Theater, Ed. 1 is a modular stage designed for participatory play and evolving narrative. Built at Maileg mouse scale, the structure measures 24 × 24 × 12 ¾ inches and is constructed entirely by hand from plywood, basswood, and individually laid coffee stirrers forming the floor. The painted wall panels, rendered in gouache, are removable and replaceable, allowing new sets to be introduced over time. The ballet studio is intentionally divided into two sides, creating distinct but equal spaces allowing separate worlds to emerge within the same structure, giving each participant a place that is fully theirs while remaining part of a shared environment. Each surface carries the marks of its making: hand-cut edges, subtle irregularities, and layered brushwork that reject mechanical precision in favor of warmth, touch, and imperfection.

This theater is the first in an ongoing series, with future editions intended to grow in complexity and imagination. I hope that over time my daughters will participate directly in the design and authorship of new sets, contributing their own ideas, drawings, and worlds to the evolving structure. Conceived as both heirloom object and creative instrument, the theatre invites continual reinterpretation. It is not a fixed toy but an evolving stage—one that grows alongside its participants and preserves the stories enacted within it.