Happy Birthday, Mon Ami *

Alex and Olmsted

Photo by: Ryan Maxwell Photography

Baltimore Theatre Project
45 W Preston St
Baltimore, MD
theatreproject.org/happy-birthday-mon-ami/

Class, cultures, and expectations clash when Jacques’ American cousin Sam visits him in Paris for a birthday celebration. Winner of a 2024 Jim Henson Foundation grant award, "Happy Birthday, Mon Ami" combines glove puppetry, live music, and audience participation to create a delightful hour of fun for the whole family.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant (2024)

December 5 - 8, 2024
Thursday, Dec 5 at 8pm
Friday, Dec 6 at 8pm
Saturday, Dec 7 at 3pm
Saturday, Dec 7 at 8pm
Sunday, Dec 8 at 4pm

General Admission: $20, Students/Seniors/Artists/Military: $15

Squirrel Stole My Underpants *

The Gottabees of Boston, MA

Center For Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St. NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/squirrel-stole-my-underpants/

Experience Squirrel Stole My Underpants at the Center For Puppetry Arts. Sylvia goes on a journey to rescue her favorite piece of clothing from a mischievous squirrel.

Ticket includes Museum Access, Create-a-Puppet Workshop, and FREE Midtown parking
Tickets starting at $22.75

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant (2013)

January 8 - 19, 2025
Wed-Fri(10:00am & 11:30am), Sat(11:00am, 1:00pm, & 3:00pm) Sun(1:00pm & 3:00pm)

$20.50 - $22.75

The Amazing Story Machine * - Free Neighborhood Tour with Sandglass Theater Co and Doppelskope - FAMILY

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Various Venues
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/free-neighborhood-tour-with-sandglass-theater-co/

The Grimm family is on the verge of unveiling The Amazing Story Machine, which runs on steam and dreams, and promises to revolutionize how stories are told. When the contraption malfunctions, they have to invent a way to tell stories on the spot. With help from the audience and a cast of unique puppet characters, fairy tales like “The Hare and the Hedgehog,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Brave Little Tailor” spring to life with a range of charming of puppetry styles and characters, and live, original music.

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

January 16 - 26, 2025
See website for details

FREE

Aanika’s Elephants * - Feisty Elephant, Pam Arciero Productions, and Little Shadow Productions

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
740 E. 56th Pl.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/feisty-elephant-pam-arciero-productions-and-little-shadow-productions-iaanikas-elephants-i/

From Sesame Street staff writer and children’s book author Annie Evans, comes a story of compassion and courage. Aanika, a young African girl meets Little, an orphaned baby elephant living at the sanctuary where her father works. The two grow up together surviving some of the pitfalls of humanity, the loss of family and the threat of poachers. Charming visuals illustrate the real possibility of adopting new family and finding beautiful peace in the most unexpected of ways.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant (2022) and Production Grant (2023)

January 17 - 18, 2025
Friday, January 17 at 7 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 1 pm + 3 pm

$35

Kayfabe * - Josh Rice Projects

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The Chopin Theatre mainstage
1543 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/josh-rice-projects-ikayfabe-i/

Jump in the ring for this puppet wrestling entertainment spectacular! Puppetry meets pro wrestling, meets rock show; high art meets low art meets Samuel Beckett! A frenetic frenzy slash aburdist love letter combines Bunraku-style table-top puppetry, cart puppetry, live-feed projection (instant replay) & object performance, as well as the wrestling tropes of matches, monologues, and music & video.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant (2023) and Production Grant (2024)

January 23 - 25, 2025
Thursday, January 23 at 5 pm
Friday, January 24 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 1 pm + 8 pm

$43

The Ninja Puppet Shenaniganza featuring Raymond vs Raymond *

Raymond Carr

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/ninja-puppet-shenaniganza/

Join us for a variety show-style performance from the deeply unhealthy mind of Raymond Carr that showcases short plays and short films originally created for various adult puppetry events around Atlanta. See first-hand the nonsense Raymond Carr has been producing on stage for the past two decades, rolled up into a twisted casserole of delightful, dark, hilarious subversion and disturbing absurdity for adults of all shapes and sizes. You will laugh, cry, and all the stuff in between. Warning: this show features violence against balloons, leaves, clowns, and colorful kites. Viewer discretion is advised.

* Recipient of Jim Henson Foundation Special Funding (2024)

January 23 - February 2, 2025
Thursdays at 7:30pm
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 5:00pm

$22.50

The Scarecrow * - Anthony Michael Stokes

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
740 E. 56th Pl.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/anthony-michael-stokes-ithe-scarecrow-i/

In a fabulous mash-up of musical, puppets, and the story of OZ, the newly appointed “Majesty the Scarecrow” is tasked to save the citizens of Winkie country from an ever-increasing horde of crows. Fascinated by how he came to be hanging in a field in the first place, his Majesty follows a journey back home learning who he was and discovering who he must be. Joined by new companions; the Wogglebug, Sawhorse, the Patchwork girl and a perpetually puckish crow, his journey lead to discoveries and connections between Oz and the African-American experience in the United States in the early 1900’s.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant (2022) and Production Grant (2023)

January 24 - 25, 2025
Friday, January 24 at 7 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 5 pm
Sunday, January 26 at 2 pm

$35

Birdheart * - Julian Crouch & Saskia Lane

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Instituto Cervantes of Chicago
31 W. Ohio St.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/julian-crouch-amp-saskia-lane-ibirdheart-i/

Brown paper and a box of sand transform into an intimately, stunning chamber piece of animated theater. A show about transformation, loneliness, and the urge to fly, it holds a hand-mirror up to humanity and offers it a chair. Through a series of fragile images built in front of the audiences’ eyes, here is something achingly beautiful from the humblest of beginnings. Half puppet show and half live music it featuers a set of bird-themed songs led by extraordinary musician, Philip Roebuck.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2015)

January 24 - 26, 2025
Friday, January 24 at 5 pm + 7 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 11 am + 7 pm
Sunday, January 26 at 6 pm

$33

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

$22.50 for non-members / $19.10 for members

Little Red Hen

Great Arizona Puppet Theater

Great Arizona Puppet Theater
302 W Latham St
Phoenix, AZ
greatarizonapuppettheater.thundertix.com/events/230638/

Who will help the Little Red Hen with all the work it takes to get wheat made into bread? This sing-along show invites lots of audience participation and shares a valuable message about helping each other. Recommended for ages 3 - 8.

November 7 - 24, 2024
Thursdays - Fridays at 10am
Saturdays at 10am and 2pm
Sundays 2pm

From $10

Bread & Puppet Fall Tour

Bread & Puppet

Various Venues
breadandpuppet.org/tour#LateFall

Puppet show! Puppet show! Bread & Puppet Theater is excited to announce our latest tour traveling from Vermont to Atlanta and back! This tour presents a double bill, directed by Peter Schumann, crafted for this exact moment: The Possibilitarian Imperative Everything Show, followed by Gray Lady Cantata #9.

November 9 - December 8, 2024
Saturday, November 9 – Greensboro, VT
Sunday, November 10 – Farmington, ME
Tuesday, November 12 – Portland, ME
Wednesday, November 13 – TBD Maine, Mass, or New Hampshire
Thursday, November 14 – Shelburne Falls, MA
Friday, November 15 – Cambridge, MA
Saturday, November 16 – TBD
Sunday, November 17 – Hudson, NY
Tuesday, November 19 – TBD NY, NJ, or PA
Wednesday, November 20 & Thursday, November 21, 2024 – Washington, DC
Saturday, November 23 & Sunday, November 24 – Saxapahaw, NC
Tuesday, November 26 – Charlotte, NC
Wednesday, November 27 – North Carolina or near
Saturday, November 30 – TBD South Carolina
Sunday, December 1 – TBD Savannah, GA
Tuesday, December 3 & Wednesday, December 4 – Decatur, GA
Thursday, December 5 – Sautee Nacoochee, GA
Friday, December 6 – Marshall, NC
Saturday, December 7 – TBD
Sunday, December 8 – Lewisburg, WV

See Website for Details

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - FAMILY

Based on the classic television special Adapted by Jon Ludwig

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer/

Rudolph soars back into town with this faithful adaptation of the beloved 1964 stop-motion animated special. Narrated by the delightful Sam the Snowman™, this celebrated holiday classic follows Rudolph and Hermey the Elf™, two misfits on the run. Along with their traveling companion Yukon Cornelius™, the unlikely friends set off on a merry and heart-warming adventure of acceptance and self-discovery, even as Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster™ fearsomely hunts the brave trio. Audiences go on a journey to fantastical locales including Santa’s Workshop, the North Pole, and the enigmatic Island of Misfit Toys. Along the trip, everyone can enjoy live performances of all the festive songs of the season from the 1964 original. This wonderful holiday adventure speaks to the misfit in all of us! Your All-Inclusive Performance ticket includes the show, admission to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, and the Create-A-Puppet Workshop™. The puppet is based on the style of puppetry or character used in the production.

November 14 - December 29, 2024
Wed-Fri - 10:00am & 11:45am
Sat - 11:00 am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm
Sun - 1:00pm, 3:00pm

$21-$41

Lunch with Sonia

Loco7

Baltimore Theatre Project
45 West Preston Street
Baltimore, MD
https://theatreproject.ticketspice.com/lunch-with-sonia

Lunch with Sonia is a dance puppet theatre piece inspired by Restrepo’s true-life experience with his Aunt Sonia, a woman who decided to end her life with dignity after a long illness. The show uses puppets, live actors, music, video, and physical theatre to deal with the themes of life, love, and loss.

November 21 - 24, 2024
8PM

$25

Jetable

Puzzle Theatre

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/11/22/a-weekend-with-puzzle-theatre-three-shows-for-children-and-adults

Nameless, faceless beings emerge from a box of tissues to begin a journey. It is a journey through a life marked by first encounters: surprise, fear, anger, the inexplicable, the other, oneself... They explore the possibilities and push the limits with candor and amazement. Where will this journey take them? One thing is certain: you'll never see handkerchiefs in the same way again...
Recommended for adults, teens & youth 10+

November 22 - 23, 2024
8:00pm

$35

The Oz in You: Let's Talk Character

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph

Illinois Art Station
101 E Vernon Ave
Normal, IL
illinoisartstation.org/event/the-oz-in-you-lets-talk-character-with-leslie-cararra-rudolph/

Artist, writer, and entertainer Leslie Carrara-Rudolph creates characters as a yellow brick road to joy. This interactive talk utilizes art, puppetry, storytelling and improvisation to inspire individuals to develop their “character” by creating characters themselves. Join Leslie and her original puppet pal Lolly Lardpop for a journey through the imagination and discover the “Oz” in you.

November 22, 2024

Suggested Donation $10

Bois

Puzzle Theatre

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/11/22/a-weekend-with-puzzle-theatre-three-shows-for-children-and-adults

A green leaf that grows on a dead branch, pieces of wood that come together to form strange creatures, some hostile, some comical... A curious world that surprises, amazes, and inspires. A world that also makes you think and wonder. In keeping with its artistic approach, Puzzle Théâtre is once again drawing inspiration from a whole new medium to create an atypical, colorful puppet show, full of humor and unexpected situations.
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10

November 23 - 24, 2024
Saturday at 3:00pm
Sunday at 1:00pm

$18

Plastique

Puzzle Theatre

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/11/22/a-weekend-with-puzzle-theatre-three-shows-for-children-and-adults

What is more surprising than a world of plastic bags, where funny and colorful creatures are born, and transform themselves as much as they like! They fill themselves, they empty themselves, they fly, they eat each other, they are bored... They exist. Step by step they reveal their nature. They are primitive, naive, and funny, and they resemble us a little bit... maybe…
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10

November 23 - 24, 2024
Saturday, November 23rd at 1:00pm
Sunday, November 24th at 10:30am

$18

Messy Thinking

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph

Peoria Riverfront Museum
222 SW Washington St
Peoria, IL
peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/posts/2081

The Peoria Riverfront Museum welcomes six-time Emmy Nominee Leslie Carrara-Rudolph for Messy Thinking, a presentation on creativity, art, life and good humor that will resonate with all ages. Carrara-Rudolph is a multi-faceted entertainer, puppeteer, voice actor, artist, writer and creator, best known for her performance of Abby Cadabby and Elmo's dog Tango on Sesame Street.

November 24, 2024
2:30PM

$15

A Rafter of Crankies

Sandglass Theater

Photo by: N/A

Green Mountain Orchards
130 West Hill Rd.
Putney, VT
https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=256876

Sandglass Theater's A Rafter of Crankies returns to Green Mountain Orchard for the fourth consecutive year! This year, we're also celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Crankie Festival tradition at Sandglass. Performances will take place on Friday, November 29, at 5 PM and 7:30 PM, and on Saturday, November 30, at 5 PM and 7:30 PM. Once again, this event will be part of the Putney Crafts Tour over Thanksgiving Weekend. Crankies are panoramic scrolls that are “cranked” through a box, creating an experience reminiscent of an analog movie or a comic strip paired with a song or story. Together, they produce performances that are charming, often wildly funny, or strikingly haunting. While traditionally associated with Appalachian folk culture, today’s crankies embrace cultural, musical, and artistic expressions that are contemporary and as unpredictable as the weather!

November 29 - 30, 2024
Friday November 29th at 5:00PM and 7:30PM
Saturday November 30th at 5:00PM and 7:30PM

$25 Supporter; $20 General; $15 Discounted

The Dragon’s Laugh & Other Tales

by Charlotte Lily Gaspard of Midnight Radio Show

Photo by: Photo courtesy of Charlotte Lily Gaspard

Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry
1 Royce Cir
Storrs, CT
bimp.ticketleap.com/dragons-laugh/

Join "bonafide fairy princess" Charlotte Lily Gaspard for enchanting original fairytales and songs by her company Midnight Radio Show! Shadow puppetry breathes life into these delightful short stories of adventure and friendship. In one story, a dragon and a fairy become friends, although their families disapprove. Complications ensue, and the new-found companions must go on a quest together as they prove that friendship can be found anywhere and with anyone. Recommended for ages 5+.

December 7, 2024
11 A.M.
2 P.M.

Ticket Prices: Adults: $12; Members/Seniors: $10; Students: $8; Kids: $6 (12 years and under).

Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol

Manual Cinema

Studebaker Theater
410 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
fineartsbuilding.com/events/christmas-carol/

An avowed holiday skeptic, Aunt Trudy has been recruited to channel her late husband Joe’s famous Christmas cheer. From the isolation of her Chicago home, she reconstructs his annual Christmas Carol puppet show – over a Zoom call while the family celebrates Christmas Eve under lockdown. But as Trudy becomes more absorbed in her own version of the story, the puppets take on a life of their own, and the family’s call transforms into a stunning cinematic adaptation of Dickens’s classic ghost story. Featuring hundreds of handmade puppets, immersive sound design and live music, Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol is a holiday show unlike anything you've ever seen.

December 13 - 29, 2024
See website for performance times

Starting from $45

Holiday Sing-Along! - FAMILY

Sarah Nolen and Phil Berman

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/12/20/holiday-sing-along-puppets-at-night

Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun! Two friendly performers guide the audience through songs, stories, and imagination games. This interactive puppet cabaret is especially designed for all ages, from our youngest audiences and their big siblings, to grown-ups who are young-at-heart! Join us for holiday favorites and songs of wintertime cheer from cultures around the world.

December 20 - 24, 2024
Friday, December 20th at 3:30pm, 5:30pm, and 8:00pm
December 21st - December 24th at 10:30am and 1:00pm

$18

Avett Brothers New Year's Eve Show with Avett Puppets

Avett Brothers

Bojangles Coliseum
2700 E Independence Blvd
Charlotte, NC
https://www.eventticketscenter.com/the-avett-brothers-charlotte-12-31-2024/6707053/t

The Avett Brothers have officially unveiled their plans for a 2024 New Year’s Eve Celebration. In keeping with annual tradition, the trailblazing Americana outfit and their fans will return to their home state of North Carolina for a single-night bash, this time welcoming throwback country sister act The Castellows for support. The Avett Puppets will also make a special appearance.

December 31, 2024
8:30PM

From $112

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

Dracula: Lucy's Dream - Plexus Polaire

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building
410 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/plexus-polaire-dracula-lucys-dream/

In her visual adaptation of the famous myth of Dracula, Yngvild Aspeli freely draws inspiration from Bram Stoker’s story to tell the story of Lucy. As the character fights against her inner “Dracula-esque” demon she surfaces and reveals an inclination toward domination, dependence, addiction and destructive force. A metaphor of control, both forced and desired, seductive and deceptive. From the makers of Moby Dick and Chambre Noire, Plexus Polaire returns flaunting its mastery of the form and serving up large-scale spectacle, human size bunraku puppets, hypnotic video projection and their signature style of imbuing the puppet with storytelling power.

January 15 - 19, 2025
Wednesday, January 15 at 7 pm
Friday, January 17 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 2 pm + 7 pm
Sunday, January 19 at 2 pm

$48

The Cabinet - Cabinet of Curiosity

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The Biograph’s Za?ek McVay Theater
2433 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/cabinet-of-curiosity-ithe-cabinet-i/

Cabinet of Curiosity is composed of diverse project-by-project collectives who authentically collaborate on original celebrations and productions. Cabinet uses sophisticated puppetry and handmade devices to develop unique interactive experiences, productions and events.

January 16, 2025 - January 19, 2024
Thursday, January 16 at 7 pm
Friday, January 17 at 9 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 9 pm
Sunday, January 19 at 3 pm

$43

I Killed the Monster - RoiZIZO théâtre

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Steppenwolf's Garage Theatre
1650 N. Halsted Ave
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/roizizo-theatre-ii-killed-the-monster-i/

In a small village in France’s Ardennes Forest, peace reigns, and yet, Daniel is a little agitated. Now that he has a new medicine though, some blue pills made by an American pharmaceutical laboratory, everything should be fine…right? A pitch perfect show packed with humor and farcical discoveries, on a simple table using everyday objects. Small-scale grandiose art in a delightful fable dedicated to the right to be different.

January 16 - 19, 2025
Thursday, January 16 at 6 pm
Friday, January 17 at 9 pm*
Saturday, January 18 at 7 pm
Sunday, January 19 at 3 pm + 7 pm

$43

Made in Macau - Rolling Puppet Alternative Theater

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Links Hall
3111 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/rolling-puppet-alternative-theatre-imade-in-macau-i/

Made in Macau 2.0 tells a personal history of the island city Macau. A territory of Portugal for four centuries until it was handed over to China in 1999, it is now a Special Administrative Region and one of the most populated places on earth. Intimate family memories confront present day realities along side the changing identity of island city’s unique, hybrid culture. Local ideologies resound as serious and comic scenes use contemporary staging with traditional puppets and everyday household objects.

January 16 - 19, 2025
Thursday, January 16 at 5 pm
Friday, January 17 at 4 pm + 8 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 5 pm
Sunday, January 19 at 5 pm

$20

Anywhere - Théâtre de L’Entrovert & Chicago Puppet Fest

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The Chopin Theatre Mainstage
1543 W Division St
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/theatre-de-lentrovert-amp-chicago-puppet-fest-ianywhere-i/

In this exquisite, landmark string-marionette work created by the French company Théâtre de l’Entrouvert, a marionnette made of ice takes center stage. Freely inspired by Henry Bauchau’s novel “Oedipus on the Road,” Anywhere evokes the long wandering of Oedipus accompanied by his daughter Antigone. The fallen Oedipus appears in the form of an ice puppet that gradually melts, then appears as mist and finally disappears in the forest, the place of clairvoyance. Anywhere traces with gentleness and strength a poetic journey, in black and white, of fire and ice, which speaks to us about our bodies, our environment, our fragilities, and our wanderings in the infinite circle of renewal.

January 16 - 19, 2025
Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 pm
Friday, January 17 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, January 19 at 4 pm

$43

Nasty, Brutish & Short - Links Hall, Rough House Theater Co, and Chicago Puppet Fest

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Links Hall
3111 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/nasty-brutish-amp-short-wknd-1/

Don’t let the evening end! Come join the fun at this fan-favorite late show where eyebrows meet lowbrows. Enjoy Chicago’s long-standing puppet cabaret with your hirsute host Jameson and somewhat furry friends for a naughty night of raucous, dark, sassy, sad and highly unusual puppet theater. Out-of-towner puppeteers are invited to join local legends for friendly unwinding. All weekends are at Links Hall this year for the Nasty, Brutish & Short puppet cabaret.

January 17 - 25, 2025
Weekend One
Friday, January 17 at 10:30 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 10:30 pm

Weekend Two
Friday, January 24 at 10:30 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 10:30 pm

$20

Concerned Others - Tortoise in a Nutshell

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Instituto Cervantes of Chicago
31 W. Ohio St.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/tortoise-in-a-nutshell-iconcerned-others-i/

Half way between dream and cold reality, intricate miniature worlds with detailed figurines, shoe box style installations, turntables, micro-projection and immersive soundscapes share first-hand accounts, hopes and reflections about the impact of alcoholism. It is a poignant look at the weight carried by the community surrounding a person living with addiction. From its 2023 premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival comes this intimate piece confronting the deadly culture of shame, ignorance and misunderstanding surrounding substance dependence.

January 17 - 19, 2025
Friday, January 17 at 5 pm* + 8 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 3 pm + 8 pm
Sunday, January 19 at 4 pm + 7 pm

$33

The House By the Lake - Yael Rasooly

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

MCA Chicago, Edlis Neeson Theater
220 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/yael-rasooly-ihouse-by-the-lake-i/

Awaiting their mother’s return. three sisters in WWII distract themselves as they hide in a tiny, cold room working to preserve a semblance of the life they once knew. While reality is falling apart, their bodies come together from pieces of broken dolls — and memories. A fantasticly, absurd world full of humor, but not skirting the seriousness of the situation, House by the Lake swings expertly between musical cabaret and contemporary puppetry.

January 17 - 19, 2025
Friday, January 17 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 18 at 8 pm
Sunday, January 19 at 1 pm

$48

INISKIM: Return of the Buffalo Film

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building
410 S. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/iniskim-return-of-the-buffalo-film/

Iniskim – Return of the Buffalo is cinematic wonder and an incredible opportunity to learn about Indigenous ways of knowing. We watch as a group of puppeteers are transformed by their experience of ‘being buffalo’ at night under the stars, guided by the stories of the Blackfoot Elders. As Amethyst First Rider says to the puppeteers, “You are the buffalo. With each movement of your hands, each connection, each dream, you’re creating energy and they become a part of you.”

January 17, 2025
3PM

$20

Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building
410 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/volkenburg-puppetry-symposium-panel-1/

Panel 1, January 18: This roundtable proposes to explore the challenges, the joys, and the practical and philosophical implications of making intercultural puppetry arts. How do we best engage with people in an intercultural project? What is our relationship to the space where the work is created? How can we engage with objects, materials, and puppets in an intercultural setting? This event centers on the experiences of the following artists: Peter Balkwill (Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Canadian Academy of Masks and Puppetry, University of Calgary, Canada), Ty Defoe (writer, actor, interdisciplinary artist, Ojibwe + Oneida Nations), and Tang Teng Teng Lam (Rolling Puppet Alternative Theater, Macau). Moderated by Gabrielle Houle (University of Lethbridge, Canada).

Panel 2, January 19: The visibility or invisibility of puppeteers manipulating the puppets provokes phenomenological reflection on the nature of human consciousness. What is our relationship to the material world outside of ourselves? In this panel Pam Arciero (Aanika’s Elephants), Julian Crouch (Birdheart), Choiti Ghosh (Maati Katha), and Gildwen Peronno (I Killed the Monster) extend this reflection by commenting on how their shows interrogate humans’ roles in a variety of ecosystems. Moderated by Dr. Paulette Richards.

Panel 3, January 25: Language, music, and soundscapes are especially important elements in numerous works of puppetry this festival. Artists will discuss how the sounds that arise from manipulation of material, the dialogue, the soundscape, and musical accompaniment complement the puppet as a visual object. In this panel Craig Leo (Life and Times of Michael K), Yael Rasooly (The House by the Lake, Edith and Me), Paula Riquelme (Organismo), and Anthony Michael Stokes (The Scarecrow), respond to the question: What do sounds and words contribute to the emotional journey of each story? Moderated by Dr. Paulette Richards.

Panel 4, January 26: Claudia Orenstein observes that the puppet must do in order to be. In this panel Alex Bird (Concerned Others), Giulia De Canio (Untold), Plexus Polaire (Dracula), and Josh Rice (Kayfabe) will address the question of how the puppet as kinetic object and the puppet as visual image work together. Moderated by Dr. Paulette Richards.

January 18 - 26, 2025
10am - 12pm

FREE

Arctic Tall Tales - La ruée vers l’or

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The Biograph’s Zacek McVay Theater
2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/la-ruee-vers-lor-iarctic-tall-tales-i/

A joyful and poignant tale that everyone can enjoy…Live music accompany these puppet adventures, humour and craziness as well.

January 21 - 22, 2025
Tuesday, January 21 at 8 pm
Wednesday, January 22 at 5 pm + 8 pm

$43

Maati Katha - Tram Arts Trust

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Links Hall
3111 N. Western Ave
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/tram-arts-trust-imaati-katha-i/

Clay dolls from the Sundarbans tell how people, wild animals, and rivers are intermingled together in an intricate way in the world’s largest mangrove system

January 21 - 22, 2025
Tuesday, January 21 at 6 pm
Wednesday, January 22 at 5 pm + 8 pm

$20

Hungry Garden - Free Neighborhood Tour with Poncili Creación

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Various Venues
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/free-neighborhood-tour-with-poncili-creacion/

Boundless energy and surrealist puppets unite as brothers Pablo and Efrain Del Hierro share their spontaneous style infusing inanimate objects with life. Drawing on tribal symbols such as masks and totems, they evoke ancient forms of storytelling. Living up to the idea that spawned their name, Hungry Garden brings creation and chaotic tranquility.

January 22 - 24, 2025
See website for details

FREE

J.M. Coetzee’s Life and Times of Michael K - Baxter Theatre & Handspring Puppet Co.

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building
410 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/baxter-theatre-amp-handspring-puppet-co-ij-m-coetzees-life-and-times-of-michael-k-i/

In this stunning transformation of Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee’s Booker Prize-winning novel by the same name, a humble man finds solace in nature as he takes an epic journey through a mythical, war-torn landscape. In search of his mother’s ancestral home, he finds strength in his own humanity and a profound connection to the earth. With puppets by Handspring Puppet Company, known for building the War Horse and Little Amal, Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre brings us a new level of exquisite bunraku puppet theater.

January 22, 2025 - January 26, 2026
Wednesday, January 22 at 7 pm
Friday, January 24 at 3 pm + 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 3 pm + 7:30 pm
Sunday, January 26 at 3 pm

$48

Edith and Me - Yael Rasooly

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The Biograph’s Zacek McVay Theater
2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/yael-rasooly-iedith-and-mei/

A singer is mysteriously muted and immobilized and can no longer perform. Yet she is not alone – the famous singer icon Edith Piaf is there to drag her out of bed and pull her back into life. "Edith and Me" is a one woman show with puppets, objects and singing created by Yael Rasooly.

January 23 - 25, 2025
Thursday, January 23 at 7:30 pm*
Friday, January 24 at 7:30 pm*
Saturday, January 25 at 8 pm*

*Each show will be followed by a short break after which the artist(s) will be present for a talkback.

$43

Organismo - Maraña

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Dance Center Columbia College Chicago
1306 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/marana-iorganismo-i/

Berlin’s cutting-edge collective brings this celebrated kaleidescope aerial arts piece, combining art installation, contemporary circus, object theater, textile arts, live music — and lots and lots of wool. A trust-filled performance of connectedness and obsessive organic magic, where the division between object and body become indistinguishable, teems in a massive, hand-knit visual feast.

January 23 - 25, 2025
Thursday, January 23 at 7:30 pm
Friday, January 24 at 1 pm + 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 4 pm

$35

Look! Look! A Work in Development by Vanessa Valliere

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Fine Arts Building, Little Studio, 7th Floor
410 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/look-look-a-work-in-development-by-vanessa-valliere/

An eager-to-please Deborah tries – and fails – to meet the high standards of an exceptionally strict playmate. Barbara, ever fixated on her personal development, attends a self help seminar to become her best self. And when June falls in love in a hopeless meet cute, audiences watch her dream life unfold in mere moments, a manifestation of a hope June never knew she had. A work-in-development told in three vignettes with these three women at it’s heart. Created and performed by clown, nerd cheerleader, and Chicago favorite Vanessa Valliere with support from longtime collaborator Lindsey Noel Whiting. It’s a must-see celebration of the gross and beautiful, the sweet and creepy, the euphemistic and earnest and, most importantly, the weirdos.

January 23 - 25, 2025
Thursday, January 23 at 5:30 pm
Friday, January 24 at 5:30 pm + 8 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 6 pm

$20

Skeleton Canoe - Ty Defoe, an All My Relations Collaboration

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The Biograph’s Richard Christiansen Theater
2433 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/ty-defoe-and-all-my-relations-collective-iskeleton-canoe-i/

Young Nawbin leaves home and sets out on a rite of passage. They journey along the water to discover their truth and find a way back to reconnect to themselves and ancestral knowledge. Along the way they discover unexpected friends, weather storms, and gain a canoe! Through the use of puppetry, traditional Anishinaabe lifeways, and multimedia design, Skeleton Canoe makes known what is just below the water’s surface.

January 23 - 26, 2025
Thursday, January 23 at 6 pm
Friday, January 24 at 6 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 2 pm
Sunday, January 26 at 4 pm

$33

Untold - UnterWasser

2025 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts, Theater East
915 E. 60th St.
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/event/unterwasser-iuntold-i/

What cannot be said, cannot be explored nor elaborated upon, so neither can it be resolved. Untold shares a meticulous melding of shadow puppetry, original soundtrack, and illusion to reveal artifice and clues. Images demand the limelight and messages push to the surface in this striking piece of poetic reflection with remarkable technical detail counterpointing the solitude of interior life against a metropolis bustling with crowds and chaos.

January 24 - 26, 2025
Friday, January 24 at 5 pm
Saturday, January 25 at 1 pm
Sunday, January 26 at 1 pm

$43

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.

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

$35.25 - $45.25

Rainforest Adventures

Center For Puppetry Arts

Center For Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring Street NW at 18th St
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/rainforest-adventures/

Experience Rainforest Adventures at the Center For Puppetry Arts. 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 28 - March 2, 2025
Wed-Fri(10:00am & 11:30am), Sat(11:00am, 1:00pm) Sun(1:00pm & 3:00pm)

$22.75

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

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

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

Tommy's Space Adventure - FAMILY

PuppetArt Theater

Great Arizona Puppet Theater
302 W Latham St
Phoenix, AZ
https://www.azpuppets.org/shows.php

Fun and excitement rule the show as Tommy must protect is alien buddy from the evil Dr. Lost N Space.

Ongoing, tickets on sale through December 31, 2024

$15 Adult / $10 Child