Ruby & Charlie is an award-winning piece of puppet theater featuring live music celebrating swing dance and the music of Ray Charles. Mining the iconic music’s themes of longing, love, and heartbreak, the work centers on a young couple in the 1950s brought together by swing dance. Highlighting the puppetry talents of Victor Ayala, Tau Bennett, Maria Camia, Monica Lerch, Kayta Thomas, and Ashley Winkfield, Ruby & Charlie follows the pair through a whirlwind courtship and the tensions of establishing a life together. Musicians Jordyn Davis, Jeremiah Flack, and Milton Suggs, drive the show which culminates in a swing dance celebration on stage with the audience.
Original Photos by Isaak Berliner
Tuesday, Feb 17 @ 7
Wednesday, Feb 18 @ 7
Thursday, Feb 19 @ 7
Friday, Feb 20 @ 7
Saturday, Feb 21 @ 2 (MASK REQUIRED)
Saturday, Feb 21 @ 7
Jessica Simon is a puppeteer, director, and dramaturg who has received an UNIMA Citation of Excellence and support from the Jim Henson Foundation for her original swing dance inspired table top play Ruby & Charlie. She was a co-producer of Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams Micro-Commissioned Short Puppet Films. Most recently she directed a portion of Alva Rogers’ The Doll Plays at MoMA and a workshop production of Rogers’ Harlem Doll Palace at Dixon Place, was the lead puppeteer on the short film Lake Minnetrista, and an ensemble member developing Dan Hurlin’s Bismarck.