The History of Ancient Egypt (Detail)

Tabletop puppet theatre used in live performances for Quintron & Miss Pussycat tour.

New Orleans-based artist Miss Pussycat was introduced to puppetry as a teenager growing up in Oklahoma. Puppetry, she says, combines all her favorite things: music, storytelling, and costume design. For the past 25 years, Miss Pussycat has used the art form to tell stories in a parallel universe modelled after her neighborhood, often performing live alongside her partner Quintron. Miss Pussycat created The History of Ancient Egypt for the 2019 Gonerfest in Memphis, TN. The show tells the titillating and dramatic story of Cleopatra. The main characters stand ready in front of the tabletop theatre: Pompey, Octavian, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Marc Antony, the asp, Ptolemy XIII, and the Golden Eagle Standard. A jig-doll depicting Cleopatra after her transformation hangs above the tableau.