Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals

Ocean Music Action - Dance Heginbotham - Greg Corbino 

The Project 

Carnival of the Nearly Extinct Animals is a collaborative performance combining music, dance, and puppetry to tell the stories of some of our planet's most remarkable- and endangered- animals.

This production features music by Camille Saint-Saëns and Stephanie Ann Boyd, choreography by Dance Heginbotham with dancers of Ballet Hawaiʻi, and larger-than-life puppetry by Greg Corbino.

This World Premiere takes place Sept 18 & 19, 2026 at the historic Hawaii Theatre Center in downtown Honolulu.

The Team

Megan Conley is a Hawaii-based harpist and the founder of Ocean Music Action, a nonprofit dedicated to using music to promote action for the planet.

GREG CORBINO is an OBIE award winning New York based designer specializing in puppetry, large-scale installation and performance in public space. 

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, John Heginbotham (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based choreographer, performer, and teacher. John graduated from The Juilliard School in 1993 with a BFA in Dance, and was awarded the Martha Hill Prize for Sustained Achievement in Dance. 

Michigan-born, Manhattan-based American composer Stephanie Ann Boyd (b. 1990) writes melodic music about women’s memoirs and the natural world for symphonic and chamber ensembles.

About the Puppets

There are over 60 puppets in the production, all crafted from recycled materials and made by puppet designer Greg Corbino. Puppets represent a variety of forms, with giant parade puppets, rod puppets and hand puppets. The work is very collaborative, physical and many of the puppets are operated by multiple people. There will be a team of three puppeteers who will work alongside dancers and musicians. 

Casting Call

We are looking for experienced puppeteers that:

• Have experience in puppetry, object performance, dance and improvisation with emphasis in large-scale puppetry, animal puppets and paper puppets. 
• Are highly collaborative, quick learning, and interested in earth activism  
• Puppet building experience is a bonus but not essential.
• We can only consider artists that are based in Hawaii

Employment Details

Rehearsal: September 7-11 and September 14-17

Performances: Friday Sept 18 and Saturday Sept 19

Pay: $2350

Please send a short letter of interest, resume and examples of puppetry work submitted via google forms  HERE