ALLYSON GONZALEZ
Independent Puppeteer, Writer and Director in Chicago, IL
Creative Director of the Puppeteers of Color Social
Founder of Thankyoutine's Day
Author and Publisher of Save the Bees Worx
Artistic Conductor Emeritus of Stand On Your Hands and Clap
Founder of The Allyson Gonzalez Residency for Art, Science & Cultural Exchange
Artistic Proficiency
Puppetry, Writing {Prose, Poetry & Technical}, Stop-Motion Animation. Directing, Playwriting, Performance Art,
Fiber Arts, Zines, Comics, Watercolors, Polaroids, Soundscape Design, Producing and Dramaturgy
//Puppetry Expertise
Performance, Construction & Film: stop-motion, object work, table top, multimedia, toy theater and shadow puppetry
//Member of
Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA-USA)
Puppeteers of America
Puppeteers of Color Social
//Solo Tour - Hosting Your Own Retrospective Is Like Throwing Your Own Birthday Party But That's Not Going to Stop Me (an examination of the first decade)
Menu includes a poetry reading from Save the Bees Worx Issues I, II & III, film screening of Chronology Never Gets Old, shadow puppetry performance of This Gonzalez Is Here to Take Your Job and audio rollercoaster A Stack of Bonds This Big Redux
2020 Padua, Italy *cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions*
2019 Radio Penny. St. Louis, MO
//Film - Director, Puppeteer, Cinematographer & Producer
2018 I'm On The Pursuit of Happiness and I Know Everything That's Shine Aint Always Gonna Be Gold But I'll Be Fine Once I Get It Yeah I'll Be Good by Allyson Gonzalez. Craft services and Editor: Michael Heffler. screened at Sea Beast Puppet Company's Puppet Meltdown Puppet Slam. Chicago, IL & Black Cherry Puppet Theater's 2020 Virtual Slamwich, Baltimore, MD
2018 Test Case 1 by Sam Grossman. created and performed by Sam Grossman. directed by Allyson Gonzalez. edited by Michael Heffler. The Allyson Gonzalez Residency for Art, Science & Cultural Exchange. Chicago, IL
2017 I Got Hot Sauce In My Veins by Stand On Your Hands and Clap. Original Music Composed and Recorded by Mat Roberts & Paul Cherry, Editor: Michael Heffler, Shadow Puppetry Consultant: Myra Su, Puppetry Assistant: Sean Dolan, Screenings in Baltimore, MD & San Francisco, CA
2014 Bow Tie Boy’s Cross-Country Spoken Word Feltamation. Stand On Your Hands and Clap. New York City, NY & Chicago, IL
2012 Felt PSA: Reminder to Vote, Stand On Your Hands and Clap, Chicago, IL
//Solo Performance - Director, Puppeteer, Playwright & Producer
2019 Why Men Great Til They Gotta Be Great? Puppeteers of Color Social, University of Chicago's Chicago Performance Lab residency, Chicago, IL
2018 This Gonzalez Is Here to Take Your Job, Puppeteers of Color Incubator, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2016 A Stack Of Bonds This Big, Poetry Talk, The Public House Theatre, Chicago, IL
2015 Serious Business, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2015 The Case of the Curious Couch, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2015 I’ll Be Dead Wrong and You’ll Be Just Fine, Puppet Meltdown, Sea Beast Puppet Company, Chicago, IL
2014 Take a Hike, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2013 It’s Unbearable, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2012 A Rocketship In a Hurry, Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Theatre Festival, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., Angel Island, IL
//Collaborative Performance - Director, Puppeteer, Playwright & Producer
2017 Baby I'm Rich AF, performed with Angela Antkowiak & Amy Nicole, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Chicago Intnl Puppet Theater Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2014 It Was Supposed To Be My Day Off, performed with Sean Dolan. Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Theatre Festival Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., Angel Island, IL
2014 How I Spent My Summer Vacation, performed with Kayla Pulley & Maggie O'Keefe. Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2014 The Princess and The Prick, performed with Maggie O'Keefe. Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Chicago Intnl Puppet Theater Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2013 Well, Hell, I Guess That Makes Me a Feminist, performed with Sean Dolan. Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Theatre Festival, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., The Den, IL
//Group Exhibition - Shadow Puppeteer
2017 Copy & Paste by Myra Su and Through the Lookingglass by Myra Su & Mitch Salm, performed with Myra Su & Mitch Salm. Trade Routes: A Festival of Artistic Exchange, Links Hall, Chicago, IL & Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Baltimore, MD
2016 Spot of Bother by Myra Su, performed with Myra Su & Cynthia Campos Costanzo, A-Squared Asian American Performing Arts Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2016 Spot of Bother by Myra Su and Through The Lookingglass by Myra Su & Mitch Salm, performed with Myra Su & Mitch Salm, Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, IL; National Puppet Slam at the Center for Puppetry Arts & DragonCon, Atlanta, GA
2014 And Dream of Teeth by Rough House, performed with Rough House, Chicago Intnl Puppet Theater Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2014 The Shadow Puppet Conspiracy, with Sea Beast Puppet Company, The Chicago Humanities Fest & The Chicago Improv Fest, Chicago, IL
Teaching
2018 Stop-Motion Animation and Webpresence 101. The Allyson Gonzalez Residency for Art, Science & Cultural Exchange. Baltimore, MD x Chicago, IL
Public Speaking
2018 Office Hours: I Made a Thing, Now What? Panelist. BackerKit Bond Conference. San Francisco, CA
2016 So You Want To Be a Puppeteer, Panelist, DragonCon, Atlanta, GA
Press
2018 Arts & Culture, Catey Sullivan. "Nasty, Brutish & Short Showcases Work from the Puppeteers of Color Incubator." The Chicago Reader. Vol 48, No. 10. 20. Print & Digital.
2018 Editorial Assistant. Negesti Kaudo. "Alumni Shorts." Demo: The Alumni Magazine of Columbia College Chicago. Issue 27. Fall/Winter 2017: 35. Print & Digital.
2017 Editorial Assistant. Negesti Kaudo. "Class Notes." Demo: The Alumni Magazine of Columbia College Chicago. Issue 26. Spring/Summer 2017: 53. Print.
2017 Campus Editor, Ariana Portalatin. "Alumna Creates Recycled Puppets for One-Woman Shows." Columbia Chronicle. Print & Digital.
2016 Senior Editor, Justin Breen. "Chicago Puppeteer Wants To Turn Your Garbage Into Props." DNAinfoChicago. Digital.
Publications
2013 - Current Tinyletter: Secret Bonus Track, Author and Publisher
2017 POEM A DAY, Contributor of "A Pinter Pause Held" Published by Back to Print
2017 SOS DISTRESS SIGNALS TO GET US THROUGH STOP. Author and Publisher
2014 Save the Bees Worx: Issue III, Author and Publisher
2013 The Wild Pumpkin Patch, Featured Illustrator, Published by Back to Print
2013 Save the Bees Worx: Issue II, Author and Publisher
2013 Write for Light: A Collection of True Stories and Poems about Finding Light in the Darkness. Contributor of "Good Morning. How Are We Going to Help Save the Planet Today?" Published by Dean Tucker
2012 Save the Bees Worx: Issue I, Author and Publisher
2000 Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans: 2000 Edition, Contributor, Published by the American Academy Of Poetry
1998 Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans: 1998 Edition, Contributor, Published by the American Academy Of Poetry
Education
2018 Puppeteers of Color Incubator, co-presented by The Art Leaders of Color Network, Links Hall & Rough House Theater - Chicago, IL
2017 Alaskan Robotics Mini-Con - Juneau, AK
2016 National Puppetry Conference, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center - New London, CT
2014 Chicago Puppet Lab, Rough House - Chicago, IL
2009 Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Directing, Columbia College Chicago - Chicago, IL
2008 The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education - Chicago, IL
Independent Puppeteer, Writer and Director in Chicago, IL
Creative Director of the Puppeteers of Color Social
Founder of Thankyoutine's Day
Author and Publisher of Save the Bees Worx
Artistic Conductor Emeritus of Stand On Your Hands and Clap
Founder of The Allyson Gonzalez Residency for Art, Science & Cultural Exchange
Artistic Proficiency
Puppetry, Writing {Prose, Poetry & Technical}, Stop-Motion Animation. Directing, Playwriting, Performance Art,
Fiber Arts, Zines, Comics, Watercolors, Polaroids, Soundscape Design, Producing and Dramaturgy
//Puppetry Expertise
Performance, Construction & Film: stop-motion, object work, table top, multimedia, toy theater and shadow puppetry
//Member of
Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA-USA)
Puppeteers of America
Puppeteers of Color Social
//Solo Tour - Hosting Your Own Retrospective Is Like Throwing Your Own Birthday Party But That's Not Going to Stop Me (an examination of the first decade)
Menu includes a poetry reading from Save the Bees Worx Issues I, II & III, film screening of Chronology Never Gets Old, shadow puppetry performance of This Gonzalez Is Here to Take Your Job and audio rollercoaster A Stack of Bonds This Big Redux
2020 Padua, Italy *cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions*
2019 Radio Penny. St. Louis, MO
//Film - Director, Puppeteer, Cinematographer & Producer
2018 I'm On The Pursuit of Happiness and I Know Everything That's Shine Aint Always Gonna Be Gold But I'll Be Fine Once I Get It Yeah I'll Be Good by Allyson Gonzalez. Craft services and Editor: Michael Heffler. screened at Sea Beast Puppet Company's Puppet Meltdown Puppet Slam. Chicago, IL & Black Cherry Puppet Theater's 2020 Virtual Slamwich, Baltimore, MD
2018 Test Case 1 by Sam Grossman. created and performed by Sam Grossman. directed by Allyson Gonzalez. edited by Michael Heffler. The Allyson Gonzalez Residency for Art, Science & Cultural Exchange. Chicago, IL
2017 I Got Hot Sauce In My Veins by Stand On Your Hands and Clap. Original Music Composed and Recorded by Mat Roberts & Paul Cherry, Editor: Michael Heffler, Shadow Puppetry Consultant: Myra Su, Puppetry Assistant: Sean Dolan, Screenings in Baltimore, MD & San Francisco, CA
2014 Bow Tie Boy’s Cross-Country Spoken Word Feltamation. Stand On Your Hands and Clap. New York City, NY & Chicago, IL
2012 Felt PSA: Reminder to Vote, Stand On Your Hands and Clap, Chicago, IL
//Solo Performance - Director, Puppeteer, Playwright & Producer
2019 Why Men Great Til They Gotta Be Great? Puppeteers of Color Social, University of Chicago's Chicago Performance Lab residency, Chicago, IL
2018 This Gonzalez Is Here to Take Your Job, Puppeteers of Color Incubator, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2016 A Stack Of Bonds This Big, Poetry Talk, The Public House Theatre, Chicago, IL
2015 Serious Business, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2015 The Case of the Curious Couch, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2015 I’ll Be Dead Wrong and You’ll Be Just Fine, Puppet Meltdown, Sea Beast Puppet Company, Chicago, IL
2014 Take a Hike, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2013 It’s Unbearable, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2012 A Rocketship In a Hurry, Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Theatre Festival, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., Angel Island, IL
//Collaborative Performance - Director, Puppeteer, Playwright & Producer
2017 Baby I'm Rich AF, performed with Angela Antkowiak & Amy Nicole, Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Chicago Intnl Puppet Theater Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2014 It Was Supposed To Be My Day Off, performed with Sean Dolan. Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Theatre Festival Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., Angel Island, IL
2014 How I Spent My Summer Vacation, performed with Kayla Pulley & Maggie O'Keefe. Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2014 The Princess and The Prick, performed with Maggie O'Keefe. Nasty Brutish & Short: A Puppet Cabaret, Chicago Intnl Puppet Theater Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2013 Well, Hell, I Guess That Makes Me a Feminist, performed with Sean Dolan. Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Theatre Festival, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., The Den, IL
//Group Exhibition - Shadow Puppeteer
2017 Copy & Paste by Myra Su and Through the Lookingglass by Myra Su & Mitch Salm, performed with Myra Su & Mitch Salm. Trade Routes: A Festival of Artistic Exchange, Links Hall, Chicago, IL & Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Baltimore, MD
2016 Spot of Bother by Myra Su, performed with Myra Su & Cynthia Campos Costanzo, A-Squared Asian American Performing Arts Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2016 Spot of Bother by Myra Su and Through The Lookingglass by Myra Su & Mitch Salm, performed with Myra Su & Mitch Salm, Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, IL; National Puppet Slam at the Center for Puppetry Arts & DragonCon, Atlanta, GA
2014 And Dream of Teeth by Rough House, performed with Rough House, Chicago Intnl Puppet Theater Festival, Links Hall, Chicago, IL
2014 The Shadow Puppet Conspiracy, with Sea Beast Puppet Company, The Chicago Humanities Fest & The Chicago Improv Fest, Chicago, IL
Teaching
2018 Stop-Motion Animation and Webpresence 101. The Allyson Gonzalez Residency for Art, Science & Cultural Exchange. Baltimore, MD x Chicago, IL
Public Speaking
2018 Office Hours: I Made a Thing, Now What? Panelist. BackerKit Bond Conference. San Francisco, CA
2016 So You Want To Be a Puppeteer, Panelist, DragonCon, Atlanta, GA
Press
2018 Arts & Culture, Catey Sullivan. "Nasty, Brutish & Short Showcases Work from the Puppeteers of Color Incubator." The Chicago Reader. Vol 48, No. 10. 20. Print & Digital.
2018 Editorial Assistant. Negesti Kaudo. "Alumni Shorts." Demo: The Alumni Magazine of Columbia College Chicago. Issue 27. Fall/Winter 2017: 35. Print & Digital.
2017 Editorial Assistant. Negesti Kaudo. "Class Notes." Demo: The Alumni Magazine of Columbia College Chicago. Issue 26. Spring/Summer 2017: 53. Print.
2017 Campus Editor, Ariana Portalatin. "Alumna Creates Recycled Puppets for One-Woman Shows." Columbia Chronicle. Print & Digital.
2016 Senior Editor, Justin Breen. "Chicago Puppeteer Wants To Turn Your Garbage Into Props." DNAinfoChicago. Digital.
Publications
2013 - Current Tinyletter: Secret Bonus Track, Author and Publisher
2017 POEM A DAY, Contributor of "A Pinter Pause Held" Published by Back to Print
2017 SOS DISTRESS SIGNALS TO GET US THROUGH STOP. Author and Publisher
2014 Save the Bees Worx: Issue III, Author and Publisher
2013 The Wild Pumpkin Patch, Featured Illustrator, Published by Back to Print
2013 Save the Bees Worx: Issue II, Author and Publisher
2013 Write for Light: A Collection of True Stories and Poems about Finding Light in the Darkness. Contributor of "Good Morning. How Are We Going to Help Save the Planet Today?" Published by Dean Tucker
2012 Save the Bees Worx: Issue I, Author and Publisher
2000 Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans: 2000 Edition, Contributor, Published by the American Academy Of Poetry
1998 Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans: 1998 Edition, Contributor, Published by the American Academy Of Poetry
Education
2018 Puppeteers of Color Incubator, co-presented by The Art Leaders of Color Network, Links Hall & Rough House Theater - Chicago, IL
2017 Alaskan Robotics Mini-Con - Juneau, AK
2016 National Puppetry Conference, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center - New London, CT
2014 Chicago Puppet Lab, Rough House - Chicago, IL
2009 Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Directing, Columbia College Chicago - Chicago, IL
2008 The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education - Chicago, IL