Segal Summer Interns Design Puppet Theater for Cook County Jail
Design project provides joyful learning space for youth visitors at the jail
When Vicky Laguerre (MaDE ’26) turned on "Hakuna Matata" in the Prototyping and Fabrication Lab at the Segal Design Institute, her fellow summer interns lit up with laughter. This group knows how to have fun, and that playful quality served them well last summer.
As part of the Segal Summer Internship program at Northwestern University’s Segal Design Institute, the team of seven undergraduate students tackled a challenging and impactful project: designing and building a puppet theater for children visiting loved ones at the Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDOC).
The puppet theater project addresses a critical need at the CCDOC. Hundreds of adult visitors and many small children access the facility weekly, and experts have recognized concern about such a visit’s potential for traumatic experiences, particularly for young children.
The project aims to transform this environment by creating a space dedicated to joy and learning. Now in use as two sets in the facility's lobby/waiting area and gym, the puppet theaters have become popular spaces for children visiting the CCDOC.
From vision to reality
The origins of the project grew from a story of mentorship and legacy. Elizabeth (Liz) McChesney, former director of children's services at Chicago Public Library, wanted to honor her late mentee, Becca Ruidl. A librarian who died in 2022 from COVID-19 at the age of 34, Ruidl dreamed of creating literacy spaces for children of incarcerated individuals at the CCDOC.
McChesney brought this vision to life by working with CCDOC assistant executive director Ron Howard to establish a reading nook called Becca's Place in the jail's visitation center. Inspired by the impact of Becca’s Place, McChesney sought to expand the initiative. She collaborated with Marilyn Price, a puppeteer and partner at TriBraining Inc., a nonprofit that provides education and support to educators, to fund a puppet theater for the jail's gym visitation center.
To bring the project to fruition, McChesney reached out to her design network. Cindy Wells, program coordinator at the Segal Design Institute, connected her with professor David Gatchell, director of the Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE) program and the Segal summer internship program. Seeing the potential for students to tackle a meaningful challenge, Gatchell incorporated the project into the internship program, allowing students to sign up and form a team.
"This puppet theater project combines technical design skills with a profound social purpose,” Gatchell said. “It's a prime example of how design can be a powerful tool for positive change."
Creating a child-friendly space
The interns — Dalia Diab (BS ’26), Deniz Yoruk (BS ’25), Isabel Pitcher (BS ’25), Felipe Reis Maccari (BS ’26), Taewon Yoon (BS ’26), Aiden McCoy (BS ’26), and Laguerre — embraced the opportunity wholeheartedly, diving deep into the project's context and requirements.
They conducted research on early childhood development to better understand a childhood audience. They visited the Harold Washington Library puppet theater to study its design and functionality. They also met with representatives at the Cook County Sheriff's Office to understand the specific needs and constraints of the environment where the puppet theater would be used, including the CCDOC’s requirement for no metal screws and the need for portability.
McChesney said she was particularly moved by the interns' respectful and empathetic approach during their visit to the CCDOC.
"They went into a space that can be off-putting and scary, and they were so respectful and kind and genuine," McChesney said. "They considered what it would be like to be a tiny kid in a situation that can be sad and even sometimes shameful. I saw them become really loyal to children."
The students also worked with Price to understand the educational value of puppetry.
"Puppets do way more than just tell stories,” Price said. “They engage the audience, and they engage the users of the puppets. So, the children will be playing and learning. Because this is more about learning than just playing."
Engineering a puppet theater
The resulting puppet theater is a testament to the interns' innovative thinking, empathy, and attention to detail. With the help of Gatchell, clinical professor Dan Brown – who co-directs the internship program with Gatchell, and prototyping specialists in the Shop, they worked throughout the summer to create a modular theater featuring a puppet-making station, red velvet curtain, crawling areas, a modular gear section, and an abacus, among other interactive elements.
“I think we were working with some limitations just by the nature of where this puppet theater is going,” Maccari said. “We had a sketching session where we came in with more than a hundred drawings, and I think everyone was feeling a little overwhelmed and asked how on earth are we going to do this. But it honestly worked out really well and every piece of this project has a little bit of everything that we wanted to incorporate.”
Children engaging with the puppet theater will have the opportunity to create their own puppets using white mittens and colored markers. This approach allows the youth visitors to exercise their creativity by designing unique characters and taking ownership of both the storytelling process and the characters they bring to life.
“We wanted to make the children’s experience a little bit easier and reduce some of the trauma that's associated with going to visit a loved one who is in jail,” Diab said. “We're hoping to bring in a little joy and creative play into a really difficult situation and also help them tell their stories through puppetry.”
Price, a global puppet performer, emphasized that while the project has been enjoyable for the students, they also grasp its deeper significance, particularly its connection to social justice issues.
“I am really proud of the whole project,” Price said. “It gives me a lot of hope for the future."