Growing up in Hawai’i, Tom Lee’s memories of Lunar New Year* included narcissus blooms, tasty dim sum dishes and bowing to your elders before running off to your room to open your lucky red envelope with money in it! This charming shadow puppet show retells the classic Lunar New Year zodiac tale with animals inspired by Asian languages and pictograms. Suitable for all ages. Originally commissioned by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Note: The Lunar New Year, based on a lunisolar calendar in China and other Asian countries, typically occurs in January or February on the first day of the first lunar month.  This Lunar New Year we will celebrate the Year of the Horse.

Tom Lee is a puppet artist, designer and director. He began his career at La MaMa in New York. He is a student of Japanese master puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V with whom he created Shank’s Mare (2015) and Akutagawa (2023). In addition to his original work for puppet theatre, his performances include War Horse(Broadway), Florencia en el Amazonas & Madama Butterfly (Metropolitan Opera) and The Queen of Spades (Lyric Opera Chicago). He is co-director of the Chicago Puppet Studio and Chicago Puppet Lab.