In this lecture, puppeteer Tom Lee will guide us through his journey learning about kuruma ningyō cart puppetry and its influence on his works. While traditional bunraku puppetry requires three puppeteers to manipulate one puppet, kuruma ningyō requires only one. Seated on a kuruma, a puppeteer can use both their hands and feet to manipulate a puppet, allowing unique opportunities for movement. Tom will detail his training with fifth-generation master puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V, the creation of their collaborative works AKUTAGAWA and Shank’s Mare, and how he continues to use and expand upon traditional practices. The lecture will include a live demonstration and an opportunity for audience participation.

Join the JASP on April 1, 2025 for a lecture on how traditional Japanese puppetry informed an artist's practice. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.

Born in Korea and raised in Hawai'i, Mr. Tom Lee is a Chicago-based theater director, designer, and puppet artist with a deep connection to Japanese arts.

In 2005, supported by the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers, Mr. Lee studied traditional and contemporary puppetry in Japan, where he met Koryū Nishikawa V, the headmaster of Hachiōji Kuruma Ningyō. Under Nishikawa’s guidance, he trained in Kuruma Ningyō, a unique form of puppetry where a puppeteer sits on a wheeled cart (kuruma) while manipulating a single puppet. Since then, he has continued his training, deepening his expertise in this unique technique. He and Mr. Nishikawa co-created Shank's Mare, an international collaboration that toured the US, Japan, and France, and later co-created AKUTAGAWA, which toured the US (Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, and so on) and performed in Tokyo in 2024.

Mr. Lee creates original puppet theatre, performs professionally, and mentors emerging artists. His work merges traditional Japanese puppetry techniques with contemporary theatrical innovation, honoring classical forms while expanding the boundaries of puppetry as an art. His original works include Shank's Mare (US, Hawai'i, Japan, France), Sounding the Resonant Path (La MaMa, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival), Kurokami (Asian Improv Arts Midwest), and Odysseus and Ajax (La MaMa). Mr. Lee was a puppeteer in Broadway's War Horse (Tony Award) and Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera, among other notable performances. As co-director of Chicago Puppet Studio, part of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Mr. Lee has designed puppets and directed puppetry for the Metropolitan Opera, The Goodman Theater, Lookingglass Theater and Ma-Yi Theater company, among many others. His work has been supported by the MAP Fund, The Jim Henson Foundation, The Japan Foundation, and the TCG/Andrew W. Mellon In the Lab Program. Mr. Lee has taught puppetry extensively at institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, Lincoln Center Theater, and Northwestern University.

Mr. Lee’s journey in the professional performing arts began in Pittsburgh, where he earned his BA from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. Pittsburgh holds a special place for him, as it was here that he deepened his love for theater. www.tomleeprojects.com