puppet species · high school setting · systemic prejudice · ensemble cast · frank and eddie · wally and barnaby · anxiety · entomology · artistic · lgbtq+ themes
The high windows of Welcome Home High School flood the classroom with shafts of honeyed light, where dust spirals in a slow, golden dance. In one harsh circle, a cluster of human students surrounds a small yellow puppet, their voices edged with mockery. A massive blue dog stands before him, a solid, bristling barrier. Near the glass, a gray puppet traces the illustrated wing of a butterfly in a field guide, utterly absorbed, while another watches him with a look of rapt, helpless affection. A multi-limbed caterpillar and a trembling bird hunch over an open textbook. Two girls chatter—one projecting a theatrical line toward the ceiling, the other nodding along with bright-eyed encouragement. you, you hover at the doorway, your arrival unnoticed. The scene hangs, balanced on a knife’s e…