T-Rex Took My Toothbrush

Mike Horner/What iF Puppets

Photo by: Ashley Vogel

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St. NW
Atlanta, GA
https://puppet.org/programs/t-rex-took-my-toothbrush/

This is the story of Mr. Greene, a paleontologist who finds a dinosaur egg on a fossil dig. Upon the egg’s hatching, Mr. Greene becomes the surrogate parent to a baby T-Rex! Soon, he and his dinosaur ward are negotiating bedtimes, testing each other’s boundaries, and ultimately finding joy in their oddball little family.

June 3 - 14, 2026
Wednesday-Friday 10am and 12pm
Saturday 11am, 1pm and 3pm
Sunday 1pm and 3pm

$25.00 for non-members, $22.50 for members

William PK Carter's Beautiful Without Consequence

William PK Carter

Mayo Street Arts
10 Mayo Street
Portland, ME
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mayostreetarts/2102413/r/jim

Beautiful Without Consequence is a fantastical puppet performance about removing the prey mentality from the Queer Black identity and founding community in its absence. Mimicking the life cycle of a butterfly, this show follows the main character as they change through many physical forms in search of an existence outside of the grasp of their oppressors- liberating their body and mind alike. Exploring themes of yearning, belonging, internalized homophobia/racism, and self-image, Beautiful Without Consequence forges an intimate connection between the viewer and the material and invites all to release the harmful expectations that they uphold within themselves and become more engaged within their own communities.

June 6, 2026
7:00 PM

$20 GA / $30 Preferred Seating

Echo - FILM

Zero Untitled Productions

Viewable on Youtube. https://youtu.be/tB71rlrAcAU?si=z5XgCJAd7Zkg8we1
Online
Kingsville, TX
www.zerountitled.com

Zero Untitled’s official submission to the “2026 Water, TX Film Festival” is a bleak work called “Echo”, written by Katherine Orozco-Verderber, conceived and directed by Michael Verderber, with the Director of Photography, Julio Martinez. All entrants to the festival should have a heavy focus on “water” as a topic in the film submission. ZU is going the ironic route.

Utilizing the bunraku puppeteering skills of Dakota West, Martinez, and Verderber, the short film focuses on a crane searching his habitat for something edible in the water. Only problem – there is no water left. The film is a scathing indictment on water issues arising in south Texas, as well as mankind’s negative effect on animal habitats.

March 31 - June 1, 2026
Available for viewing on Youtube: https://youtu.be/tB71rlrAcAU?si=z5XgCJAd7Zkg8we1

FREE to View

Workshop: Everything is Puppets, an Intro to Puppetry & Found Object

Rough House Puppet Arts

Online (Zoom)
Zoom Link to be emailed week of class.
Chicago, IL
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/roughhousetheaterco/2153870

Everything is Puppets! An Intro to Puppetry & Found Object
Led by: Felix
Where: Online (Zoom)
When: Sunday, May. 31 @ 6pm - 8pm CT, optional Q&A to follow 8pm - 9pm CT
EVERYTHING IS PUPPETS! Your wallet? PUPPET. Coffee cup? PUPPET? Computer mouse? DEFINITELY A PUPPET. If you've ever wondered how puppeteers come up with their wildest ideas or ever wanted to learn the foundational skills to animate a puppet, this is the workshop for you. Using objects found in your home we will explore what a puppet can be and how you bring it to LIFE.
This a workshop for those with no experience in puppetry, movement artists looking for a fresh perspective, folks who want to recapture their sense of play, and everyone in between!
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A multi-hyphenate creator in Chicago. Felix’s work balances innocence and horror to create characters and narratives that feel both human and otherworldly. Sharing their experiences of being brown in America, mental illness, trans queerness, and grief keeps their work unique and relatable.

May 31, 2026
May. 31 @ 6pm - 8pm CT, optional Q&A to follow 8pm - 9pm CT

Sliding scale $0-70 ($30 suggested, scholarships available)

The 4th Witch

Manual Cinema

Oz Arts
6172 Cockrill Bend Cir
Nashville, TN
https://www.ozartsnashville.org/manual-cinema/

Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch is a fantastic new tale, inspired by elements of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which a girl escapes war and flees into a dark forest. Told through shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette and live music (without dialogue or narration), The 4th Witch begins on the eve of an invasion of a small town by the local warlord, Macbeth. The girl flees the invading army and escapes into the nearby forest. Orphaned and exiled, she is rescued by a witch, who adopts her as an apprentice. As she becomes more skilled in witchcraft, her grief and rage draw her into a nightmarish quest for vengeance against the warlord who killed her parents: Macbeth.
The 4th Witch, an inversion of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, explores themes of grief, war, generational conflict, and cycles of violence through the collateral damage left behind on the battleground.

June 4 - 6, 2026
Thursday, June 4, 2026 @ 8pm
Friday, June 5, 2026 @ 8pm
Saturday, June 6, 2026 @ 2pm
Saturday, June 6, 2026 @ 8pm

$35-$45

Frutos de la Muerte

Glass Half Full Theatre

Ground Floor Theater
979 Springdale Road, Suite 122
Austin TX 78702
Austin, TX
glasshalffulltheatre.com/frutos

A young Guatemalan woman, Ixq'anil, and her aunt Adela turn to fungi, science, and indigenous wisdom for guidance amid political turmoil in the US and Guatemala. Spectral figures emerge from the shadowy edges of their memories, brought to life by a skillful chorus of movement and puppetry artists.

Frutos de la Muerte takes an unconventional approach to finding a way through the darkness when we are feeling lost — drawing on mycology, curanderismo, and the quiet intelligence of things that grow in the dark.

This version builds on the company's work-in-progress showing at CRASHBOX, which delighted audiences for its fresh approach to a complex subject, its representations of Guatemalan culture, the cast's performances, and its luscious, mysterious designs.
About the work

To develop Frutos de la Muerte, the team worked with mycologist Jesús Garcia and accessed resources from the Benson Latin American Collection at UT Austin. That research was complemented by the company's devising approach — drawing from the Lecoq tradition — that emphasizes personal connection to the material.

Frutos builds on the success of acclaimed Glass Half Full shows, including The Orchid Flotilla, the multiple award-winning Yamel Cucuy, and the clever bilingual satire Don Quixote de La ReDo.

The team
Devised by the cast and creative team of Glass Half Full Theatre
Directed by Khristián Méndez Aguirre
Story runner & Movement/Puppet Direction by Caroline Reck
Assistant Direction by Ariane Stier
Performances by Gricelda Silva, Isis Jasen Silva, Caroline Reck, Antonio Medrano, and Diana Guizado
Scenic and costume design by Delena Bradley
Lighting design by Gavin Kenter
Sound design by K. Eliot Haynes
Puppet design by Caroline Reck
Props & fabrication Kade Conklin
Fungal dramaturgy Jesús Garcia
Cultural dramaturgy by Khristián Méndez Aguirre
Technical direction by Joshua W. Martin
Stage management Karla Zodapop

This work is supported in part by
The New England Foundation for the Arts' Artist Development Grant
City of Austin ACME –Thrive Grant
Texas Commission on the Arts – Arts Create
The Creative Fund
Individual donors

June 4 - 13, 2026
Thu-Sat @ 8pm
Sun @ 2pm

$25 suggested price

All at Once: "Boundless / Sin límites"

All at Once

Photo by: Graphic drawn by Erica Warren

Pillsbury House + Theatre
3501 Chicago Ave S
Minneapolis, MN
https://pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org/production/all-at-once/

All at Once is a Twin Cities–based collective of visionary puppeteers of color — Sofía Padilla, Oanh Vu, Andrew Young, and Erica Warren — combining shadow, tabletop, and rod puppetry to create bold, immersive storytelling experiences.

Developed through story circles with BIPOC South Minneapolis residents, Boundless / Sin límites follows a young person sheltering in place from ICE who is swept into a time-traveling journey by Coyote, a trickster deity. Moving through layered Southside histories, the work explores migration, identity, memory, and community connection through myth, visual storytelling, and live performance.

June 4 - 14, 2026
Thursday–Saturday at 7:00 PM
Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM
Special Performances:
June 6 at 7:00 PM — Masked Performance
June 14 at 2:00 PM — Spanish Translation Available

$5-45

Waterfront Wednesdays

Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

Photo by: Patrick Wadden

Arm-of-the-Sea Tidewater Center
57 E. Bridge St
Saugerties, NY
www.armofthesea.org

Waterfront Wednesdays is Arm-of-the-Sea Theater’s weekly summer performance series at the Tidewater Center, their seasonal cultural arts space based in Saugerties, NY. Catch the original show ONE BLUE SKY, a series of medicine tales encouraging hope & wonder presented through luminous mask & puppet theater and live original music. Come for a variety of pre-show activities and displays for all ages before the show.

ONE BLUE SKY aims to re-spark joy and elemental wonder by celebrating the magic of DNA, the cycles of the cell, and glorious processes of photosynthesis through epic mask & puppet theater, guaranteed to awaken the most downtrodden hearts. Developed with support from the Jim Henson Foundation and the Upstate Coalition for a FairGame.

Doors at 6, opening acts at 6:30, Arm-of-the-Sea performs at 7. Opening acts TBA. Suggested donation $15 adults/$7 kids 12 & under. 

Shows every Wednesday in July - July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22, & July 29.

July 1, 2026
Doors at 6, opening acts at 6:30, Arm-of-the-Sea performs at 7. Opening acts TBA.
Shows every Wednesday in July - July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22, & July 29.

$7-15 Sliding Scale

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