Through the Looking-Glass
Grace Tarducci
GENRE
Theater / Puppetry / Animation
WHEN
May 2026
An abridged adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There written and directed by Grace Tarducci, with puppetry by Sophia Tarducci.
Featuring Claudia Santangelo, Krissi Furr, Obi Ehn, Valentino Musumeci, Marcel Legros, and Sophia Tarducci
with original music by Marcel Legros
Produced by Eric McKenzie
Through the Looking-Glass is an adaptation and reinvention of the classic Lewis Carroll novel, Through the Looking-Glass and what Alice Found There. Our version of the classic will interpolate contemporary concepts and ideas into the tale, while staying true to the original themes. Looking-Glass will bring together puppetry, animation, nonsense, and surreal horror to illustrate the other side of the mirror.
Originally penned as a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Looking-Glass is a story of aging and death, alternate realities and interior worlds, wrapped up in a tale of nonsense that begs to be revered and interpreted as a stand-alone piece just as much as a companion to Wonderland.
Grace Tarducci
(she/her) is writer, director, and stop-motion animator living in Brooklyn, NY. Tarducci's work often plays with the tactile boundaries of clay, paper, silicon, and fabrics to approach the corporal. Recently commissioned works have been featured on Articles of Interest and Holy Dose's "Price" music video. Her independent work has been funded by The New School, featured in the Los Angeles Liftoff Festival, and on exhibit in the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC).
Original song by Marcel Legros for Through the Looking-Glass
Excerpts
Credit
Artist Grace Tarducci
with Claudia Santangelo, Obi Ehn, Valentino Musumeci, Marcel Legros, and Sophia Tarducci
Produced by Eric McKenzie
Claudia Santangelo (she/her) is a New York–based actress and model, and a recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she studied Fashion Business Management. Alongside her studies she trained in acting at HB Studio for the last four years. Raised between New York City, New Jersey, and London, she brings a dynamic perspective to her work. Her recent credits include short films and sketch comedy productions.
Krissi Furr (she/her) is an actress and model based in New York, originally from Alabama. Drawn to storytelling and performance, she is excited to bring this work to life alongside such a talented cast and crew.
Obi Ehn (he/him) is an actor based in the Brooklyn area. Having performed in theatre and film for years in the Midwest, he is ecstatic to see what New York has to offer. He is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Looking-Glass cast and show.
Marcel Legros (he/him) is a musician and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. His film experience comes from scoring and writing original music for Blue World, and from starring alongside Grace Tarducci in the short film, Shrimp Cocktail. Legros' poetry has been published in Jubilat and Sugar House Review. You can find his music on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp under his artist name, Gwerm.
Valentino Musumeci (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based actor and theatre producer. Since graduating from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, he co-founded the theatre company, Dartboard Productions, with a community of alumni, filmed a recurring role in the anticipated Apple TV+ series, The Savant, and was featured in Shakespeare in The Park’s Twelfth Night. He’s very happy to be a part of this team!
Sophia Tarducci (any) is a Chicago-based puppet builder and performer. Alongside her creative partner, Soph Schiavone, Tarducci co-founded the Chicago-based collective, Shoestring Puppets. Shoestring has performed in Nasty, Brutish and Short, The Yuck Show, K.I.S.S., and their very own Shoestring’s Insane Puppet Posse, a cabaret funded by the Puppet Slam Network. Sophia also has several solo projects available on YouTube and has performed in the New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival in 2024 in Jacqueline Wade’s production and in 2026 with Rabbit Foot Puppetry. She works with the International Puppet Festival of Chicago as an assistant curator, production manager, and puppet builder. In addition to her robust puppet repertoire, Tarducci has also acted in several film projects, including her starring role in Blue World.
Eric McKenzie (he/him) is a New Jersey-born filmmaker and comedian currently living in Chicago. He’s produced nearly 100 sketch comedy shorts, directed 3 seasons of the web series Dream Makers and occasionally performs stand-up comedy alongside his mom. Eric produced Grace’s first feature film Blue World and his feature directorial debut is currently in post-production.
CGI ANIMATION BY: Sam Henry
CHESS SET DESIGNED BY: Jack Henry
PUPPETRY BY: Sophia Tarducci