Kevin Augustine

Kosmic Kid, 2020

Puppet
Not for sale

Artist Website

Artist Statement

Forever INSPIRED by a hand-stitched sock puppet from my grandma, my life’s work rests on discovering that I too could make my own toys. Forming Lone Wolf Tribe in 1997, my mission remains: create intelligent, physical & highly visual puppet theatre about our collective human story. As the eponymous lone wolf, I write, direct and perform alongside my puppet tribe— all rescued from landfill-fated couch cushions.

My work is interested more in authenticity than realism. Stylistic theatre conjures a deeper reality, letting me be masked while my intentions get revealed. And puppets, boundless in POSSIBILITY, are magical partners in innovative storytelling. Able to turn the habitual into an event (just watch one take a breath), who better to explore our world with fresh eyes while digging into our more challenging human terrain?

Searching for IMAGINATIVE solutions to real world issues, I pull from current events and ancient history (sometimes my own). I’ve committed my career to explore subjects others might prefer to sidestep: the true costs of war (Veterans for Peace collaboration), the secret history of God (and the patriarchy), our planetary dominion (from the animals' viewpoint). While I can sympathize with Brecht who hoped his message would outlast an audience’s emotions, my puppets have a way of not only touching the heart but ripping it out sometimes. Don’t bring the kiddies!

Valuing independence as well as collaboration, I sometimes fancy myself the sole puppeteer in the Titanic band. Those musicians gave their art until their end in spite of knowing their songs wouldn’t stop the ship from sinking. It makes me think of this quote from Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology: “the sole PURPOSE of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being”...

I will certainly keep trying.
 
 

About The Artist

Kevin Augustine is the artistic director of Lone Wolf Tribe- A multidisciplinary performance company weaving history, philosophy and life-sized puppetry into brutally poetic visions on and off-stage. 

As the eponymous lone wolf, Kevin Augustine writes, directs and performs alongside his tribe of foam-rubber puppets, all repurposed from trashed couch cushions.  Since 1997,  Lone Wolf Tribe has been creating fearless, original theatre about our collective human story with a  mission  to investigate, challenge and spellbind.