The reviews are in:
“Creative as hell.”
-Connie, an aunt
“Insightful and naturally playful.”
-Chio, a fellow puppeteer
“The passionate, playful, powerful matriarch of the industry…They are family – we’ve been artistic partners, administrative buddies, and fellow organizers. The only thing they’re not good at is making more time for kayaking.. but maybe that’s my fault.”
-Richie, a fellow theater maker
“Kim is super creative, brave, game for any adventure, open minded, and dedicated to family, friends and community.”
– Lori, an old pal
A multi-hyphenate creative in the Chicago performing arts ecosystem with a decade of experience, Kimzyn Campbell (they/them) is a creative (writer, puppeteer) who works as a theater critic and editor, working in a variety of media such as magazine, newspaper, social media, podcasts and books. Kimzyn served as a copywriter for Paramount and Copley Theatres, and as chief editor at CircusTalk and American Circus Educators. They work as communications manager for Physical Theater Festival Chicago and as Communications Director for Rough House Puppet Arts.
Kimzyn has performed in storytelling hours and at puppet slams, such as Puppet Queers, Shoestring Puppets, Nasty, Brutish and Short, with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Stop Motion Plant and with Seabeast Puppet Company. Kimzyn was a playwright in the Theatre L’Acadie 2025 cohort. They are a member of the American Theater Critics Association and the Association of LGBTQ+ journalists. They have served on panels and competition juries in the role of editor, juror and critic.
Performance & Productions
Current or Up Next:
February
Spare Parts 24 – Hour DIY Playfest, playwright
April
Alice Gerstenberg Festival Ubermarionetttes excerpt
April- October
Playwright residency at Puppet Studio
Previously…
- Performed duo act by Flora & Fauna at Rough House/Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival’s Nasty, Brutish & Short – Jan. 2026
- Performed Planteer at Stop Motion Plant & Community Garden – November, Dec 2025
- Playwright of Ubermarionettes, with Inc.Ubator Cohort 2025, Theatre L’Acadie with director Sivan Spector, and producer Erin Sheets.
- Playwright of 10-minute play Queer Nexus performed as staged reading at Steppenwolf’s Lookout as part of Trans Scribe: A New Works Festival – June 2025
- Performed at Arts in the Dark Parade with Rough House Theater – Fall 2025
- Performed at Seabeast Puppet Company Sexxy Slam – Summer 2025
- Performed They’re Made of Meat with The Bramble Family Band at Rough House/Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival’s Nasty, Brutish & Short – Jan. 2025
- Performed They’re Made of Meat with The Bramble Family Band at Shoestring Puppets Insane Puppet Posse – Winter 2024
- Performed solo act at PuppetQueers / Potential Energy – 2024
- Performed at Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival performance of Little Amal – 2023
- Artistic director Semi-Circus – 2018-2021
- Storytelling performances – 2016-2018
Arts Advocacy
Volunteer director of development, Dawn Theatre Project (2023-24)
Juror of Circus International Film Festival (2022)
Volunteer advocate at circus arts and arts organizations: Center for Contemporary Circus Arts (CCIAC), American Circus Alliance (ACA) advocacy committee member (2018-2022)
International Circus Awards voting committee member (2021)
Juror at Iberoamerican Circus Fest (FIRCO, 2019)
Special Interests
Volunteer with Canine Therapy Corps as one half of a therapy dog/human team.
Love to juggle, swim, drum, kayak, bike, knit, and learn new languages.
