Suitcase puppetry has long been a staple at Puppet Uprising Cabarets. The concept is simple: Convert an old suitcase into a puppet stage and perform a miniature show therein. Though basic in concept, execution of this encapsulated art form takes nuance and flair, and few have mastered suitcase puppetry better than local puppetician Beth Nixon.

Beth is also a spirited teacher and held a series of classes at Ramshackle Enterprises HQ to help foster the next generation of steamer-trunk-slingers in their sojourn from idea to actualization. This Suitcase Showcase presented an opportunity for the rest of us to taste the fruits of those who labored over old luggage.

For one night only, our friends at Philadelphia Community Acupuncture played host to five small suitcase shows, each presenting a different facet of possibility for the boxy baggage that might otherwise have been sleeping in the eaves of our attics. Special musical guest A Stick & A Stone graced the space with breutiful songs between acts. Showmakers Amy Walsh, Angie Arahood, Christina Cantrill, Harper Evan Nelson and Kestrel Plump, were assisted by Adelaide Windsome, Beth Blum and Beth Pulcinella in unpacking pieces about girls who save dragons, South Philadelphia neighborhood history, Israel and Palestine, pregnancy and birth, and the many alternatives to psychiatric drugs (including, appropriately, acupuncture).

Hear the music of A Stick & A Stone here.
See Betty Sousa's photos from the event here.
Find out about Ramshackle Enterprises here.
Read about Philadelphia Community Acupuncture's sliding scale revolution or simply schedule an appointment.