October 31 Vallejo/Vacaville Arts and Entertainment Source: ‘Dia de los Puppets’ brings Forbidden Puppet Cabaret to Bay Area Stage

Dia de los Puppets, a puppet variety show for adults, is coming to Bay Area Stage for Día de los Muertos. Although the Forbidden Puppet Cabaret may be famous for its pop-up shows, the performances are a culmination of decades of work.

“When I first met my wife, Valerie, I was a cabinet maker and she was a Montessori teacher,” said Michael Nelson, puppeteer and cofounder of the Forbidden Puppet Cabaret.

One day, he decided it would be fun to build a puppet show for the children that Valerie taught. Even though they lacked experience, the couple gave it a go.

They’ve been in the puppet business ever since.

“One thing kind of led to another and now we’ve been doing it for 45 years and traveled all around the world and had a great time at it,” said Nelson.

The Forbidden Puppet Cabaret started around 15 years ago, when the Nelsons moved to Vallejo.

The event, which Nelson calls a “variety show,” will feature around six performances by various puppeteers, each presenting their own puppetry performances, from tabletop to shadow box. “Some of them are preparing a show especially for this event and some of them will be bringing pieces that they already have,” said Nelson.

Nelson says the show is always looking for a theme, and this year’s version happens to fall on the best available date. “Puppets are things that we bring to life for that one day,” he says, explaining the connection to the holiday.

Audience members will also get a chance to make a puppet of their own, says Nelson. Although they have included puppet-making activities in their shows in the past, this time the puppets will be of a skeleton boy and his skeleton dog.

“People really get into it,” says Nelson. “We’ve been totally blown away by the creativity at times from our audience members.”

The Nelsons are producing a new piece for the upcoming show called “Poe and Pinocchio,” about what would go wrong if Edgar Allan Poe had a Pinocchio puppet. “It’s basically a gothic horror with a little bit of comedy,” says Nelson.

The Nelsons have long performed puppet shows for children, but for 30 years they have done adult shows as well. “Puppetry for adults is a hard sell,” says Nelson. Despite this, The Forbidden Puppet Cabaret has done well from the start, he says.

Dia de los Puppets is supported by The Puppet Slam Network, a foundation started by Heather Henson, puppeteer and daughter of Jim Henson. Her foundation supports puppetry shows and puppetry slams across the country such as The Forbidden Puppet Cabaret.

“Nobody makes any money at it really,” says Nelson, adding that they run their shows like a co-op, splitting the money between the performers. The Nelsons organize the show, often donating their own earnings back into the productions, he says.“I think it gives puppeteers a chance to try something new, try working for an adult audience, and to do something they really love,” says Nelson.

IF YOU GO …

• WHAT: Dia de los Puppets
• WHEN: Nov. 2, 7 p.m.
• WHERE: Bay Area Stage, 515 Broadway, Vallejo