Daydream Tutorial

Performed at LaMaMa Experimental Theater as part of LaMaMa Puppetry Festival 2023.

Creator/Director: Maiko Kikuchi

Associate Director: Pepper Fajans

Lighting Design: Elizabeth M. Stewart

Sound Design: Matt Keim

Puppets/Props Builder: Jim Freeman

Video Design: Andrew Murdock

Production Stage Manager: Leigh Walter

Assistant Stage Manager: Marty Allen

Performer: Amanda Card, Marty Allen, Maiko Kikuchi and Pepper Fajans

Production Assistant: J Hann

Maiko Kikuchi’s Daydream Tutorial is a multidisciplinary performance piece that blends puppetry, mask work, object manipulation, and projected animation to create a surreal, dreamlike experience. The show comprises ten whimsical vignettes, each presenting a unique “tutorial” that explores the boundaries between reality and imagination. These segments pose playful, introspective questions such as, “How do you pretend you’re not home when your persistent neighbor is at the door?” and “Is it possible to find your Zen in the city?”

Daydream Tutorial has been performed at various venues, including La MaMa’s Puppet Festival in 2018 and 2023, and The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival in 2020.

Photo by Steven Pisano