‘Home on the Stone’s’ Puppet Musical Satire

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Photo courtesy of Matt Runquist

Home on the Stone Flyer - Amorphic Beer

A digital flyer for 'Home on the Stone' at Amorphic Beer

The phantasmagorical world of Alex Pippen, collector of collections, is the premise of Home on the Stone, an original puppet musical and satirization of popular Wisconsin tourist attraction The House on the Rock. Written by artist and musician Amy Runquist, the story follows two friends, Hari and Penny, who take twists and turns through a magical realm inhabited by toys, demons and carousels. Staged readings of Home on the Stone, presented by Tiny Thunder Puppetry, take place at Riverwest’s Amorphic Beer (3700 N. Fratney St.) on Saturday, July 26 and Wednesday, August 6, both at 7 p.m. and free to the public.

Runquist describes Home on the Stone as a funny, light-hearted show that makes several serious points. “What I ended up writing was as close to how I could explain how I feel when I’m inside the House. It is a combination of loving it, hating it, feeling inspired and wanting to shower.”

The musical’s storyline balances silliness with sincerity. Local theater talent and close friends of Runquist’s serve as the cast for the staged readings. Home on the Stone took Runquist about eight months to write, with each scene taking place in a different room of the attraction. “Some scenes wrote themselves very quickly and very easily,” she remarks. “Part of what I picked and chose had to do with what would be fun on stage, and what people are not expecting to see at a puppet show.”

Handmade Puppets

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Photo courtesy of Matt Runquist

Amy Runquist with Alex Pippen (Puppet)

Amy Runquist holds the puppet, Alex Pippen

Each foam puppet in Home on the Stone is handmade by Runquist from repurposed materials. She also utilizes additional props sourced from thrift stores, plus there will be a hand-built mini-carousel. The musical features an original score composed by Drew Prusko of musical project Orange Drink.

“I wrote lyrics to these songs with very little idea of what they sounded like,” Runquist recalls. “Then I went to Drew because I like the way his music is all over the place, and this thing that I’m writing is also all over the place. It’s been a really fun collaboration.”

Runquist, a Michigan native, studied theater in high school and college. After graduating, she traveled with several children’s theater companies, one of which incorporated puppetry. While in an upstate New York trade program, Runquist learned to paint backdrops and scenery for theater, which she then did professionally for 10 years. “That’s how I eventually ended up in Milwaukee,” she explains. “I came for a job and just stayed once I decided to leave theater. It was the first time I felt like I was home somewhere.”

Quirky Direction

Last summer, Runquist missed working with puppets, while also wanting to write her own puppet show. As she observed her visual art going into an increasingly quirky direction, Runquist conceptualized Home on the Stone to engage with her growing fascination with The House on the Rock and its creator, Alex Jordan (who Alex Pippen is based on).

“The first time I went, I hated it,” Runquist remembers, laughing. “Last year, I went back, and I loved it the second time, while still also hating it the second time! There are parts of it that I think are absolutely brilliant and gorgeous, and then there's also a bunch of junk that I don’t get at all.”

She continues, “Any time you bring up The House on the Rock, people have very strong opinions. If they haven’t been and you try to explain it, words are not enough. If they have, then you can share in the weirdness.”

Runquist hopes to eventually build Home on the Stone into a full stage production, complete with sets and costumes, to debut in 2026. For starters, a mini version of The House on the Rock’s famous whale is in the works.

This article has been updated to reflect the shifted date of Home on the Stone. The first performance will take place Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m.