River City Puppets is a new puppet theater founded by Dylan Shelton that blends the arts of puppetry and storytelling to captivate children and family audiences. Before launching River City Puppets, Dylan wrote and directed more than 30 children’s productions, performed thousands of puppet performances across 20 states and Canada, and taught puppetry, theatre, and acting from preschools through colleges and universities. Dylan also creates puppet theatre to be performed with symphony orchestras. He has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra,  Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and more. In 2022, Dylan performed a solo puppetry piece, Animist, conceived by Andy Gaukel. Animist was awarded a Henson Foundation grant and was performed for Puppetopia at Here Arts Center in New York City. Dylan is one of the lead puppeteers for $martpath, an Emmy Award winning web series for children. Dylan graduated from Wilmington College of Ohio with a BA in Theatre and received an MFA in Acting from Ohio University.

Sebastian Aracena is a dedicated flutist with six years of performance experience and four years of private study with Lindsay Bartlett. He has held principal positions in several distinguished ensembles, including the Nebraska Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra, the University of Nebraska Omaha BOCH Honor Band, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Winter Winds, the Kearney Honor Band, the Nebraska Wesleyan University Honor Band, and the Lincoln Youth Symphony. He has also been an active member of the music program at Lincoln High School and performs regularly with the local flute choir, Coro di Flauti. Sebastian’s musical training has taken him across Nebraska and throughout the country through festivals and summer programs. During the summer of 2025, he attended both the University of Nebraska Omaha BOCH Chamber Music Institute and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. In the summer of 2026, he will return for a second year to the UNO BOCH Chamber Music Institute and attend the Brevard Music Center Orchestral Program. He has earned superior ratings at competitions throughout Nebraska, including the Lincoln Music Teachers Association Music Festival, Nebraska Music Teachers Association Music Festival, Lincoln Solo and Small Ensemble Contest, and the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition. Sebastian was also named a winner of the Orchestra Omaha Youth Artist Competition, the Lincoln Youth Symphony Senior Concerto Competition, and the Lincoln High School Concerto Competition. Sebastian has participated in lessons and masterclasses with internationally recognized flutists. As of the Fall of 2026, his is pursuing a degree in flute performance under Professor Alexa Still at the Oberlin Conservatory.