About
Allison Daniel is a freelance Puppet designer, builder, and performer currently located in the Chicago land area.
Enamored with puppets since a young age, only in the past few years has she pursued it as a career. She has trained with such programs as an internship with Bread and Puppet, Sandglass’ manipulation intensive and Miroslav Treitnar’s wooden marionette workshop.
Now at the age of 25, she routinely works with many of the major Chicago production houses, recently including Chicago Dramatist's "10 Virgins," and Blair Thomas' production, "The Ox-Herder's Tale". Other Companies she has worked for include The Joffery ballet, The Marriott Theatre of Lincolnshire and Redmoon Theatre. In the spring of 2008 she was nominated for a Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for her Puppet design of “The Nutcracker” with The House Theatre of Chicago. Last year Her Puppets were featured on the spring/ summer issue of Puppetry International in their 40 under 40 issue. The Puppets she builds are as varied as the performances for which they were created. She has built 18” toys, to a six and a half foot tall body puppet, and many in between and beyond.
When not working for theatre companies, Allison develops her own works. She performs her pieces using a combination of found and built puppets such as paper plates, mud, a man made out of sponge, a Starbucks cup, and umbrellas. In these pieces she comments on such themes as impermanence, the mentalities of modern lifestyles, the nature of communication, and perspectives on time.
Enamored with puppets since a young age, only in the past few years has she pursued it as a career. She has trained with such programs as an internship with Bread and Puppet, Sandglass’ manipulation intensive and Miroslav Treitnar’s wooden marionette workshop.
Now at the age of 25, she routinely works with many of the major Chicago production houses, recently including Chicago Dramatist's "10 Virgins," and Blair Thomas' production, "The Ox-Herder's Tale". Other Companies she has worked for include The Joffery ballet, The Marriott Theatre of Lincolnshire and Redmoon Theatre. In the spring of 2008 she was nominated for a Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for her Puppet design of “The Nutcracker” with The House Theatre of Chicago. Last year Her Puppets were featured on the spring/ summer issue of Puppetry International in their 40 under 40 issue. The Puppets she builds are as varied as the performances for which they were created. She has built 18” toys, to a six and a half foot tall body puppet, and many in between and beyond.
When not working for theatre companies, Allison develops her own works. She performs her pieces using a combination of found and built puppets such as paper plates, mud, a man made out of sponge, a Starbucks cup, and umbrellas. In these pieces she comments on such themes as impermanence, the mentalities of modern lifestyles, the nature of communication, and perspectives on time.
