As we tumble into a future of who even knows what, you might be searching for an outlet to guide you through grief, spark some joy, and perhaps distract you with a little magic. Thankfully, Seattle has a puppet scene that’s doing exactly that. Before you even ask, no, puppets are not just for kids. You are welcomed into this puppet community, which is full of puppets in every shape, size, and form, with open arms! Cass Bray and Zane Exactly, co-producers of Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam, are two brilliant leaders in the art form and will be bringing Volume 26: What’s the Worst That Could Happen to the Theater Off Jackson this weekend, November 15 and 16.
The tag-team of puppet empowerment not only produces the slam, but they also make their own stunning shadow puppets as co-artistic directors of Shadow Girls Cult. They work year-round creating platforms for emerging puppeteers across the Pacific Northwest and build community through the expanse of what puppetry can be. “We're all just a bunch of puppet nerds who are excited when somebody else wants to nerd out about the same thing we do, you know?” says Zane. “The more people we have to talk about puppetry, the more exciting it is. Like, if I literally could do nothing else but just do puppet things and talk about puppetry all day, I would be so happy.”
Now, you might think puppets are just the fluffy creatures you used to watch on Sesame Street. After talking to these two, I can confidently tell you it’s so much more than you’d expect. “Puppetry can be so many things,” Cass notes. “It can be object manipulation, it can be manipulating a puppet, it can be using props in a way that tells a story. You see Muppets, and you see the Henson Foundation, who create a lot of puppetry, but you know, we've also seen some amazing acts from burlesque performers who have a puppet or drag performers who are using cardboard props. We need folks to realize that puppetry can be for adults, it can be interesting, it can be subversive, and that it's revolutionary.”
Zane adds, “At its base, it's taking an object and giving it life. That is the most basic definition of puppetry.” The duo also pointed out that puppetry is more accessible to get involved in than many people assume—you don’t need elaborate sewing skills or years of experience. “I have seen some incredible shows where people have a pile of stuff from their kitchen, and it's the most compelling thing I've ever seen. If you're just taking any sort of object and you are giving it life and giving it a character, and it's living within a story, then it's a puppet.”
That’s a major goal the pair have in the way they produce Fussy Cloud as well, to showcase such a wide range of styles and approaches that audience members go, “Oh, I didn't think that could be puppetry.” As producers, part of their role has been meeting with artists who might not even realize they are utilizing puppetry and saying, "Hey, you're doing puppets, just so you know, would you like a stage? You want to come be a part of our puppet community? We'd love that.”
While there is an abundance of puppets in Seattle, it has faced some setbacks over the last decade in the city. Like much of the arts community, shuttered venues, shrinking professionally paying jobs, the pandemic, and the rising cost of living have all contributed to fewer resources and opportunities. The changing tides have pushed seasoned artists out of the area and puppetry into the underground. It’s a major reason that the dynamic duo picked up the reins of Fussy Cloud.
Zane has been a long-time participant since Fussy Cloud’s second volume in 2011. As its leadership shifted, a time came for someone to step up to keep it running. Zane believed in the importance of keeping the slam alive and took on the responsibility. The following show Cass jumped in as co-producer, bringing the combined force of a puppet-loving, community-forward wonder team. “We are very committed to being leaders in the puppetry community here because somebody has to, or it'll die out.” Cass underscores that “Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam is really at the root of it because it has been the longest-running puppetry cabaret in Seattle, to my knowledge.”
Now, as the slam has built up more and more of the community, they confront a different challenge in Volume 26, with the theme What’s the Worst That Could Happen? “We chose that theme knowing that regardless of the outcome of this election that things would be spicy and a shit show,” Cass explains. “We curated this with the election in mind and with the landscape that we knew people would be feeling and experiencing.”
In this particular volume, viewers will experience everything from a ventriloquist piece about a collapsing ceiling to a piece about the Roe v Wade reversal told through the lens of a roach motel. There’s even a pigeon doing mime. Cass and Zane curated the variety to combine “a lot of these individual stories about these moments in time that things fall apart.” Some of the pieces will be humorous, some somber, and some will reveal their tone as they move from the initial submission process to the stage. “I think it's going to be a great space for people to come experience horror that wraps up neatly in five to seven minutes and tells a story that's compelling, silly, and absurd, and just have a place to laugh and grieve together.”
The slam responds to the current times not just in content but also in its structure. The management team is entirely queer, including their tech, and strives each slam to get more diverse in each rendition by broadening styles, expanding experience levels, and embracing different personal perspectives from the storytellers. Both producers also gave high praise for the show’s regular host, Tootsie Spangles. “She has this way of holding the audience in her hands so tenderly, preparing you perfectly for whatever you're about to see. She is just a huge part of the core vibe of what Fussy Cloud Puppet slam is.”
If you’re looking for a place to be in these complicated times, head to the Fussy Cloud this weekend. The slam even maintains a pay-what-you-can option to make sure it’s as accessible as possible. If you can’t make this edition, Fussy Cloud happens twice a year and the next show will be in May. The team hopes that with continued support and interest in puppetry, they can expand opportunities. While the team of producers doesn’t always perform at the slams themselves, you can also catch any of their acclaimed productions as Shadow Girls Cult, which, as a puppet lover, I highly recommend.
Whether you just want to see more puppets, are a budding puppeteer, or are looking for some puppet-fueled energy to handle the election news, know that these two have created a community that is primed to uplift you. Zane emphasized that puppetry has always been part of resistance, harkening back to the anti-nazi puppeteer Josef Skupa, who led an underground puppet movement of illegal performances during the occupation of Czechoslovakia.
“Especially when you're grieving, storytelling is the oldest form of sharing these feelings and creating community,” says Cass. “I feel so strongly that puppetry is a community-building event and activity. So for these people who are grieving, this is a space where we can all grieve together. This is a space where we're all held in time for an hour and a half where we can experience magic together in a safe space.”
See Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam Volume 26: What's the Worst That Could Happen? at Theater Off Jackson Nov 15-16, $15-$30.
