Articles by Karen Karin Rosenberg

About Karen Karin Rosenberg (3 Articles)

Karen Karin Rosenberg has taught creative writing at the Figurentheater-Kolleg, a German puppetry school, since 2006. Her short plays were performed and/or published in Britain, Germany, Poland and the US. She has written on puppetry for "Puppet Notebook" in Britain, "double" in Germany, and "PEN-Tijdingen" in Belgium.

Arias with a Twist

September 24, 2026

"Arias with a Twist," the title of this production, is a clever pun. On the one hand, it simply describes the collaboration of two justly-celebrated talents: Joey Arias, a performance artist, and the director Basil Twist, who designed the set and puppetry for this production. On another, metaphorical level, it conveys the most striking aspect of their joint work: solo songs with myriad surprises. Expect ingenious, mobile settings as Joey, played by Arias, falls from outer space to an earthly jungle, is launched on a trip by a psychedelic mushroom, and finally reaches New York. (My sketch of the itinerary is not complete.) What carries him along can't really be called a plot in the classic sense, for there's no conflict to resolve. Joey is simply thrown around, physically and psychically, but lands remarkably resilient, ready to pose, sing and sway. In that way, the show is reminiscent of many a folktale about a little guy on the road who manages to survive a whole slew of adversities. [more]

Dreamcats!

April 30, 2026

Fans of feminist science fiction and revisionist fairy tales will find much to recognize in playwright Charlotte Lily Gaspard's new work. Set on a planet ruled by intelligent and mighty creatures called "Dreamcats," the play features a rebellious feline princess played with gusto by Gaspard herself. Intellectually courageous, the Princess has a secret plan to challenge the belief that her planet is the best of all possible worlds--a sacrosanct tenet that no Dreamcat has dared to investigate, still less to refute. Her project envisions comparing all the planets, but how can this be done when hardly any data on them is available? (The one map of the galaxy she has found was under wraps.) [more]

Packrat: The Quest por la Abundancia

January 13, 2026

Do we want to be led to a utopia full of shiny objects or can we find abundance at home, in friendship and family? Symbolically, and at times explicitly, Concrete Temple Theatre explores this ever-timely question in "Packrat: The Quest por la Abundancia," an inventive parable written and directed by Renee Philippi with puppetry, projections, and sets designed by Carlo Adinolfi. By offering well-paced visual and auditory surprises, it keeps viewers' attention for over an hour, which is no small feat. [more]