Who takes the lead in the new ‘Odyssey’ retelling? Your creativity.

Kate Brehm crouched behind a backlit screen in a Loeb Drama Center rehearsal area, manipulating a shadow puppet of Penelope from Homer’s “Odyssey.” Brehm and puppeteer Abigail Baird were strategizing the required movements to ensure a distinct silhouette of the puppet during a moment in the A.R.T.’s fresh stage interpretation of the epic narrative.

“Part of puppetry’s artistry lies in providing just sufficient details, but not everything, so that the negative space can be used to invite the audience’s interpretation,” explained Brehm, the puppetry director and designer for “The Odyssey,” which premieres at the American Repertory Theater on Feb. 18.

“Puppets are somewhat of a blank canvas, which occasionally fosters greater emotional connection with the audience. I am thrilled about what the audience can conjure up, as their imagination often surpasses anything I could create.”

The trickery involved in shadow puppetry aligns seamlessly with a performance that contemplates the myths of heroism crafted through narrative, stated Brehm, a lecturer in Physical Theater within the FAS’ Theater, Dance & Media program.

Crafted by Kate Hamill and directed by Shana Cooper, the adaptation reinterprets the tales of Odysseus (portrayed by Wayne T. Carr) and his spouse, Penelope (Andrus Nichols), focusing on themes of healing and reconciliation as means to break cycles of aggression and vengeance. While most of the play features live performers, puppets are incorporated in several pivotal sequences.

“I am fascinated by the non-verbal cues that are expressed through puppetry,” remarked Brehm, who has directed, designed, and performed in puppetry and experimental theater for over two decades. “Difficult narratives, like this rendition of ‘The Odyssey,’ can be powerfully conveyed. It seems fitting to portray these challenging concepts through something beyond human representation.”

Consider the moment when Penelope recounts to her son Telemachus (Carlo Albán) the story of his father’s departure. Up to five ensemble members are managing puppets behind the screen, including Nichols and Albán, who are puppeteering while narrating the tale. The actors have to contemplate their puppets’ positions on the screen, how their shadows’ dimensions shift with their distance from the light source, as well as the sentiments expressed through their motions.

“It’s akin to choreography,” stated Brehm, who is instructing a course titled “Puppet Theater” this semester. “There are two performances happening concurrently. One is the presentation the audience perceives on the puppet screen, and the other is the choreography of the actors and puppeteers behind the curtain, precisely positioning and placing puppets.”

Brehm employs a distinct illusion to depict the Cyclops’ eye, which makes an appearance when the massive Polyphemus (Jason O’Connell) seizes Odysseus and his crew. In contrast to the handheld shadow puppets, Polyphemus is projected using an overhead device. Brehm and puppeteer Sarah Nolen from Waltham designed three layers of plexiglass above the projector allowing them to control the eyelid to simulate it opening and closing. The eye, which Baird operates alongside another puppeteer, must synchronize with O’Connell’s performance.

“You must synchronize your breathing and anticipate each other, becoming familiar with the other performers,” Baird noted, drawing a parallel to being part of an orchestra.

Brehm collaborated with Nolen to conceptualize and craft the puppets. These handheld shadow puppets, measuring about a foot, are constructed from a mix of thin plywood, styrene, and acrylic, with some featuring movable joints made of wire.

Brehm envisions her puppetry contributions as just one segment of the comprehensive “puzzle” of the production, which she describes as “truly epic.”

“What I aspire the audience to grasp from this performance is a broader understanding of the narratives we construct,” Brehm explained. “Our ability to devise and reshape them within our families and communities. We possess the capacity to narrate our own tales.”