Wayang Katalistrik (Electric Wampus Cat Shadow Puppet Show) is a shadow puppet epic created by Nyssa Collins and Jonathan Adams and I Putu Gede Sukaryana (Balot) of Insitu Recordings. It tells the story of the Wampus Cat, an Appalachian cryptid, through the deep history of eastern Tennessee beginning in the pre-human Pleistocene up to modernity when electricity arrives to the region by way of the TVA. The show explores the double edged sword of technology and progress, which brings stability to our lives but devalues premodern myth and intuition, and alienates us from the natural world as a vibrant life force, rather than just a commodity. Using both western and Indonesian instruments and puppetry styles, it also considers our modern world that is defined by global trade and cultural exchange. It also explores the tension between western/American individualism with a more collective approach.
This project was initially performed at the Knoxville Museum of Art in May 2025. A new version, with a score written by Jonathan and Balot was performed in June 2026 as part of the Knoxville Community Media 50th Anniversary Celebration. Musicians included Julia Larocque, Michael Wiley, Laura Crowe, Eli Atkin, and Carrie Bass-Callahan, and puppeteers included Ashlee Mays, Lindsay Skvarek, and Joshua Whitaker.
Puppetry for the 2026 version of this project was generously funded by a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation.
photo by Misha Shulga
photo by Misha Shulga
Photos and footage of performance of 2025 performance (above) by Kai Mote