Student Spotlight: Outdoor puppetry project 'The Serpants Fly at Sundown' showcased at Cohen New Works Festival

In April, the Cohen New Works Festival took over the Winship Building and surrounding areas for a full week, showcasing 41 original new works by students. 

One project, The Serpents Fly at Sundown, featured an outdoor puppetry performance created by project leads Khristián Méndez Aguirre (Ph.D., Theatre, 2025; M.F.A., 2019), Musicology/Ethnomusicology graduate student Laura Camacho, and Performance as Public Practice graduate student Michael DeWhatley. 

Aguirre designed and constructed the puppet from bamboo, willow, reed, wet strength paper, wiring, thermoplastic, wood glue and paper. DeWhatley served as the dramaturg for the piece, and Camacho composed the music.

The project was supported by a Artistic Citizenship Collaborative Creative Grant from the Community Engagement and Public Pratice office in the College of Fine Arts.