It all started after he was fired from his job at Brookfield Zoo, where he created natural-looking toys and devices, called “enrichment devices,” for animals.
Instead of sitting at home and letting his creativity go to waste, he got to work creating a stage and puppets so he could put on weekly shows for his friends and neighbors, and it became a production. fully fledged.
It is now officially known as “The Lockdown Puppet Theatre”.
“It’s really raw theatre; it’s not hyper-production values, we don’t have sound effects and we don’t have stage lighting and we don’t have things that would be great for a conventional theatrical production, but that’s part of its appeal,” Owens said.
The community loves the weekly shows and the theater draws audiences from all over.
“People really love it. They sing, they clap, they come back week after week, and it’s kind of a new experience for me,” Owens said.
Owen’s specific Lakeview address is a secret, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for puppets the next time you’re in the neighborhood.
