home     drunk puppet nite!    halfpenny opera     giant puppets     who we are     contact us 

Who is Monkey Wrench Puppet Lab ?

Adam Ende is a professional puppeteer, painter, portrait artist and erotic ceramicist. In addition to Monkey Wrench, he has made puppets for Cry of the Rooster Theater, Jawbone Puppet Theater and Seattle musician Jason Webley. He masterminded the recent Monkey Wrench show "The Mermaid Who Broke my Fucking Heart." He is the artistic director and guiding spirit of the Islewilde Arts Celebration on Vashon Island.

Jim Farrell is Nice-Nice, as well as being a multi-talented puppeteer/activist/fisherman who will do anything for money. He is happiest when building weird things. He has worked with Monkey Wrench, Islewilde, Drunk Puppet Nite, and the Insurrection Landscapers. Jim coined the widely used term "puppetista" and is the creator of the Robo-chicken.

Billy Jarcho is a professional puppeteer and animator of many years standing. After founding and running Olive Jar animation studios for many years, directing "The PJ'S" and making animated spots for MTV, Billy moved to Vashon Island where he has nearly lost his mind making puppets. Billy is the creator of "Suzy and Nice-Nice" and was the director and designer of Monkey Wrench's "Jello-A-Go Go."

Andrew Kim is the Director of the recent hit play "Frankenocchio." He is the Director of the Fremont Summer Solstice Pageant and the Artistic Director of Islewilde Arts Celebration (Vashon). Andrew was a former company member of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre in Minneapolis and has worked as a builder and/or performer for Bread and Puppet, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, UMO Ensemble, Circus Contraption, Northwest Asian American Theatre, and Horse + Bamboo (England).

Brian Kooser has worked as a Designer, Builder and Puppeteer for Thistle Theatre for the last eight years.  In that time he has pioneered many new methods in Papier Mache and improved the design of their signature Bunraku style puppets.  He has built puppets and performed for the Clay Martin Puppet Theatre and the Fremont Arts Council.   Brian was Lead Artist,  Designer and Movement Coach for Frankenocchio.

Annett Mateo is the Managing Director of Monkey Wrench Puppet Lab. She has produced numerous events for Monkey Wrench, including regular shows and festival appearances. She was assistant producer for the highly acclaimed show “Frankenocchio,” which ran from January 31 to February 21 at the Nippon Kan Theater in Seattle. Other recent work includes building puppets for Arizona’s Childsplay Theater’s production of Two Donuts, and Seattle Children’s Theater’s productions of Big Friendly Giant and Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Joshua Okrent is the Director of Seattle's Cry of the Rooster Theater. He has built and designed puppets for Seattle Public Theater, City Light Orchestra, Fremont Arts Council and many others. He is the Producer/Director of "Drunk Puppet Nite!" and is the writer and lead artist of the upcoming Monkey Wrench production halfpenny Opera.

Douglas Paasch is a designer, builder, puppeteer, and performer as well as resident Puppet Master for the Seattle Children’s Theater. For the past 13 years he has performed extensively in the Pacific Northwest, the U.S., and abroad, where he has received much critical acclaim for his gifted performance and puppetry skills. He has also been a designer, builder, and puppeteer on local Seattle TV shows and in a variety of video productions.

PRAISE FOR MONKEY WRENCH PUPPET LAB:

   “The puppets, the scenery, the manipulations, the bizarrely amusing story and the peculiar music are delightful”. Joe Adcock, Seattle Post Intelligencer

  “I’m here to say I laughed my ass off!” Emily Hall, The Stranger

  “I eagerly anticipate whatever works of frenzied genius Monkey Wrench graces us with next.” Tonnvane Wiswell, The Tablet, Seattle

You want more information? Write to us! Wrench@monkeywrenchpuppetlab.org