this pod of eccentrics will drift into the world to bring delight, share hopes and fears, find a way forward, and then parade away. 

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

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WORLD PREMIERE!
The Wonders of Bread (crankie)
for the Baltimore Crankie Festival 2023
at Creative Alliance
FRI JAN 6 at 8pm
SAT JAN 7 at 4pm & 8pm
SUN JAN 8 at 2pm
Tickets: HERE​

Watch the world’s greatest stories unroll before your eyes! Baltimore’s beloved festival of scrolled panoramas, known as “crankies,” returns for its 9th year of fireside wonder!

The festival, the largest of its kind in the country, works with artists to showcase crankies from Baltimore and beyond! A crankie is basic in concept: it is a scroll that provides the visual narration to a story or song. Versions of the crankie have been around for hundreds of years, if not longer; their most recent iteration is directly linked to moving panoramas popular in the 19th Century. In recent years, artists have begun to embrace the intimacy of the format, creating multi-layered, immersive experiences for audiences.

4 shows only!

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DJ Corey Photography
Under the Puppet Podcast!
EPISODE 79
feat. Alex and Olmsted
Released January 1, 2023
Listen: HERE

Under the Puppet, hosted by Grant Baciocco, is a podcast that is preserving puppetry through the personal stories of professional puppeteers. Available wherever podcasts are found.

Alex & Olmsted is an internationally acclaimed puppet theater and filmmaking company than has been the recipient of two Jim Henson Foundation Grants. They create puppet magic in many different mediums and will be performing live at the 2023 National Puppetry Festival. I talk to Alex & Olmsted about their path to puppetry, their wonderful shows including Milo the Magnificent and much more on this episode of Under The Puppet.

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THE JUXTAPOSE TENEMENT
with Happenstance Theater!
ONGOING: NOW PLAYING ONLINE
​
Join us HERE for this unique online experience.

Happenstance has launched an interactive website called THE JUXTAPOSE TENEMENT. This virtual shadow-box tenement building, inspired by the works of Joseph Cornell, features portals through which visitors glean poetic glimpses of characters, environments, and fantasias.
Juxtaposer Tenement video trailer HERE.
We are incredibly grateful to the organizations below for their support:
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All content © Copyright 2011 - 2023 Alex and Olmsted |  All Rights Reserved
  • THEATER
    • Milo the Magnificent
    • Marooned! A Space Comedy
    • Hubba Hubba
    • Homebodies
    • Crankies
    • Variety Acts
  • FILMS
    • Marianne's Onion
    • Kindred Spirits
    • 2020 Short Films
    • 2021 Short Films
    • World Puppetry Day Shorts
  • Build Videos & Tutorials
  • UPCOMING
  • SUPPORT
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT