Puppeteers For Fears

We’re taking our original show, Cthulhu: the Musical!, on the road on our “Road to R’Lyeh” 2024 summer tour. For the uninitiated, here’s our deal: PFF is Oregon’s only dedicated puppet musical horror troupe. We perform original scripts with original music. Far from the lo-fi puppet show stereotype, our productions feature elaborate custom-built hand-and-rod (Muppet-style) puppets, a full-rock band, multimedia scenic art projections, and a full cast of performers––each a Swiss army knife of talent unto themselves, slaying as actors, puppeteers, singers, improv comics, and world class Twister athletes (srsly, it gets crazy behind the puppet house).

The play is adapted from the 1929 short story, The Call of Cthulhu,” by horror icon, H.P. Lovecraft, and tells the story of his most famous creation: Cthulhu, a giant, malevolent, octopus-faced elder god who hibernates beneath the ocean, communicating to humans through their dreams, slowly driving them mad. While Lovecraft is not as much of a household name as writers like Stephen King or Edgar Allen Poe, he is widely considered to be the creator of the genre of gothic horror, and the creatures and themes he created are highly influential on modern literature of all genres. The story we chose to adapt is dark, disturbing, and totally unfit for musical comedy—all qualities that make it a perfect fit for our style.

Puppeteers for Fears is an Oregon based comedy troupe, specializing in original horror and science fiction rock & roll musicals performed with puppets.