PUPPETEERS
Emily Batsford
Puppeteer
Emily Batsford (she/they) is a New York City-based puppeteer and theater maker. Their artistry prioritizes inclusion and accessibility, and takes inspiration from immersive and physical theater practices, puppetry, and experimental forms. International puppetry: Song of the North (Hamid Rahmanian / Two Chairs Productions), PACKRAT (Concrete Temple Theatre), Unfolding (Margarita Blush Productions). New York puppetry: Ernie’s Secret Life (Concrete Temple Theater), The Eye Which We Do Not Have (HERE Arts), Set in Stone (Sara Stern), End of the World (Center at West Park). Emily has also participated in countless work-in-progress showings at incubators like PuppetBlok, Object Movement Festival, LabWorks, The Tank, and the Henson Carriage House. @efcbatsford
Lute Breuer
Puppeteer
Lute Breuer's Broadway credits include War Horse at Lincoln Center, The Pee Wee Herman Show and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Lute has performed regionally at the New Victory Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, The Geffen, The Public Theater and Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater. He has toured internationally as a performer or director to Russia, Brazil, Korea, China and Ireland, among others. Festivals include Spoleto, Edinburgh, Lincoln Center. He is a longtime collaborator with Basil Twist and very happy to be working with him again. Most recently he worked on Basil’s production of Hansel and Gretel at the Detroit Opera House. When he’s not in puppet land, Lute works as a screenwriter.
Ben Elling
Puppeteer
Ben Elling is a puppeteer and theatrical technician. He has worked extensively as an audio/video engineer, and freelance technical director for several Off-Broadway productions. In addition to his technical work, Ben has puppeteered in Basil Twist’s Rite of Spring at Lincoln Center, and in Symphonie Fantastique at HERE.
Rosa Elling
Rosa Elling is a performer and puppet maker from Sheffield, England. Rosa trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama puppetry program then worked as a fabricator for Nick Barnes Studios before moving to New York City in 2015. Rosa has worked on Tandem Otter projects ever since. Yay puppets.
Rachel Schapira
Puppeteer & Puppet Build Chief
Rachel Schapira is a co-founder of Eat Drink Tell Your Friends Puppetry Collective. Rachel has worked with Basil Twist, Welcome to Campfire, Ripe Time, The Story Pirates, New Georges, Opera Slavica, and Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew. She is a teaching artist with Red Hook Art Project, a 2019 Henson Grant recipient, and a member of a monster trux collective.
Ashley Winkfield
Puppeteer
Ashley Winkfield (xe/them) is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on puppetry, poetry, and performance arts. Introduced to puppetry through Basil Twist’s Rite of Spring, Ashley has found ways to include puppetry in every art form they encounter, including Only Child’s immersive aerial experience Two Fold. Ashley has also puppeteered in Rachael Shane’s The Paper Piece, Mabou Mine’s China tour of Animal Magnetism, and Torry Bend’s The Paper Hat Game and Dreaming. For more about Ashley, visit AshleyWinkfield.com or check out their Instagram @ashleyk.music.
