Luna's trailer

Luna's cast: Weston Long

At 16, Weston Long is our most experienced puppeteer. Weston has been passionately creating and performing with puppets for 11 years! You can see Weston on the stage as the tapping crabs, the seahorse, and many other of our star animals. In NYC he'll also be accompanying a new character you'll meet right before the show. 


Weston Long is a student at Waterford High School. He has been acting in community theater and school productions since age 5, but he is ecstatic to perform in a show where he can showcase his love and talent for puppetry as well. He has been "puppeting" since age 5 as well and wishes to pursue it and theater as a career as an adult. He has been personally mentored in the craft by Caroll Spinney (Big Bird on Sesame Street) and John Tartaglia (Avenue Q and ImaginOcean). Weston actively participates in his high school drama department WATERFORDrama with his most recent roles including Joe in The Pajama Game and Various Male Characters in A Piece of My Heart. He would like to thank Linda, Karl, Tashia, and the cast for making this another experience to remember! Enjoy the show!

"I actually want to go into puppetry as a career, and this is a different style than I'm used to. We went to the Aquarium and projected the image of the animals through the puppet. I hadn't been exposed to that before. That will help bring the sea to life on the stage, and also through dance. Doing puppets you also have to use a lot of arm strength, which I don't think people realize. People usually think of puppets as things like the Muppets or things with exaggerated features. People who come will be surprised at how life like these are. I think knowing puppetry is a great skill."

A fresh layer of fluorescent paint for the Giant Pink Octopus's suckers this morning. Did you know there are real octopuses that have glowing suckers, just like ours? The Stauroteuthis octopus lives 3 kilometers under the Atlantic ocean with a row of lights all along its 8 legs.

He looks like he might even be able to tango like ours!

NYC here we come!

Luna's Sea is picking up and heading for New York City for the first time, where we will be performing 4 shows at the American Museum of Natural History! No kidding! We'll be in the Kaufmann Theater (just down the hall from the humongous blue whale) on May 12 & 13 as part of their stunning bioluminescent exhibit. Find tickets on the Museum's website here.

Luna choreographer: Christine Poland

Luna's Sea is extra lucky to have Christine Poland not only as our choreographer, but also as our lead dancer in the show. Christine is the Master Puppeteer who Luna finds on the beach, and disguised as the moon becomes her guide on her aquatic adventure. Christine's exquisite flowing movement touches everything on stage, from fabric, to puppets, to puppeteers; and transforms the theater into a floating underwater fantasy.

Christine graduated with honors from Roger Williams University with a BA in Dance Performance Studies. In NYC she became a founding member and the managing director of Rocha Dance Theater. During her years with the company Christine assisted the productions of Gaining Voice, Ponder Me, Not so Soft, Painted Ladies in NYC, RI, and Boston. Christine has performed with Sonia Plumb, Works/Laura Glenn, and Joseph Albano of Hartford, CT. After moving to NYC she began performing for many small pick up companies getting exposure to the NYC dance scene. In 2005, she joined Hedi Latsky in Club Riot as “Valkeries”, this production took place at LaMama Experimental Theater. Performance credits include dancing for Monica Bill Barnes, Mary Fullam, Full Force Dance Productions, Guta Hedwig, Noel MacDuffie, Oil and Water Productions, Vanessa Paige and Angela Jones. Theatrical dance productions include Shirley and the Tropicana, Fishbowl, Her Mom’s Feet, and Queen Juniper all of which were directed by Christine Henry. She has also co-choreographed STUCK with Jenny which was presented at Dancers Responding to Aids, Dixon Place, New Dance Group and Spoke the Hub. During 2000 – 2003, Ms Poland was a guest choreographer for Creative Arts Studio in Brooklyn, NY. Her choreography has also been in a silent film short by Christian Zuccoro, Serenity. In 2005, Christine had the great pleasure of dancing as the evil seagull for Gary Shore of RI in Ode his silent dance film. She has just completed a full season with Cornerstone Playhouse in Mystic, CT. She is on staff at Kiks Dance Studio in Uncasville and The Writer’s Block in New London, CT. Her latest endeavor is teaching theater for CT Performing Arts Programs.

recycle, reuse, repurpose!

Most of the time Luna is played by Kaitlyn, a real person. But sometimes she is a puppet. Here is puppet Luna being pieced together out of 3 sheets of board, made so that her arms and legs can move while she swims in the sea. Using discarded materials as much as possible is important to this puppet company, as we think there are more then enough good materials thrown out to make a million puppet shows. More puppets, less waste! Below, Judy paints stripes on the puppet theater made from a rescued cardboard box, while Tula the dog tries to get into the show herself!

inexplicable octopi

More to earth and sea then is dreamt of in our philosophies, indeed...

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beluga mariachi, part 2!

Yesterday the video of Juno dancing to the mariachi band went viral, showing up everywhere including the Today show this morning. Congratulations to William Kurtz who caught the moment, and Kim and Kevin who chose to have mariachi players at their wedding with the belugas in the first place! The whole wedding was just as magical, Linda caught Kim's entrance on her iPhone, moments before the now famous beluga dance. We think Juno was put in a dancing mood by Kim's amazing jelly fish veil as much as the band.

beluga mariachi!

Our friend who is also a puppeteer of aquatic persuasions, Kim Mikenis, got married to her sweetheart artist Kevin van Aelst at the Mystic Aquarium last Friday. The Los Trovadores de America mariachi band serenaded a beluga whale, and it was wonderful!

new time!

Luna's Sea now starts at 10:30 am, but come a little early and say hello to The Mermaid Statue and some other curious characters before the show. And afterwards stick around to meet the puppeteers...and the puppets!

TWO shows this weekend!

Just for the 4th of July: our regular Saturday show, now at 10:30am, plus a SUNDAY show at noon. And for both you can get the July Special, the show plus the aquarium for $25. Stellar! Click here for tickets online, or call (800) 595-4849.

ticket deal of the week

This Saturday! Get Luna's Sea and full day entry to the Mystic Aquarium for $25! Call our box office: 800-595-4849.