Lea:

My tiny mail project began in 2008 when I sewed myself a faux postal uniform, set up my tiny roaming post office around the Bay Area, and transcribed tiny letters for passersby. Since then, I have sent over 50,000 tiny letters and packages, charming people all over the world. A decade of tiny mail has now become a quirky new brick and mortar storefront in Downtown Oakland. Not only can people visit to send tiny mail to loved ones, but they can also enjoy a series of PO box adventures, peek into a mail slot diorama, receive a treat from a hot air balloon on a pulley, and… we hope… enjoy a puppet show in the window of our early-1900s oak post office counter!

I’d like to found “The Little Theater at the WSPS,” and host a series of shows in the years to come. I envision puppet shows for all ages that explore the history and joy of mail. I would like to host William Lewis as my first puppeteer in residence! Not only would William compose and perform our first show, but he would also serve as consultant for the creation of our little theater itself, imparting his expertise in theatrical design and construction.

William:

From the time I was two years old, puppetry has been a large part of my life. I started making puppets as soon as I could hold a writing implement and jab at a sheet of construction paper. When Lea Redmond reached out to me to ask if I might be interested in building a puppet show for the World’s Smallest Post Service, I was instantly intrigued and excited. I knew that I had to say yes.

I have already begun work on the puppets themselves. For the grand opening of the Post Office in February, I have built a puppet of a rosy-cheeked elderly mailman, who will attempt to capture a letter that has sprouted wings in a comical style to the tune of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances. I craft each puppet in my distinctly obsessive-compulsive manner. Each head I sculpt must be perfectly symmetrical and waterproof, and the figures must be durable and elegant.