Parched
- Making its World Premiere in Dream Music Puppetry’s Puppetopia 2026, Parched is a full-length puppet theater piece set in a future where water scarcity has caused humanity’s extinction. In a desolate land made of sand and salt, decayed inhabitants strive to survive, seeking revenge not only for smaller day-to-day transgressions, but for the larger ruin of their existence. From the team that brought you Bill’s 44th (Drama Desk Nominated, New York Times’ Critics’ Pick), this new show seeks to find the remains of humor and humanity in a world that can’t seem to forget our impact even after we’re gone.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Andy Manjuck is a Brooklyn-based artist. He is a co-creator of Bill’s 44th which received a NY Times Critic’s Pick and Drama Desk Nomination, a company member of Wakka Wakka (Baby Universe, Saga, Made in China, The Immortal Jellyfish Girl, Dead as a Dodo), and has worked with Robin Frohardt (The Pigeoning, The Plastic Bag Store), Nick Lehane (Chimpanzee, and “Fly Away” – a collaboration with Derek Fordjour’s SELF MUST DIE exhibition, Petzel Gallery), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (“That Life,” Double Solitaire), Doug Fitch (Petrushka with the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, and Oregon Symphony), Apple TV+ (Hello Tomorrow!), BYUtv (9 Years to Neptune), and Betty Productions (“4th Islamic Solidarity Games Opening Ceremonies,” Baku, Azerbaijan, “48th National Day Celebration,” Abu Dhabi, UAE). He co-founded the arts collective Eat Drink Tell Your Friends (Lectures, Photo & Supply). He has also taught and designed at the Peabody Institute at John Hopkin’s University. www.andymanjuck.com
Dorothy James is a Brooklyn-based puppeteer and maker. She is a co-creator of Bill’s 44th, which received a 2025 Drama Desk Nomination for “Outstanding Puppetry.” She has worked with Wakka Wakka (Made in China, The Immortal Jellyfish Girl, Dead As A Dodo), Nick Lehane and Derek Fordjour (SELF MUST DIE: “Fly Away”, Petzel Gallery), Basil Twist (Hansel & Gretel, Michigan Opera Theatre), Arena Stage (Snow Child), AchesonWalsh & Radio City (The New York Spectacular…), Eat Drink Tell Your Friends (Lectures), The Avett Brothers (2024 US Tour), Unknown Mortal Orchestra & Double Solitaire (“That Life” music video), BBC (Moon and Me), Amazon (Patriot), Apple TV+ (Hello Tomorrow!), and FX (Dying For Sex). Dorothy has also designed and fabricated puppets for The Muny (Joseph…Dreamcoat, Beauty and the Beast), the short film Tripping (Amelia Xanthe Boscov), as well as for her own short film Lethologica, which is an official selection of Chicago’s Big Teeth, Small Shorts Festival, The ShockFest Film Festival, and The Upstate NY Horror Film Festival. www.dorothy-james.com
Jon Riddleberger is a NYC-based actor, puppeteer, filmmaker and teacher. His work can be seen on-screen in the Clifford the Big Red Dog feature film, the BAFTA-nominated television show Moon and Me, Apple TV’s Hello Tomorrow! and the FX show Dying for Sex starring Michelle Williams. Jon puppeteered the horses in the North American and Japanese tour of War Horse and continues to work with The Handspring Puppet Company on their production of Il Ritorno D’Ulisse directed by William Kentridge. He has worked many times with Dead Puppet Society most notably developing and performing Laser Beak Man at the Sydney Opera House. Jon performed in Derek Fordjour and Nick Lehane’s collaborative piece, Fly Away. Jon had the privilege of puppeteering at The Metropolitan Opera in their production of El Niño. His award-winning film “The Memory Trade” was produced by Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams. Jon served the director of puppetry for the world premiere of Keelay Gipson’s demons. Currently, Jon is touring with Bill’s 44th, which he helped devise, and is developing his new show Shiny One with support from the Jim Henson Foundation. He is an adjunct teacher at NYU Tisch where he teaches puppetry to the drama students and recently directed and co-conceived (with playwright Jaclyn Backhaus) FRNKNSTN. You can currently see him puppeteering Audrey II in the off-broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors. www.jonriddleberger.com
Official Puppet Business produces innovative puppet theater while pushing the boundaries of the art form. We tell stories that are simultaneously grounded and fantastical, serious and silly. Using a devised process, we experiment with different objects, materials, and methods of manipulation to best communicate the story we wish to tell. Our goal is surprising and magical moments of theater, with an emphasis on visual storytelling. Our focus is allowing the audience to make significant connections with simple objects that are thoughtfully realized and thoroughly explored.