Puppetry > The Knee Play

The Knee Play
2025

Work in Progress performed at Nasty, Brutish, and Short, part of The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, January 2025

Writer / Director / Puppet Designer and Fabricator / Solo Performer: Gretchen Hasse
Documentation by Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.

For thirty five years, I lived with increasing pain and disability that stemmed from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which I contracted at the age of fifteen. At age fifty, my double knee replacement surgeries released a flood of memory, grief, and pent up energy that is now dedicated to making up for lost time.

With The Knee Play, I have begun unpacking and exploring what this physical and mental journey has meant for me. The current iteration focuses on developing as a sexual being while disabled.