Grayson Morris

I am a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. I initially got into performance through puppetry, but quickly expanded my scope to include stand up comedy, experimental theater, immersive theater and, most recently, clown.

I received my education in puppetry from national conferences, mentors, and through creating and performing my original work. I also learned a lot about puppetry and theater concepts through my physical theater training. I have worked as a puppet fabricator and ensemble member, been commissioned to design and build pieces for theater companies, and received grants to build puppets and to teach as an artist-in-residence. I am co-founder of Street Creature Giant Puppet Collective in Asheville, North Carolina, which empowers community members to build their own giant puppets for parades, performances and protests.

In 2015 I produced and toured nationally with my solo show Am I a Grownup Yet? and I am currently developing a new solo show which includes clown, puppetry, and immersive elements. As a stand up comedian, I have appeared on Gotham Comedy Live, opened for Louis C.K and Maria Bamford, and appeared in numerous comedy festivals and shows nationwide. This summer in Los Angeles I devised, produced, and performed with the award winning bouffon show, Mil Grus, at The Hollywood Fringe Festival, and we were selected to appear at The Soho Playhouse for the international Fringe Encore Series this fall.

In 2016 I founded emersion, a multidisciplinary immersive theater series, with which I have produced six shows to date. It began in my home in Asheville, North Carolina, where each room was a different “world” of installation and performance art for the audience to journey through. It has since taken place at other sites around town and in the woods. This ongoing project has created an avenue for me to enact the many strange ideas that come to me about experiences I want to provide for an audience. My artwork is experiential and experimental: I have audience members crawl through tunnels, make prolonged eye contact, play games, sit in complete darkness, reveal things about their lives, solve puzzles, and interact with each other.

I like to push the audience's boundaries, but I also use elements of fun in my work. This combination of harshness and play reflects my interest in childhood feelings— innocent, cozy joy juxtaposed against dark truths about the world. My work with emersion is characterized by its being immersive, interactive, intimate, surprising, challenging, and playful.