Unveiling the Surreal: A Peek into Fidget Theater with Jacky Kelsey and August Boyne
Jacky Kelsey and August Boyne of Fidget Theater are probably the most surreal and intense Chicago puppetry artists today. I had the privilege to interview this duo for Puppet Tea, Rough House’s new community digest (sign up for Rough House’s newsletter at the bottom of our website). Read along and donate to support highlighting local puppetry artists!
Jacky and August met at a Rough House event, the Nasty, Brutish & Short puppet cabaret. After the performance, they both were in line to chat with Mike Oleon, Artistic Director of Rough House, and ended up talking with each other. They both were looking for artistic collaborators and bonded over the performances they had seen that evening. They started creating their first piece “Fidget” through the 2023 Puppet Lab Cohort. Fidget is about two giant hands that battle, concede, and explore a tactile plush stage of rings and balls. I immediately pegged their work as campy, a little bit kitschy, and intensely captivating. Their latest endeavors, "Trash Sisyphus," epitomize their unique approach to storytelling through puppetry.
Curious about the genesis of "Trash Sisyphus," I probed August for insights, he said “If you were to look in somebody’s trash - not that I suggest you do- you’d find out a lot about a person. Are we defined by what we keep or what we discard?” Trash Sisyphus puppets include a face-puppet and a consuming trash bag puppet that hijacks the performance. When I first saw it at Nasty, Brutish & Short, the environmental message was clear: the earth’s trash is consuming us and will literally suffocate us back. The personification of trash is funny, menacing, and unsettling.
Their artistry blends the real and surreal seamlessly. I had to ask - what does that mean? To unravel the absurdity embedded in their creations, one must delve into the pages of a book. Both Jacky and August lit up when discussing the surreal natural elements of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "100 Years of Solitude," finding inspiration and camaraderie within its fantastical realm. As Jacky aptly puts it, "every fantastical element has its purpose."
What sets their work apart is its "wordlessness" feature, a testament to their ability to communicate volumes with minimal dialogue. Augmented by August's musical prowess, their scenes resonate with ironic sitcom vibes, adding an approachable aesthetic dimension to their storytelling.
Visibly, the puppetry stands out in bold monochromatic colors. Jacky, the lead fabricator said they were drawn to bright colors, “it invites people in with rich textures that folks want to touch or eat…and that leads to more odd experiences.”
After we finished our ice cream, we puppeteered around the cafe and played. Make sure to follow these two artists on Instagram. IG @linesbyjacky @august_sierra
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Join the fun!
August’s band, Big Step is playing at Not Not on June 8th. Jordan (also a musician featured in Fidget Theater) runs the project!
Musical Composition classes led by August will begin in May at Agitator Gallery. Email asboyne90@gmail.com for more details.
Jacky will perform a solo piece at Puppetqueers. Details TBD. Follow @puppetqueers for more info.
