A Puppeteer with The Palsy Performs Scenes from Shakespeare or, the Ghost in the Machine

Skerpro in association with Theatre Exile are thrilled to announce the world premiere production of A Puppeteer with the Palsy Performs Scenes from Shakespeare or, the Ghost in the Machine, by Cary Mazer, opening at Theatre Exile on Thursday August 7 and running through Sunday August 24, 2025.

The play follows a master puppeteer who, instead of his usual performance of his favorite scenes from Shakespeare with his troupe of inanimate thespians, shows us why and how he became a puppeteer. Then, for this night only, he puts on a performance unlike any he has given before.

The production is directed by Edward Sobel and stars renowned Philadelphia actor David Ingram as the Puppeteer and newcomer Sara Buscaglia as his Assistant.

Mazer is a playwright and retired Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was involved in the undergraduate Theatre Arts major for decades.  He directed plays at Penn, worked as a free-lance professional dramaturg, and was a theatre critic for The Philadelphia City Paper for fourteen years.   He has written books and articles on Victorian and Edwardian Theatre, Shakespeare Performance History, Modern Drama, and Dramaturgy. Mazer is donating all his royalties to the Michael J. Fox foundation.

Sobel, formerly the Associate Artistic Director of the Arden Theatre Company and Director of New Play Development at Steppenwolf Theatre Company has directed more than twenty world premieres including James Ijames Moon Man Walk (Orbiter 3) and The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Flashpoint), and Laura Eason’s Huck Finn (Steppenwolf).  Other productions include Endgame, Clybourne Park, Superior Donuts, Women in Jep, At the Old Place (all at the Arden), The Chosen, and A Lesson Before Dying (both at Steppenwolf).  Credits as dramaturg include Broadway productions of The Minutes (Pulitzer Finalist and Tony nomination), Linda Vista, Superior Donuts and August: Osage County (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award). He is currently a Professor at Villanova University.

The design team includes Thom Weaver (Set & Lighting Design), Damien Figueras (Sound Design), Millie Hiibel (Costume Design), Payton Smith (Puppet Design/Consultant), and Melanie Julian (Dialect Coach).

Sobel noted “It is always an honor to help bring a new play to life.  To have the opportunity to lead this extraordinary production team with a script that is heartfelt, theatrical, full of sophisticated language and ideas, and also helps raise awareness about a serious and all-too-common health issue is truly a privilege.”

This production was supported in part by a Penn Arts and Sciences Research Opportunity Grant awarded to Cary Mazer.

CONTACT – rskerchak@gmail.com

Runs: Thurs-Sat at 8:00pm, Sunday at 3:00pm from August 7 – August 24, 2025