SPENCER LOTT
Spencer Lott is a maker, writer and puppeteer based in Brooklyn. His puppetry credits include A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (starring Tom Hanks), Sesame Street, The Relationtrip (Hulu/SXSW 2017), and more. He has been the recipient of multiple Jim Henson Foundation Grants for his original work. His plays include Campfire (Trusty Sidekick Theater Company at Lincoln Center), Blossom (“vivid”, “lovely, aching scenes…” – Village Voice) and The House of Atreus (Multicultural Theater Initiative). Lott was the first recipient of the Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency at the O’Neill Theater Center with collaborator Liz Hara. He has been a Works in Progress Artist at the Children’s Museum of the Arts, a Guest Artist for Theater Development Fund’s Stage Door program, and is a member of the teaching artist ensemble at BAM and the New Victory Theater. He is the Associate Artistic Director of Trusty Sidekick Theater Company (NYC).
Our creative team is interested in creating a theatrical event inspired by traditional Japanese ghost stories. We feel this is the most dynamic genre to explores themes of fear, vulnerability, hysteria and cultural isolation that led to that led to President Roosevelt’s executive order authorizing the internment of American citizens. Within our ghost story we believe puppetry provides the greatest opportunity to explore scale, rhythm, and magic. By embarking on this new project we are seeking proactive ways to tell stories that speak to our current political and social climate. For our creative team, a cross-cultural examination of a shared history was the perfect place to start.