This fall, Nekaa Lab will bring Shinnai Meets Puppetry: The Peony Lantern & One Night in Winter to the World Puppet Theatre Festival in Charleville-Mézières, France — the largest international gathering of puppetry artists.

About the Work
This project is conceived and directed by Sachiyo Takahashi (Okamoto Miya, her stage name in the Shinnai tradition), a Brooklyn-based artist and the founder of Nekaa Lab. Since the pandemic, it has been co-created with Rowan Magee (puppeteer, designer, and builder) and Emma Wiseman (puppeteer, designer, and builder) through a close collaboration that merges Shinnai-bushi — a traditional Japanese sung narrative — with innovative contemporary puppetry.

The piece premiered in November 2024 at Japan Society in New York, receiving enthusiastic responses from audiences. Bringing this work to Charleville-Mézières will mark its first international presentation.

About the Artist & Team
Sachiyo’s artistic practice explores the fragile beauty of human existence through sound, image, and storytelling. As Okamoto Miya, she continues the lineage of Shinnai-bushi, a traditional Japanese sung narrative with more than 250 years of history, while reimagining it for contemporary international audiences.

She collaborates closely with Rowan Magee and Emma Wiseman, New York–based puppeteers and puppet designers/builders known for their inventive object work and masterful puppetry skills. Lighting is designed by Tsubasa Kamei, recognized for his refined work in dance and performance. The team also includes Madeleine Dauer, who serves as an outside eye and subtitle operator.

In total, we are a team of five traveling to the festival in France.

This production has generous received support from the Jim Henson Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Council’s Brooklyn Empower Fund, New England Foundation for the Arts, and NYSCA, and was awarded a prestigious residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. We are also grateful for support from Mid Atlantic Arts, which has made this journey possible.

However, international touring is costly, and we still need additional support to cover expenses such as equipment shipping, transportation, rehearsal preparation, and subtitle translation into French.

Support this Journey
To make this tour possible, we are launching the Traveling Sheep Supporter Badge Campaign.

The badge features Nekaa Lab’s iconic sheep — standing on a green planet, gazing into the starry universe, with a golden star symbolizing a spark of curiosity. Nestled within the design is a tiny tricolor detail, hinting at our adventure in France. This sheep represents endless curiosity, kindness, and the joy of daily starry discoveries on this planet.

🐑 Only 100 embroidered badges have been created for this fundraiser, each individually numbered on the back. The badge measures 3 x 2 inches — a perfect size to travel with you on a bag, a cap, or a jacket. Every badge represents a sheep traveling from New York to France — and then to your home, as a symbol of your support. 
Nekaa Lab / Sachiyo Takahashi is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for this campaign are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

✨ Donation Tiers:

📦 Shipping note: Rewards will be shipped in December 2025 – January 2026, after the festival, prepared and mailed with care by the Nekaa Lab team.

Your support will directly help cover essential touring costs and ensure that this rare collaboration of Shinnai storytelling and contemporary puppetry can reach audiences around the world.