Endless Forms

Monica Lerch
| Puppet Festival 2026
November 11-14

[Program tbd]

Runtime: tbd

Endless Forms Most Human is an original science-fiction myth told through a feast of tabletop puppetry. 

Haunted by a family tragedy born from a society that outlaws life-saving technology, the brilliant, genderqueer scientist Syx wages a personal war against the frailties of the flesh. Their own body is a ticking clock, succumbing to the same degenerative disorder that claimed their sister. In the neon-drenched darkness of an underground techno club, Syx unfolds a spider-like carapace to turn pain into movement, a defiant dance against a world that would rather see them wither. This quest for wholeness leads them to plunge into the wild Atlantic, seeking a biopunk commune that promises a collective evolution through engineered microbes; a promise of belonging that sours into violation. Seizing this alien biology, Syx makes a final, desperate leap: to map their own living consciousness into the silent, limitless world of computation, and in doing so, to transcend the limits of flesh and gravity entirely.

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The artist

Monica Lerch
@monica_lark_

Monica Lerch (she/any. Director and Lead Fabricator) is a multidisciplinary puppet artist, director, performer, and fabricator based in Brooklyn, New York. Drawn to the intersections of myth, technology, and embodiment, her work explores how puppetry can both reveal and disrupt the human condition. She has collaborated with leading companies and artists across theatre , opera, and film. Recent projects include performing as both puppeteer and actor in El Niño at the Metropolitan Opera; Lunch with Sonia with Loco 7 Dance Puppet Theatre; Song of the North by Hamid Rahmanian.

The 12th La MaMa Puppet Festival Fall 2026 is made possible by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Jim Henson Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation. Additional support from Cheryl Henson is gratefully acknowledged.

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La Mama is a world-renowned New York cultural institution dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theatre.