Narcissus blossoms, tasty dim sum dishes, bowing to elders and lucky red envelopes filled with money encompass puppeteer Tom Lee’s memories of celebrating Lunar New Year when he was growing up. Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Mililani, Hawai’i, Tom Lee is a director, designer and puppet artist based in New York & Chicago. His original works include Shank’s Mare (performed in the DFT in 2017).

He has collaborated extensively with other puppetry companies, including War Horse by the Handspring Puppet Company and Dan Hurlin’s Obie-award-winning Hiroshima Maiden and Disfarmer. In The Great Zodiac Animal Race—a live-streaming puppet show that will be projected on the DFT's giant screen—Lee retells the classic tale with shadow puppet animals inspired by Asian languages and pictograms in a film suitable for all ages. (50 minutes)