The Show

When an otherworldly artifact falls into her paws, Rat Girl uncovers a vast conspiracy that threatens the fate of the entire rat metropolis. Merging overhead projector shadow puppetry, bunraku-style tabletop puppetry, and toy theatre, The Undercity navigates unchecked greed, climate catastrophe, and the engineered hopelessness of industrial life—a gnarly web of rat tails only our hero can untangle.

This wordless 50-minute play is appropriate for audiences 12+.

Written by Gaby FeBland and directed by Sammy Zeisel, The Undercity was developed as part of Culture Lab LIC's 2024 Emergence Artist Residency. It will premiere in the La Mama Puppet Festival November 20-23, 2026. 

The Team

Gaby FeBland – Writer, Puppet Designer, Puppeteer
Sammy Zeisel – Director
Penzi Hill-Vasserman – Producer
Keeley Heagerty – Associate Producer
Leigh Honigman – Presenting Producer
Camille Cooper – Puppeteer
Natthew Marvan – Puppeteer
Cat Raynor – Scenic Designer
Kyle Stamm – Lighting Designer
Liam Bellman-Sharpe – Composer
Veronica Johnson – Costume Designer
 

What We Need 

For this campaign, we’re asking for $5,000 to produce our premiere production at the La Mama Puppet Festival. This will help to pay our performers and designers a fair wage and adapt our set, costumes, and puppets to make them tourable. We'll be touring the show first to Spooky Action in D.C. in June 2027, and then we hope to tour the show to venues and puppet festivals internationally. 

 

How You Can Help 

You can make a donation to our show. 

If a donation isn't feasible, you can share this page with friends, family, acquaintances, roommates, nemeses, and beyond. 

You can tag us at @the.undercity or use the hashtag #theundercity. 

Thank you for supporting our vision!

R