Wishes in the Sand

David Hanzal

Photo by: Bruce Silcox

Open Eye Theatre
506 E. 24th Street
Minneapolis, MN
https://ci.ovationtix.com/36922/production/1278631?performanceId=11820984

WISHES IN THE SAND is a contemporary fairy tale that weaves together tabletop puppetry and shadow play. A queer puppeteer confronts his past, where memory, fantasy, and imagination collide in a moving story of transformation and self-discovery.

This work-in-progress presentation is supported by a Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant, and showcases this piece’s next phase of development.

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

July 21, 2026
Tuesday, July 21, 7:30pm

Sliding scale, $5-25

The Absence of Everything - FILM

Zero Untitled Productions

ONLINE
https://youtu.be/zEnfYDWe_Bg?si=mGaUC2uFiUQ9M2cr
Kingsville, TX
www.zerountitled.com

The bleak puppetry film “An Absence of Everything” written by Katherine Orozco-Verderber, and based on concepts developed by Julio Martinez and Michael Verderber.

The depressing work focuses on a man dealing with tackling his survivor’s guilt. He is taunted by a spectral entity who antagonizes the man through the duration of the short film.

May 28 - August 31, 2026
The film is viewable on YouTube at your convenience.

FREE

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

Waterfront Wednesdays

Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

Photo by Margaret FoxPhoto by:

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 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 ignites 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, show at 6:30. 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.
Located at the Arm-of-the-Sea Tidewater Center - 57 E. Bridge St, Saugerties, NY
Visit www.armofthesea.org for more details"

July 1 - 29, 2026
Every Wednesday in July: July 1 - July 29
Doors at 6, shows begin at 6:30

Suggested donation

Outdoor Summertime Puppet Shows

Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry

SpinS by Janoah the Jester (photo credit: Arthur Fink)Photo by:

Betsy Paterson Square
2 Dog Lane
Storrs, CT
https://bimp.uconn.edu/2026/06/30/2026-summer-series/

Facebook: Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry • Instagram: @ballardinstitute • TikTok: @ballardinstitute

The Ballard Institute is excited to present free, outdoor, family-friendly puppet shows on three Saturdays in July at 11 a.m. on Betsy Paterson Square in Downtown Storrs. This summer’s series includes the following exciting shows:
July 11: SpinS by Janoah the Jester
July 18: Sing-A-Long with Nappy's Puppets
July 25: Fairies of the Seasons by Talking Hands Theatre

Reservations are not required. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own blankets and seating. In case of rain, the shows will take place in the Ballard Institute Theater at 1 Royce Circle, Storrs, CT.

July 11 - 25, 2026
11am

Free

2026 Esopus Creek Puppet Suite

Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

Photo by: Jim Peppler

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

The Esopus Creek Puppet Suite is Arm-of-the-Sea Theater’s annual puppet theater extravaganza in its 24th year. Performed by our company members and Theater Arts Intensive participants, this larger-than-life mask & puppet spectacle dazzles audiences young and old alike. Featuring stories of the past and reflections on the present as told by a variety of wondrous paper-mache characters. 3 special evenings of one-of-a-kind puppet theater on the banks of the Esopus Creek at the Tidewater Center. August 14th, 15th & 16th 2026.
Doors at 6:30, show at 7:15pm. Opening acts TBA, plus Tidewater Center pre-show activities.
Tickets go on sale July 15th 2026 at www.armofthesea.org

August 14 - 16, 2026
August 14th, 15th & 16th
Doors at 6:30, show at 7:15
Tickets available starting July 2026 on our website

$7-$15 suggested donation

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