“May I play?” is always Novelli’s first request when they see a puppet. Growing up on Mister Rogers and Jim Henson, Novelli is a firm believer in the power of puppetry to tell fantastical stories and inspire wonder.

Novelli is a company member of Little Did Productions, a multi-disciplinary theater collective dedicated to creating exemplary puppet-based theater for audiences of all ages. Novelli began working with Little Did on Eli The Luthier, a pop-up show tale first presented at the Toy Theater Festival at St. Ann’s Warehouse. The show was such a success, it was then invited to perform for hundreds of puppet enthusiasts at the Puppeteers of America National Festival.

With Little Did, Novelli performed and collaborated on the full-length original puppet opera, Solina (NY Fringe Festival), the cross-cultural collaborative shadow puppet piece A Ramayana (The Tank, Object Movement Festival, Barn Arts), flower power piece 2001: A Space Odyssey (Sinking Ship Productions’ Puppet Playlist) and on the folk shadow puppet piece The Lost Children.

Novelli is passionate about collaboration and has developed work with Little Did in residency at In The Water Theatre Company, Drop Forge and Tool Company, BarnArts, The Quonnie Grange, and The Center at West Park’s Object Movement Festival.

When working on No. 11' Productions’ Friends Call Me Albert, Novelli spoke with Backstage Magazine on how puppetry can make you a better storyteller.

Their first solo venture, Say the Word, incorporates collage, mixed materials, and Novelli’s vocals in a short stop motion piece. It was developed as part of Kerrigan and Lowdermilk’s The Mad Ones Lab. Novelli is proficient in hand/rod/glove, toy theater, object, and has a soft spot for shadow puppetry. They enjoy dropping eye bombs wherever they go.