Whorls of Wonder Puppet Theater, a performing arts company dedicated to
Ecological messages of hope, inspiration to action!
About Us
Our Mission
Our Mission, as a performing arts company, is to introduce our audience to natural forms and forces of nature they might not otherwise be exposed to. We aim to entertain through the thrill of discovery and to inspire action by imparting a growing respect for the earth and its many wonders! Knowledge inspires hope for the future!
Terran's Aquarium
Coming soon to a stage near you!
We opened our new show -Terran's Aquarium in early February 2019 with four performances during the Portland Area Theater Alliance's Fertile Ground Theater Festival of New Works! Just weeks later theaters everywhere closed down to Covid -19. Our Scientist, Lottgar Spensori is hard at work on the problem, so stand by!
In 2011 a Family Grant from the .Jim Henson Family Foundation got us started! We also thank them for the privilege of workshopping the show during their PATCH program- Puppets At The Carriage House, in Fall 2011!
We would also like to thank the Regional Arts & Culture Council of Portland, OR, for their Make/Learn/ Build Grant for making it possible to acquire professional quality sound equipment for when we tour. We have a message about the fresh water situation on this planet that needs to be heard!
Special Thanks to the late Jane Henson, and Heather Henson.
Special Thanks to my premiere cast: Matthew Stowers, Daniel Considine and Kori Bormann, with Jackson Jordon on Sound.
Mary Nagler, Artistic Director
Mary Hildebrand Nagler is a Professional Puppet Designer, Fabricator, Performer and Teacher who has entertained family audiences for over forty years. Nagler comes from a varied career in Puppetry; from her original hand puppet version of Punch and Judy to building two Classic Muppet characters: Beaker and the Swedish Chef! Her puppet work have been seen in film, video, on stages, in puppet festivals and in hundreds of informal gatherings on both coasts. She firmly believes in the power of the puppet to teach as well as entertain.
Whorls of Wonder Puppet Theater is Nagler’s most recent endeavor. Her show, Terran’s Aquarium, exposes the fresh water crisis in the world through puppetry, magic, and song in a playfully serious way. Terran, is magically transformed into many surprising things to learn how water moves through our home planet. Handy Andy the magical plumber offers solutions and hope.