The Undercity
| Puppet Festival 2026
[Program tbd]
Runtime: 50 Minutes
“The Undercity” is a rat puppet pageant about overthrowing a crumbling empire on the verge of ecological collapse.
Set in the great rat metropolis beneath our feet—a 1970s New York-inspired neon-lit underworld—the show follows Rat Girl, as she uncovers a vast conspiracy that threatens the fate of her world.
Gaby FeBland and Sammy Zeisel create multidisciplinary puppet plays that harness the power of communal ritual to cultivate the strange and wondrous. Previous collaborations include “Cat” (Rattlestick) and “Gooey’s Toxic Aquatic Aventure” (Bushwick Starr). “The Undercity,” developed during a 2024 residency at Culture Lab LIC, received a Production Grant from the Jim Henson Foundation. Gaby co-founded Foreshadow, a shadow puppetry company that has performed at Lincoln Center, the Carnegie Hall Weimar Festival, and Green-Wood Cemetery. Sammy completed his MFA in Directing at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, where he is currently a Lecturer.
Credits
Gaby FeBland – Playwright, Puppet Designer, Puppeteer
Sammy Zeisel – Director
Camille Cooper – Puppeteer
Natthew Marvan – Puppeteer
Cat Raynor – Scenic Designer
Kyle Stamm – Lighting Designer
Liam Bellman-Sharpe – Composer
Veronica Johnson – Costume Designer
KT Shivak — Rat King Puppet Designer
Tessa Ramírez-Keough — Stage Manager
Ethan Eva Karas — Associate Director
Undercity Creative Producing Team –
Producer – Honigman & Sons
Line Producer – Penzi Hill-Vasserman
Associate Producer – Keeley Dunn Heagerty
The artists
Gaby FeBland
gabyfebland.art
bio
Gaby co-founded Foreshadow, a shadow puppetry company that has performed at Lincoln Center, the Carnegie Hall Weimar Festival, and Green-Wood Cemetery. Sammy completed his MFA in Directing at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, where he is currently a Lecturer.
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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