Ernie’s Secret Life is an episodic odyssey, fusing ever-changing puppetry stagecraft with humor, music, and a raw understanding of our profound collective reality.

Sparked by the isolation & turmoil of our time, this is a story of discovery. Fearing something has happened to his son, a man builds a canoe & secretly sets off to find him. What he finds – is himself. Powered by a wondrous landscape-in-motion, Ernie’s Secret Life is a play about escaping & then finding your way; a celebration of how we become who we want to be.

Meet-the-Puppets! After every performance, you can try your hand at puppet manipulation & learn about the inspiration for the show!

Underwater Selfie Booth! After every show: you won’t have to imagine yourself underwater… you can BE underwater & take fun selfies!

Writer/Director: Renee Philippi
Puppetry & Set Design: Carlo Adinolfi
Original Music: Joe Phillips
Dramaturg/Lighting & Sound Design: Eric Nightengale
Costumes: Laura Anderson Barbata
Associate Director/Understudy: Emily Batsford
Production Stage Manager: Max Mooney
Performers: Carlo Adinolfi, Tau Bennett, Amanda Card, Camille Leigh Cooper, J Hann, Kasper Klop, Kezia Tyson

Ernie’s Secret Life, playing downtown at the wonderful Dixon Place Theater, features actor Carlo Adinolfi as Ernie, a man fraught with the fear that his son might be missing.  He is a character very reminiscent of Don Quixote, seeing the world through his own lens and tilting at his own windmills. We embark on an adventure with Ernie as he canoe’s to Nova Scotia to rescue his son. But wait. He’s afraid of the water. Perhaps he can carry the boat on a bus with him, which he does until the bus driver catches him. And so goes the story, progressing through a series of events along Ernies journey. The huge, fun bonus is the production itself. Both Writer/Director Renee Philippi and Puppetry/Scenic master Carlo Adinolfi has brought a fantasy world to life in this blend of live-action, puppetry, and creative scenic design.  With a team of puppeteers either holding small armatures, or in fully-body suits, to back up what would otherwise be a ‘solo’ performance, the audience is consistently entertained with new visuals. Overall, the show is a more experimental dive into mental states, rather than a distinct, clear story with simple structure. If you are open to theater that makes you think …Read more