Rough House’s Immersive Haunted Puppet Anthologies
Each October Rough House creates an all-new immersive puppet horror production. Beginning with the Harrow House series (2018, 2019), the projet is now in its fourth year under the title House of the Exquisite Corpse –– a themed anthology of puppetry-performance installations, viewed by audiences through peep-holes in Chicago’s most artful, most haunted, pop-up house.
Join us this year for
House of the Exquisite
Corpse IV: Superstitions!
PAST ROUGH HOUSE PUPPET HAUNTED HOUSE PRODUCTIONS:
2023: House of the Exquisite Corpse III
“Our Homes and How to Keep them Healthy”
CREDITS
LEAD ARTISTS: Pablo Monterrubio-Benet and Grace Needlman, Tom Lee and Sam Lewis, Corey Smith, Claire Bauman, Chio Cabrera and Jacky Kelsey, Justin D’Acci and Sion Silva, Ken Buckingham, and Felix Mayes and Kevin Michael Wesson.
CREATIVE TEAM: Direction by Mike Oleon and Claire Saxe; Production Management by Erik Tylkowski; Stage Management by Amy Rappa; Assistant Stage Management by Lenny Fritsch, Jayce Lewis; Scenic Design by Jacqueline Penrod; Lighting Design by Cat Davis; Sound Design by Joey Meland; Production Electrician Sam Anderson; Sound Technician Abbey Nettleton; Additional Front of House Team Alexander Fergoson, Lila Englehardt, Holly Gabelmann, Grace Goodyear, Production Assistance Quinn Kempe, Molly Sharfstein, Lindsey Ball, Henry Bender, Parker Callais, Jacob Coats, Danny Carraher, Mia Herron, Nik Hunder, Skyler Lake, Naava Ofri-Akman; PR Jay Kelly
REVIEW PULLOUTS
“A haunting success” Kim Campbell, Third Coast Review
“A perfect prelude to halloween!” Bill Esler, Buzz Center Stage
Lead Artists and Performers Justin D'Acci & Sion Silva; Photo by Yvette Marie Dostatni
Puppet by Grace Needlman and Pablo Monterubio; Performer Lindsey Ball; Photo by Marie Dostatni
Puppet by Grace Needlman and Pablo Monterubio; Performer Lindsey Ball; Photo by Marie Dostatni
Puppet by Ken Buckingham; Performers Felix Mayes & Kevin Michael Wesson; Photo by Yvette Marie Dostatni
Puppet by Jacky Kelsey; Performers Chio Cabrera & Lucy Wirtz, Photo by Yvette Marie Dostatni
Puppeteer Sam Lewis; Puppets by Emilie Wingate and Tom Lee; Photo by Yvette Marie Dostatni
2022: House of the Exquisite Corpse II
“Parts of the Body, Rooms of the House II”
CREDITS
LEAD ARTISTS: Time Brickey & Mike Oleon, Felix Mayes, Grace Needlman & Will Bishop, Mike Oleon, Claire Saxe & Kevin Michael Wesson, K.T. Shivak, Corey Smith, and Jaerin Son.
CREATIVE TEAM: Emily Chervony (Production Manager), Joey Meland (Sound Designer), Caitlin McLeod (Costume & Puppet Designer), Warren Wernick (Technical Director), Lauren Peters (Stage Manager) Hannah Wien (Lighting Designer)
REVIEW PULLOUTS
“…the puppet action is thrilling… The artists behind the show’s more daring pieces invite a new kind of puppet-viewing, one that never hides the hand pulling the strings…” RECOMMENDED
Max Maller, Chicago Reader
“Incredible. The amount of preparation, skill and endurance to perform a show like this is mind boggling."
“An absolute wonder.”
“We loved the creativity and couldn’t stop talking about the show on the way home! It has been years since I have seen such a captivating show! It was scary good!”
Online audience responses
Lead Artist Jaerin Son, Performer Michele Stine, Photo by Yvette Marie Dostatni
Lead Artists Claire Saxe & Kevin Wesson, with additional design by Myra Su; Photo by Yvette Marie Dostatni
Lead Artists Grace Needlman & Will Bishop; Performer Chio Cabrara; Photo by Yvette Marie Dostatni
2021: House of the Exquisite Corpse
“Parts of the Body, Rooms of the House”
CREDITS
LEAD ARTISTS: Time Brickey & Sam Lewis, Felix Mayes, Mike Oleon, Claire Saxe, K.T. Shivak, Corey Smith.
CREATIVE TEAM: Connor Sale (Lighting), Emily Mange Chervony (Production Manager), Mike Oleon (Scenic Designer, Artistic Coordinator), Claire Saxe (Artistic Coordinator), Joey Meland (Sound Designer), Grace Needlman (Puppet Designer), Caitlin McLeod (Costumer Designer), Fletcher Pierson (Assistant Artistic Coordinator), Warren Wernick (Technical Director), Sara Kachelman, Aro Farmilant, David Gordezky, Kay Kron, Mark Maxwell, Jeremy Ohringer (Artistic Collaborators)
Puppeteer Claire Saxe; Puppet by Grace Needlman; Photo by Evan Barr
Puppeteers Felix Mayes & Kevin Michael Wesson; Puppet by Grace Needlman; Photo by Evan Barr
2019: The Silence in Harrow House
CREDITS
DEVISED AND PERFORMED BY: Brittany Anderson, Noah Appelbaum, Mark Blashford, Alexander Ferguson, David Gordezky, Lauren Kincaid, Lucia Mier, Mark Maxwell, Felix Mayes, Sharaina Turnage, Shannon Webber and Kevin Wesson. Understudy: Maddison Wise.
CREATIVE TEAM: Mike Oleon, director and scenic designer; Grace Needlman, lead puppet designer; Claire Saxe, playwright; Mark Maxwell, playwright; Hannah Cremin, stage manager; Lenny Fritsch, assistant stage manager; David Goodman-Edberg, lighting designer; Corey Smith, sound design; Caitlin McLeod, costume designer; Anna Wooden, assistant costume designer; Jeff Katz, assistant artifact designer; Warren Wernick, technical director; Zach Moore, sound engineer; Emily Chervony, production manager and original scenic design by Lauren Nigri.
REVIEW PULL-OUTS
“Needlman knows how to create horror, in this writer’s opinion, and the puppeteers know how to execute horror through their intricate manipulations.”
Ann Boland, Picture This Post
“A horror lover’s dream… Get thee to Harrow House. I triple dog dare you.”
Amanda Finn, NewCity Stage
2018: The Walls of Harrow House
CREDITS
DEVISED AND PERFORMED BY: Noah Appelbaum, David Chervony, Hal Consentino, Alexander Ferguson, David Gordezky, Lauren Kincaid, Hannah Larson, Felix Mayes, Alexandria Moorman, Kevin Wesson, Mark Maxwell, Claire Saxe
CREATIVE TEAM: Conceived and directed by Mike Oleon; Lead Puppet Design Grace Needlman; Script by Mark Maxwell and Claire Saxe; Scenic Design by Lauren NIgri; Interior Design Mike Oleon and Lauren Nigri; Costumes by Caitlin McLeod and Anna Wooden; Lighting by Becca Jeffords; Sound by Corey Smith; Stage Management by Mitchell Chapman; Assistant Stage Management Lenny Fritsch; Production Management & Props by Kelly Butler
REVIEW PULLOUTS
“This is a triumph! I loved eerie minute.”
“You’ve f***ing done it. This is the best horror theater I’ve ever seen…13/10.”
“Such a fabulous experience!”
“Unlike anything I’ve seen before!”
