Event
Information
The Hudson Valley is home to a remarkably rich and diverse puppetry community, made up of artists working across traditions, styles, and scales. From handmade shadow puppets and object theater to large-scale figures, experimental forms, and narrative-driven work, local puppeteers draw from theater, visual art, music, folklore, and contemporary performance. Some come from formal training, others from DIY roots, teaching, or community arts, but all share a love of storytelling through movement and craft. The Puppet Slam brings these artists together on one stage, creating space for experimentation, collaboration, and discovery. It’s a reflection of the Valley itself: creative, curious, generous, and unafraid to try something new, inviting audiences to see puppetry as both playful and deeply expressive.
In Banning Hall
2026 Roster HV Slam 4/25/26
1 Infinite Arms Aidan Koehler
2 Opal Elwell
3 Madison J Cripps
4 Matthew Canale
5 Cabot Parsons
6 Carole D’Agostino
7 J Hann
8 William PK Carter
9 Madison J Cripps
BIO:
Infinite Arms Production Company began in 2016 as some moms who went overboard with cardboard and glue guns. It has since evolved into a group of parents making all kinds of puppets to avoid the terror of being alive. We have performed in schools in the Hudson Valley, at High Falls Fun-A-Day performance night, SUNY New Paltz climate theatre action, random backyards and playgrounds where people needed to hear Waiting for Godot on a Wednesday. As one does. We continue to make art that is fun, dumb, and performancy. As proud Uncanny Valley alums, we’re thrilled to unleash more puppet mayhem with our fellow oddballs.
Opal Elwell (aka Naughty Little No Good) is a New York-based puppetry artist who is drawn to exploring the bizarre and the unspoken. Her creations delve into haunting, ethereal spirits, weaving stories that evoke both wonder and discomfort through multiple forms of puppetry from toy theatre to larger-than-life-sized. Recent works include “BESTIFUSEDBY: a milky elegy”, an exploration in self-destruction and grief in a milky world. And “Hymen Opus”, a sapphic, vampiric homage to the poem Christabel and orchid mantises. Opal has taken part in “Concrete Boom: Vol 4” at Dixon Place, attended Alice Gottshalk's "Puppets, Robots & Hybrid Marionettes!" Intensive at The O’Neill Theatre Center’s National Puppetry Pre-Conference, and her designs have been featured in Brooklyn's vibrant nightlife scene, contributing to events like "Insects!" at Rubulad, as well as Pretty Polly’s “Freak Show” at Sleepwalk. @naughtylittlenogood & naughtylittlenogood.com
Madison J Cripps (@madisonj.cripps) is an award-winning puppeteer known for his captivating performances and expertly crafted marionettes. His work, including the UNIMA-cited "Billy the Liar" (2014), blends mesmerizing storytelling with artistry, creating a timeless connection with audiences. Madison’s shows ignite imaginations, leaving spectators spellbound and filled with wonder. crippscreations.com
Matthew Canale (@mattcanale) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Ellenville, NY. For over two decades, he has worked across illustration, animation, and music, using each medium as a way to explore and celebrate the human experience. In recent years, he has shifted his focus on puppetry to blend together his love for character design, performance, music, sculpture, and humor into live experiences that bring joy and wonder to others. After spending far too long in front of a computer, he feels that it is now more important than ever to facilitate real in-person interactions. He is currently collaborating with Shadowland Theater to develop a puppet making and storytelling program to share with kids. The upcoming classes are designed to help young people build confidence and teach them how to create their own stories and performances. Matt lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife Hillary, and their son Luca, and a vibrant community of dear friends. mattcanale.com
Cabot Parsons’ (cabotparsons.com) short work review “Strange Things I’ve Shoved My Hand In” sold out Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center in 2024. He’s performed at Berlin Art Week, The National Puppet Slam, and at venues from Boston to Atlanta. Two full length works for adult audiences, “Gristle & Thumbs” and “Searching for a Mirror in the Dark” (a 2025 National Puppetry Conference Emerging Artist Resident) are currently in pre-production.
Carole D’Agostino (hellocarole.com) is a puppeteer and fabricator with experience in film, television, theater. Her creations have appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Sesame Street, and several Broadway productions including Avenue Q, Pippin, Disney’s Aladdin, and Shrek! The Musical. Carole has performed in Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres Tour, with Imagine Dragons in the Radioactive video, at the O’Neill Puppetry Conference, and at Puppeteers of America festivals with her own original work and as host of Meet The Artist. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts program.
J Hann (@jhannham) is a puppeteer and fiber artist based in Upper Manhattan. Their unique textural work draws inspiration from the past and is centered in the weird and whimsical. J uses traditional craft work including felting, crochet, and embroidery to create fantastical worlds highlighting the queer experience. Their work has been supported by the Jim Henson Foundation and the New York State Council for the Arts. www.jennyhann.com
William PK Carter is a quilter and puppet artist based in Central Valley, New York, who bridges the puppet and fine art worlds by fabricating wondrous creatures that exist at the intersection of queerness and blackness. She received her Bachelor of Science in Studio Art from Skidmore College in 2023, and her work has been exhibited and performed in theaters, galleries, and museums across the country. Carter is the recipient of Skidmore College’s President’s Racial Justice Award, the Van Dewater Memorial Award, and the John P. Heins Award: Outstanding Senior Thesis Exhibition. She has just completed hertime as part of the 2025 cohorts of Puppet Showplace’s Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers and Ann Street Gallery’s Emerging Artist Fellowship, and is currently developing a full-length puppet piece, entitled Beautiful Without Consequence, that recently received a Workshop Grant from The Jim Henson Foundation. WilliamPKCarter.com
More Ways to
Support Our
Mission
In addition to attending one of our wonderful events, there are many ways you can help support our mission.
Donate
Become a benefactor in our mission to deliver exceptional cultural programming in The Hudson Valley.
Volunteer
Join us in providing a memorable, welcoming, and entertaining experience to our wonderful guests.
Book Our Space
Create an unforgettable experience hosting your next event at this historic Dutchess County landmark.