A modern, feminist reinterpretation of the traditional Punch and Judy show, where Judy takes centre stage in a handcrafted farce for all ages.
Puppet Motion brings Judy Punches Back to The VORTEX on Thursday, October 1, at 8 PM. It's a solo hand puppet show by Sarah Nolen, an Austin-born puppeteer who's spent the last few years based in Boston. The show takes the traditional Punch and Judy heroine and reimagines her as a feminist figure, a shift Nolen says was inspired by the #MeToo movement.
If you're not familiar with the source, Punch and Judy is one of the oldest puppet shows in the English-speaking world, and Judy has spent over 300 years getting pushed around. In this version, she finally pushes back. The plot is a hand-crafted farce: Judy sets out on a quest for respect, justice, and a well-deserved nap, mixing classic puppet antics with contemporary commentary. It's billed for all ages, so it works as a family outing as much as a night out for adults.
Nolen has been touring the show around New England since it premiered in 2019. Along the way, it picked up 'Best Shorty' at the 2025 Boston Fringe Festival and a feature in The New York Times. She runs Puppet Motion, the company presenting the show, and brings a fair amount of professional puppetry to the table: she holds an MFA in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut and a BA in Cinema-Television from Southern Methodist University. You might recognize her work from the Netflix film Don't Look Up (2021), where she built and performed a puppet, and she directed the puppet production FERAL by Sandglass Theater.
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The show runs on the Eloise Stage at The VORTEX, 2307 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722. It starts at 8 PM on Thursday, October 1.
