He’s doing similar things these days, only now Cupp is 42 and the productions are on a much grander scale.
Cupp is the founder of the Zoot Theatre Company, which creates and produces original puppet productions and collaborates with groups ranging from The Human Race and Sinclair Community College to Cityfolk and area schools.
His passion for puppetry, he says, is about “bringing your imagination to life.”
He’s in the news at the moment for work he’s creating for Oakwood High School’s upcoming musical production of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and for “Stellaluna,” the children’s show that opened this weekend at Washington Twp.’s Town Hall Theater.
In anticipation of this summer’s Cityfolk Festival, Zoot will work with three local communities to present a series of performances that will tell the stories of real Dayton residents. The collaboration is titled “Peoples’ Puppet-Play” and will involve participants in everything from storytelling and acting to mask and puppet making. It will culminate in a series of plays presented at the festival July 3-4.
For Oakwood, Cupp was commissioned to make eight Oompa-Loompas and one Willy Wonka.
“It’s really neat. They are very animated,” Cupp said. “Willy is a backpack puppet that makes him almost 9 feet tall. The Oompa-Loompas are strapped to the front of the actors, and their feet work the puppet’s feet. They work the mouth of the puppet with a trigger.”
His role at rehearsals is to take what’s been choreographed and help the actors get as much movement out of the puppet as they can.
At The Human Race Theatre Company, where Cupp works full time as a carpenter, he has created puppets for shows such as “The Tempest,” “Seussical the Musical” and “Man of La Mancha.”
“He populated Whoville and allowed us to expand the cast without expanding the cast!” said Executive Director Kevin Moore. “It was so clever and creative and so outside the norm of what had been done in the past with that production.”
Cupp, who grew up in Cincinnati, originally followed his father’s path and became a diesel mechanic. Years later at Sinclair, he found his true calling.
“I got in the fine-arts department and started drawing and painting. Then I started working in the theater department on sets and props, and I fell in love with theater.”
When Cupp realized there wasn’t much going on in the Miami Valley in the way of puppetry and masks, he started The Zoot Theatre Company in 2007. Zoot offices are in the Oregon District, and the puppets are created in Cupp’s Front Street workshop.
The group premiered its first full season this year, opening in October with a production of “Hansel and Gretel.” There was also a Christmas show, and an original retelling of “Moby Dick,” adapted by Bruce Cromer, will be staged in April.
Through Zoot Tales, the organization also takes children’s productions to area schools.
Cupp says one of his goals is to attract adult audiences to puppetry. Though he loves working on children’s productions, he cites films such as the original “Star Wars” and “Pan’s Labyrinth” as examples of puppetry that’s both dark and edgy.
Moore agrees: “Puppets can enhance an experience beyond just a child’s experience,” he said. “The Muppets have proven that, as adults we enjoy them as much as the children do. Tristan is moving into that realm of being able to make those puppets acceptable in productions where you wouldn’t expect them to be.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
‘Stellaluna’
What: A dramatization of Janell Cannon's award-winning children's book "Stellaluna"
When: 3 p.m. today, March 21, and next Sunday, March 28, and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 26-27
Where: Town Hall Theatre, 27 N. Main St., Centerville
Tickets: $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors, $10 for children 12 and younger. All day-of-show tickets are $15.
More info: Reserve tickets at www.townhalltheatre.org or call (937) 433-8957.
Also: The production lasts 60 minutes and is recommended for children ages 2 and older.
‘Willy Wonka’
What: "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," the musical
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. next Sunday, March 26-28
Where: Oakwood High School Auditorium, 1200 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood
Tickets: $10 for adults, $7 for students. Call (937) 297-5325.
Moby Dick
What: "Moby Dick," a production by The Zoot Theatre Company
When: 8 p.m. April 23-24, 2 p.m. April 25
Where: The Schuster Center's Mathile Theater, Dayton
Tickets: $17 adults, Ticket Center Stage, $15 students and seniors, $10 children. Call (937) 228-3630
On the Web: www.zoottheatercompany.org
More about the Cityfolk puppet project: Call (937) 223-3655, ext. 3008, or (937) 696-9668.
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