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she/they

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My shadow play simmers together everything from cut paper to traditional printmaking, overhead projector, crankie theater, stop motion animation, and cello.  Above all I celebrate metamorphosis and liminal creatures like me.  I’m fascinated by how shadows illuminate our prejudices so that we may begin the process of learning/unlearning.  I feel called to hold the frayed ends of grief, and figure out how to keep weaving narratives on departure and becoming.  I delight in poking at our perceptions of control and otherness.  As I've gradually found shadow theater to be a 'home' for all of my creative faculties, I'm now working on adapting and honoring this spiritual legacy of binding and moving us forward through storytelling within my own performances and contributions.  For me, calling on shadows is a magic of realizing the impossible, all while vibrating at a frequency that is universally understandable, which is a magic that I feel is so fertile for growing respect and communication across communities.  While I seek to present original plays and films, I also encourage that my shadows assist others in sharing their own experiences.  For the foreseeable future you can find me collaborating with musicians, dancers, herbalists, cooks...

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Bio​

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Maisie O’Brien (she/they) is a Lenapehoking (Philadelphia) transplant from Arkikosa (Dallas, TX) and a Chinese-American adoptee.  She has had the joy of casting her shadows in communities including Studio 34, Open Kitchen Sculpture Garden, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Nasty Brutish & Short, and the Puppet Slam Network, as well as developing shadows, puppets, sets, and costumes for local and international collaborations with fellow storytellers in film, dance, music, and theater.  Maisie has studied puppetry in moments of academia and reckless abandon like Bread & Puppet Theater, The University of Connecticut, The O’Neill National Puppetry Conference, the Chicago International Puppetry Festival Workshops, and the National Puppetry Festival.  As a second generation arts educator they also work to encourage People's voices through puppetry and narrative arts workshops, summer camps, and festivals.  They frequently teach puppetry and toy making in partnership with Spiral Q, Asian Arts Initiative, Fleisher Art Memorial, and Temple University.  Their teaching practice focuses on holding space for play and self expression, encouraging our larger Movement towards collective liberation by way of realizing our interconnected experiences.

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