Blue Silk Productions’ new devised work follows a woman chasing her missing dog into an unfamiliar, uncanny world

A dog gone missing in the Colorado wilds becomes the doorway into another world entirely in Valarie, a new puppet show from Blue Silk Productions opening Sept. 25 at the Studio Loft at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver.

The production, created by Cinco alongside fellow multidisciplinary artists Katy Williams, Johnny Bartlett, Kit Mathews and Bryse Taylor, follows its title character as she searches for her dog and finds herself pulled into a neighboring world governed by its own logic. There, the meaning of home keeps shifting and systems of harm operate with what the company describes as chilling efficiency. The story is told through handmade puppets, choreography, lighting, projections and sound rather than through conventional dialogue-driven scenes.

Valarie was devised during a month-long residency this September as part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ 2026 Arts Complex Creates: New Works Incubator, with puppets, music, projections and lighting developed in tandem. The project builds on the visual and theatrical approach the collective established with its earlier show, Blue Silk, which toured to two presentations in Philadelphia and two in Colorado.

Blue Silk Productions describes its work as combining handcrafted puppetry with interactive technology to build immersive, surrealist environments that place audiences in close proximity to the action rather than at a remove. The company often tells human stories through non-human protagonists — small explorers, overlooked creatures and other liminal beings — to explore themes of displacement, belonging, resilience and transformation.

The company received $25,000 in grant funding from the 2026 Arts Complex Creates: New Works Incubator to produce Valarie. Earlier support for Blue Silk included funding from the Cannonball Festival through the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and a residency from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs during development of the company’s first production.

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Blue Silk Productions is also hosting a series of free community workshops at the Champa Rehearsal Studio at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1245 Champa St., Denver, exploring the company’s puppet-making process. The sessions run through Sept. 20 and are open to the public; details are available through the company’s event page.