​Pixie Danger has trained in marionette performance, shadow puppetry, classical ballet and special effects design- and they choose to put these skills to use by taking their clothes off in either the stupidest or most disturbing ways possible.

Kimzyn Campbell is a creative (writer, puppeteer) who writes for arts organizations as a copywriter, communications specialist and editor. As a frequent contributor to the Chicago Reader, their writing focuses on the performing arts. Kim has performed in a few puppet slams, such as Puppet Queers, Shoestring Puppets and Nasty, Brutish and Short. Kimzyn lives in Chicago and is a member of the American Theater Critics Association.

Marcelo Bottaro is a cartoonist voice actor, puppeteer, and our teacher locally from Brooklyn. New York has been teaching puppetry for over three years and has been performing puppetry and developing his craft for over 22 years.

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Using multiple lights and overhead projectors, Cat Aceto illuminates paper puppets, human silhouettes, and found objects to create layered, surreal, shadow landscapes in which she sets stories both short and long, including full productions of classic works using live actors (Macbeth (2022), Hamlet (2024), and The Tempest (coming in fall 2025)). www.steelcityshakespeare.org  She produces two annual Shakespeare-themed puppet slams, Ciphers to this Great Accompt (for Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks), and Puppets Dallying (for Steel City Shakespeare Center.) Her live and filmed work has appeared in slams across the United States and Canada. Selections of her filmed short works can be seen on instagram at Cat_Aceto. https://www.instagram.com/cat_aceto/

Madigan is a genderqueer ex-mechanical engineer turned multidisciplinary artist who likes to draw cartoons, make funny films, and sometimes create edgy and endearing puppet characters. In their work and collaborations, madigan gravitates toward projects that explore queerness, encourage curiosity, and spread joy. they love building worlds and creating funny and inclusive storylines within them.

Herbert brings over 21 years of experience as a Cuban playwright, storyteller, and multidisciplinary artist based in Calgary. His creative practice blends puppetry, poetry, object theatre, and film to explore themes of identity, social justice, and Afro-Cuban heritage.

He has presented original work at festivals and cultural events across Canada, Latin America, and Europe—including the International Caribbean Festival (Cuba), Thousand Faces Festival (Edmonton), and the Montreal International Theater Festival. His performances often center stories from the margins, using humor and provocation to confront systems of oppression and spark dialogue.

Kat Pleviak is the founder and Artistic Director of Sea Beast Puppet Company and holds an MFA in Youth Theatre and Puppetry from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (2009).

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She produces the Puppet Meltdown Puppet Slam, "The Shadow Puppet Conspiracy," "The History of Light," and "Méfiez-Vous de la Vache-Garou," which won "Best in Show" at the Chicago Fringe Festival in 2013. Her work has been featured at the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois Wesleyan University, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Lookingglass Theatre Company, the Detroit Institute of Art, the Skirball Cultural Center in California, and at numerous puppetry festivals in the US, Canada, and Australia.

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Kat has been published multiple times in the Puppetry Journal and was a featured artist in Puppetry International’s "40 Under 40" issue in 2009. She currently works of the Puppeteers of America as the Membership Administrator.  For more info visit https://www.seabeastpuppetry.com

The mission of Sea Beast Puppet Company is to promote excellence in puppetry as a theatrical art form. We provide an opportunity for people of all ages to view puppetry in all it’s forms and enrich the community through imaginative storytelling. Founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Kat Pleviak with Mary Kate Jenkins, Sea Beast Puppet Company is known for being a leader in puppetry excellence in the Chicagoland area. Over the past 9 years Sea Beast has created a variety of original touring productions for both adult and youth audiences. Some of these productions include “Surf and Turf,” “Hans My Hedgehog,” “Little Red Rosie and the Dragon of Dümm,” “The History of Light,” “The Shadow Puppet Conspiracy” and “Méfiez-Vous de la Vache-Garou.” Besides their touring shows, Sea Beast offers workshops to students of all ages and professional development classes in areas of puppetry performance, design, construction, and writing. When they aren't teaching or performing Sea Beast is dedicated to presenting out-of-town puppet artists to the Chicagoland area through the curation of their puppet slam Puppet Meltdown and their puppet festival Oddities: A Curious Collection of Puppetry. The talented artists at Sea Beast are very proud and take great joy in presenting the art of puppetry and look forward to doing so for many years to come.