Moira MacDonald:
BLUE WAVES
August 28 - 31, 2025
Automata presents the world premiere of Blue Waves
Blue Waves is a poetic vision of the life of Svetlana Alliluyeva—memoirist, translator, and daughter of Joseph Stalin. Puppetry and projected images illuminate her turbulent personal journey from her idyllic early childhood to her slow realization of her father’s character, and finally, to her harrowing escape to the West.
Thursday, August 28: Opening Night + Reception, 7pm
Friday, August 29: Showings at 7pm, 9pm
Saturday, August 30: Showings at 5pm, 8pm
Sunday, August 31: Showings at 4pm, 7pm
TICKETS
General Admission: $25
Students, Members, Seniors, Artists: $20
***Purchase tickets here***
Seating is limited. Ticket reservations are recommended.
Conceived, Adapted, and Directed by Moira Lael MacDonald
Puppeteers:
Miguel Ayala
Lucas Brahme
Colette Coriat
Jesse Kingsley
Rachel Lertzman
Nat Nicholas
Natalie Painter
Olivia Xing
Designers:
Set Design: Natalie Ferguson
Lighting Design: Miles Karraa
Video Design: Gina Marie Napolitan
Sound Design: Moira Lael MacDonald
Costume Design: Noemi Mendez Colon
Puppet Design and fabrication: Moira Lael MacDonald
Lead Builder: Jesse Kingsley
Set and Prop Design Assistant: Natalie Painter
Special Thanks: Nat Nicholas
Puppet Choreography / Development Assistant: Natalie Painter
BLUE WAVES has been developed with the generous support of The Jim Henson Foundation, with additional support from the Automata Residency Project, Los Angeles County Arts and Culture, the LA Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Wilhelm Foundation.
About the Artist
Moira Lael MacDonald is a multidisciplinary theater artist and filmmaker. She was awarded a Jim Henson Foundation project grant for Blue Waves , which she has developed during a series of Artists’ Residencies at Automata. Selkie, her recent shadow puppetry work, was performed at Automata, as well as the Skirball Cultural Center in LA. Other original performance work includes Edwin, Margery and Me, Anatomy Lesson, Amaranth, The Life of the Bee, and Letter from the Bees. Her hand-processed short film, The Visible Woman, has been screened at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, and at Concord Space as part of the Heavenly Directives series. Moira holds an MFA in Puppetry and Integrated Media from CalArts, and a BFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She teaches at Pasadena City College, Moorpark College, and the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. Moira was born and raised in Sitka, Alaska.