The Magic City *

Manual Cinema

Photo by: Chuck Osgood

Chicago Children’s Theatre
100 S. Racine
Chicago, IL
chicagochildrenstheatre.org/event/manual-cinemas-the-magic-city/

Philomena and her big sister Helen love building miniature cities out of books, toys, and household objects. When Helen begins seeing a new boyfriend, Brandon, Philomena’s world falls apart. Even worse, she’s expected to make friends with Brandon’s son, Lucas: the most annoying boy in the world. Forced to share her perfect life with Helen, Philomena retreats into building the biggest tiny city ever: a magic city only for her. Then, one night, Philomena’s city of found objects comes to life, and she finds herself trapped inside. Will Philomena find her way out—and will she let her new family in? Brought to life through Manual Cinema's magical fusion of actors, puppets, miniatures, and live music, The Magic City encourages us to build bridges rather than walls.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2017)

January 25 - February 16, 2025
See website for performance times
Additional Dates:
March 1 - Costa Mesa, CA

$35.25 - $45.25

MAROONED! A Space Comedy * - FAMILY

Alex and Olmsted

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/marooned/

MAROONED! A Space Comedy is an innovative sci-fi puppet show, featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, that takes place at the outer reaches of space. An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet. Will she be able to survive strange creatures, anomalous atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in MAROONED!

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant (2020)

March 6 - 16, 2025
Additional Dates:
May 3-4, 2025 - The Kennedy Center (Washington DC)

$22.50 for non-members / $19.10 for members

Song of the North *

Hamid Rahmanian

Various Venues
https://www.kingorama.com/song-of-the-north

Song of the North is a large-scale, cinematic performance combining the manual art of shadow puppetry with projected animation to tell the courageous tale of Manijeh, a heroine from ancient Persia, who must use all her strengths and talents to rescue her beloved, Bijan, from a perilous predicament of her own making and help prevent a war. This epic love story employs a cast of 483 handmade puppets and a talented ensemble of nine actors and puppeteers, all of which come together to create a spectacular experience that advances the themes of unity, collaboration, and experimentation through performance and story. Song of the North, adapted from the Book of Kings (Shahnameh), challenges the Eurocentric worldview of art and storytelling through a contemporary multimedia experience of this classic Persian tale. (80 minutes)
* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2021)

January 29 - May 17, 2025
Locations:
January 29 - Lafayette College - Easton, PA
January 31 - Strathmore - Bethesda, MD
May 10 - Vancouver BC, Canada
May 14 - Nanaimo BC, Canada
May 17 - Seattle, WA

See Website for Details

The Amazing Story Machine * - Doppelskope / Sandglass Theater

Sandglass Theater's Winter Sunshine Series

Photo by: Courtesy of Doppelskope

Sandglass Theater
17 Kimball Hill
Putney, VT
https://sandglasstheater.org/special-events//winter-sunshine-series

Created by Ora Fruchter and Stoph Scheer
The Grimm family is on the verge of unveiling their amazing new Story Machine, which runs on steam and dreams and promises to revolutionize how stories are told and how people connect. When their fabulous contraption malfunctions, they have to invent a new way of storytelling on the spot, using puppets and help from the audience.

The Grimms explore some of their favorite fairy tales, including The Hare and the Hedgehog, Hansel and Gretel, and The Brave Little Tailor. Performed by Stoph Scheer, Shoshana Bass and Mackenzie Doss.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant (2018)

February 15, 2025
11am & 2pm

$8 - $12

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster

Manual Cinema

Photo by: Rebecca J Michelson

Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company
2400 3rd Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/leonardo/

Leonardo is a terrible monster. He tries so hard to be scary, but he just… isn’t. Then Leonardo finds Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the world. Will Leonardo finally get to scare the tuna salad out of someone? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship? The plot thickens when this pair meets Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat and her monster friend. Kerry and Sam need to make a big decision: will they just be scaredy cats or can they become friends?

January 8 - March 9, 2025
See website for performance times

Starting from $15

Something to Crow About

Bob Baker Marionette Theater

Bob Baker Marionette Theater
4949 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
ci.ovationtix.com/35787/production/1224523?performanceId=11570711

Something to Crow About is the ORIGINAL Bob Baker Spectacular, originating in 1959 when the theater was just a glint in Bob Baker’s eye. Enter through our red barn doors to delight in this historic and revitalized show—the scope of a Broadway musical plus the wonderland touch of Hollywood. Welcome to Something to Crow About!

January 18 - March 30, 2025
Fridays at 7:30pm
Saturdays at 4:30pm
Sundays at 10:30am and 1pm

$25

Rainforest Adventures - FAMILY

Written by Jon Ludwig, Stephanie Kaskel Bogel, and Raylynn Hughes

Photo by: Clay Walker

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring Street NW
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/rainforest-adventures/

Anacondas, howler monkeys, and sloths — oh my! It’s a jungle out there in this entertaining and enlightening peek at the amazing Amazonian rainforest

January 29 - March 2, 2025
see website for dates and times

$22.75 for non-members / $20.50 for members

Lisa The Wise - Puppet Motion/Sarah Nolen

Sandglass Theater's Winter Sunshine Series

Photo by: Sarah Nolen

Sandglass Theater
17 Kimball Hill
Putney, VT
https://sandglasstheater.org/special-events//winter-sunshine-series

The 18th season of Southern Vermont’s favorite winter puppet program is back in February 2025! Dedicated to serving children, families and teachers through the art of puppetry, Sandglass presents a different live puppetry performance every Saturday throughout the month. When Lisa, a brave young girl with a heart of gold, meets Baba Yaga, the most famous witch in the woods, an epic battle of wits ensues. Dancing houses, enchanted dolls, and hilarious "ghost servants" bring this classic Russian fairy tale to life with a contemporary twist. Imaginative shadow puppetry lights the way in this hilariously spooky story about the experiences that make us wise.

February 8, 2025
11am & 2pm

$8 - $12

The Monkey and the Pirate

Great Arizona Puppet Theater

Great Arizona Puppet Theater
302 W Latham St
Phoenix, AZ
https://greatarizonapuppettheater.thundertix.com/

A monkey, a pirate, and a valuable banana treasure all add up to plenty of hilarious fun in this rollicking and rambunctious original show.

February 13 - March 9, 2025
Thursday & Friday at 10am
Saturday at 10am and 2pm
Sunday at 2pm

$15

Le Cabaret de Marionettes

Great Arizona Puppet Theater

Great Arizona Puppet Theater
302 W Latham St
Phoenix, AZ
https://greatarizonapuppettheater.thundertix.com/

This Valentine's Day weekend, prepare to be whisked away to a world where whimsy meets wonder, and puppetry dances with the allure of cabaret! Including artistic guest acts such as Todd Bailey's Troubadour Cafe and Rasputin's Marionettes, this unforgettable evening show is perfect for a romantic date, a unique outing with friends, or an escape into theatrical splendor.

February 14 - 15, 2025
Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 6pm and 8pm

$30

Jack and the Beanstalk

Nappy's Puppets

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry Theater
1 Royce Circle
Storrs, CT
https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/bimp-0/beanstalk

Though English in origin, Jack has become a true American folk hero. Jack and the Beanstalk by Nappy’s Puppets focuses on Jack and his many adventures; from Jack be Nimble, Jack Horner, and Big Jack and Little Jack, to the popular Jack and the Beanstalk. Based on Appalachian folk tales collected by Richard Chase, Jack and the Beanstalk utilizes the ancient art of shadow puppetry in a new and innovative way. With songs and stories and well over 80 handcrafted shadow puppets, Nappy's Jack and the Beanstalk is sure to delight young and old.

February 15, 2025
11am and 2pm

$12

An Evening with Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop

Mallory Lewis

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/an-evening-with-mallory-lewis-and-lamb-chop/

Mallory Lewis, daughter of Shari Lewis has been performing with her mother’s iconic puppet since Shari’s passing in 1998. This year, Mallory and Lamb Chop are debuting their new ADULT-ORIENTED stage show, Lamb Chop After Dark which incorporates music, adult topical comedy, dancing, audience participation (and more) with curated stories and never-before-seen footage of Shari and Lamb Chop through their 6-decade career.

February 16, 2025
7PM

$20

Punschi - Sandglass Theater

Sandglass Theater's Winter Sunshine Series

Photo by: Sandglass Theater

Sandglass Theater
17 Kimball Hill
Putney, VT
https://sandglasstheater.org/special-events//winter-sunshine-series

The 18th season of Southern Vermont’s favorite winter puppet program is back in February 2025! Dedicated to serving children, families and teachers through the art of puppetry, Sandglass presents a different live puppetry performance every Saturday throughout the month. Originally created by Sandglass’ Co-Founder, Ines Zeller Bass, now performed by her daughter, Jana Zeller, Punschi offers a double feature hand puppet show with a special guest appearance of a classic Sandglass character. Meet Kasper, an iconic German children’s hero, and his friend Augustin as they go on adventures together in Kasper and the Cow and The Surprise. Follow them in their journeys with a suitcase and tiny airplanes in this call-and-response adventure!

February 22, 2025
11am & 2pm

$8 - $12

Galapagos George, The Little Tortoise that Could - FAMILY

Barefoot Puppets of Richmond, VA

Center For Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/galapagos-george-the-little-tortoise-that-could/

Discover the Uplifting tale of 'Lonesome George,' the Last of his Kind. Journey to the far-off Galapagos Islands to meet George, the last tortoise of his kind. This uplifting eco-fable tells the true story of the famous, not-so-little tortoise and the island he calls home. Puppetry Style: Rod, Tabletop, Shadow. Create-A-Puppet Workshop™: Terrific Tortoise Rod Puppet

March 5 - 16, 2025
Wed-Fri(10:00am, 11:30am), Sat(11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm), Sun(1:00pm, 3:00pm)

$20.50 - $22.75

STAND BY — an allegory

Corningworks in collaboration with puppeteer TOM LEE

Photo by: Frank Walsh

Carnegie Stage
25 West Main Street
Carnegie, PA
corningworks.org

STAND BY — an allegory,
a multidisciplinary dancetheater production created in collaboration with renowned puppeteer TOM LEE and CORNINGWORKS, a critically acclaimed dance theater company. Offering a whimsical glimpse into human’s inability to recognize our own mortality — not so much about death or grief or even loss, as about the mysterious and magical continuity of life.

Critically acclaimed Puppeteer TOM LEE brings his practice and expertise of the centuries old Japanese style of Kuruma Ningyo (Cart Puppetry), rarely seen in the US, where the puppeteer sits on a small moveable “cart” singularly manipulating a large puppet attached to one’s body. Lee will create and perform with a 4-foot tall puppet specifically designed for this production, along with 5 nationally & internationally renowned dancers. Combined with Corning’s cache of stunning, critically acclaimed choreography, this new work promises audiences a fresh and provocative theatrical experience.

March 28 - April 6, 2025
MARCH
Fri 28, Sat. 29 @8pm
Sun 30 @ 2pm PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN admission Available ONLY at DOOR
regular reserved tickets available online / or at BOX OFFICE
APRIL
Wed. 2, Thu 3, Fri 4, Sat 5 @8pm
Sun 6 @2pm

$35 - $40

Cat in the Hat - FAMILY

Based on the book by Dr. Seuss

Center For Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring Street at 18th Street
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/cat-in-the-hat/

See Cat in the Hat like you haven't before! Play originally produced by the National Theater of Great Britain. Adapted and originally directed by Katie Mitchell. “It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how!” says the Cat in the tall red and white hat. See all your favorite moments from this literary classic come to life on stage! Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat is presented through a special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI

April 8 - May 25, 2025
April: Tues-Fri(10:00am, 12:00pm), Sat(11:00am & 1:00pm), Sun(1:00pm, 3:00pm)
May: Wed-Fri(10:00am, 11:30am), Sat(11:00am & 1:00pm) Sun(1:00pm, 3:00pm)

$20.50 - $25.75

XPT: Xperimental Puppetry Theater

Center for Puppetry Arts, Various Artists

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/xpt-xperimental-puppet-theater/

What happens when artists join forces to create original puppetry works for adult audiences? XPT! Celebrating close to 40 years of experimentation, come find out what this year holds! From traditional forms of puppetry to films and installation pieces, artists of all disciplines employ puppetry in startling new ways. XPT offers an array of stories, puppetry styles, and sensibilities in a single evening. Guaranteed to inspire, surprise, amuse and provoke. Inspired? – see the XPT application to find out how to get involved in the process!

April 30 - May 4, 2025

$18

Frankenstein

Manual Cinema

Photo by: Manual Cinema

Montclair State University, Alexander Kasser Theater
1 Normal Ave Hall, Suite 171
Montclair, NJ
https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/Kasser/1631/event/1385764?eventidlist=1385764

Love, loss, and creation merge in unexpected ways as Manual Cinema presents its thrilling version of the classic Gothic tale Frankenstein. The Chicago-based performance collective imaginatively combines shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, sound effects, and live music in haunting shows like nothing else you’ve ever seen.

May 3, 2025
8:00pm

Starting at $35

Symphonie Fantastique * - Film

Basil Twist

Photo by: Richard Termine

HERE - URHERE, online
here.org/shows/symphonie-fantastique-urhere/

Twenty years ago in 1998, Basil Twist debuted his boundary-breaking response to Berlioz’s 1830 “Symphonie Fantastique” to universal acclaim. In this revival, accompanied live by virtuosic pianist, Christopher O’Riley, the exquisite Liszt transcription, Symphonie floats and swirls in a 1,000-gallon water tank neatly disguised as a puppet stage. For the many who never saw it, and for those who relish seeing it again and again, the return of this tour de force to HERE is the event of the season. Watch on-demand on URHERE.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (1998) and Workshop Grant (1996)

Available on-demand on URHERE

9000 Paper Balloons * - Film

Maiko Kikuchi & Spencer Lott

Photo by: Richard Termine

HERE - URHERE, online
here.org/shows/9000-paper-balloons-urhere/

Inspired by the stranger-than-fiction secret weapons that floated over America during World War II, 9000 Paper Balloons is a poetic and eerie performance that examines distance – the distance between two friends, between two enemies, two cultures and two generations. Japanese artist Maiko Kikuchi and American puppeteer Spencer Lott blend puppetry, animation and mask as they weave their own family histories into a surreal and visually stunning collage that speaks to the past and the future. 9000 Paper Balloons is available on demand on URHERE, a one-of-a-kind, rigorously curated virtual platform for outdoor and digital premieres. URHERE aims to occupy an important part of the art ecosystem which nurtures experimentation, sparks dialogue, and creates engagement with the local community.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2020) and Workshop Grant (2019)

Available on-demand on URHERE

The Fortune Teller * - Film

by Phantom Limb Company | Jessica Grindstaff and Erik Sanko With Music by Danny Elfman

HERE - URHERE, online
https://here.org/shows/urhere/

Seven strangers’ twisted tales are brought to life in this marionette play and woven with haunting music to tell an eerily comic story of fate and fortune. On a dark night, the strangers are invited to the mansion of a deceased millionaire, and learn that their inheritances will be based not on a will, but on the readings of a fortune teller. Each soon meets a gruesome end in this production developed through HERE’s Dream Music puppetry program. The Fortune Teller played at HERE November 28 - December 4, 2010. The Fortune Teller is available on demand on URHERE, a one-of-a-kind, rigorously curated virtual platform for outdoor and digital premieres. URHERE aims to occupy an important part of the art ecosystem which nurtures experimentation, sparks dialogue, and creates engagement with the local community.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2006)

Available on-demand on URHERE

The Scarlet Ibis - Film

Beth Morrison Projects

HERE - URHERE, online
urhere.art/archive/ibis

The Scarlet Ibis is an opera about family, illness, and the power of the imagination to soar above what’s considered “normal.” This world premiere by composer Stefan Weisman (Darkling) and librettist David Cote (Blind Injustice) fuses singers, puppetry, and multimedia stagecraft to tell the story of a remarkable disabled boy nicknamed “Doodle,” whose older brother pushes him to be like other kids. Set in rural North Carolina a century ago, The Scarlet Ibis contrasts notions of physical wholeness with mystical otherness The narrative (inspired by the short story by James Hurst) draws on elements of Southern Gothic, boy’s adventure, and domestic tragedy. Mallory Catlett directs; Steven Osgood (Dead Man Walking, Metropolitan Opera) conducts the American Modern Ensemble. For audiences 10 and up. The Scarlet Ibis was a part of the 2015 PROTOTYPE Festival, co-produced with Beth Morrison Projects

Available on-demand on URHERE

Spirited Away (Live on Stage) - Film

Based on the animated feature film by Hayao Miyazaki

On Demand
gkids.com/films/spirited-away-live-on-stage/#watch-now

Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award®-winning animated feature film comes to life in this first-ever stage adaptation, full of dazzling sets, captivating musical numbers, and wondrous puppets of beloved characters. Adapted and directed by Tony Award®-winner John Caird (Les Misérables), two unique casts and performances were filmed during the show’s acclaimed 2022 run at Tokyo’s historic Imperial Theatre, featuring Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro.

Send for the Million Men * - Film

Joseph Silovsky

HERE - URHERE, online
urhere.art/archive/sftmm

The “crime of the century” of the 1920s jolts to life in modern-day New York City in Joseph Silovsky’s micro-history multimedia tale, Send for the Million Men. With a compelling command of animatronics, robotics, puppetry, and handmade projectors, Silovsky examines the controversial executions of notorious anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti. Their bleak fates intertwine with Silovsky’s own micro-tragic biography in a humorous and captivating history-rethink.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2010) and Workshop Grant (2009)

Available on-demand on URHERE