Song of the North *

Hamid Rahmanian

Oz Arts
6172 Cockrill Bend Cir
Nashville, TN
kingorama.com/song-of-the-north

Song of the North is a mesmerizing large-scale, cinematic performance combining the manual art of shadow puppetry with projected animation to tell the courageous tale of Princess Manijeh, a heroine from ancient Persia. Our female hero uses her superpowers to rescue her beloved from a perilous predicament, and to prevent a war. Adapted from the Shahnameh (the national epic of Persia written over 1,000 years ago), Song of the North is created and directed by 2014 Guggenheim Fellow Hamid Rahmanian, and the original score is written and orchestrated by Loga Ramin Torkian, featuring vocalist Azam Ali. This dynamic, family-friendly production involving over 480 handmade puppets and described by Le Monde as bursting with “breathtaking fireworks of creativity” was presented to sold out audiences at Brooklyn Academy of Music in March 2022.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2021)

April 19 - 20, 2024

The Plastic Bag Store *

Robin Frohardt

MASS MoCA
1040 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA
massmoca.org/plasticbagstore/

The Plastic Bag Store is a public art installation and immersive film experience by Brooklyn-based artist Robin Frohardt that uses humor, craft, and a critical lens to question our culture of consumption and convenience — specifically, the enduring effects of single-use plastics. The shelves are stocked with thousands of original, hand-sculpted items — produce and meat, dry goods and toiletries, cakes and sushi rolls — all made from discarded, single-use plastics in an endless cacophony of packaging.

* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant (2017) and Workshop Grant (2016)

May 9 - September 2, 2024

$25 - Advance Reservations Required

Oma * - FAMILY

Sandglass Theater

Mayo Street Arts
10 Mayo Street
Portland, ME
tickettailor.com/events/mayostreetarts/1167745/r/enews

This new family show by Shoshana Bass and Jana Zeller is an intergenerational tale that revolves around Grandma or “Oma." It is her birthday and all are preparing for the celebration. While the grown-ups manage work phone calls, playdate logistics, and other such tasks, the children get into mischief with party decorating, present wrapping, and cake baking. Finally, they all gather around for one of Oma's stories told in yarn. One character emerges from the tangle of wool and nearly ruins the party. But not to worry, all ends well at Oma's house.

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

May 11, 2024
2:00pm

$10 for youth (under age 13), $15 in advance, $18 at the door, and $22 for preferred seating

How to Snag a Sea Monster *

What If Puppets

Mod-Continent Public Library
317 West 24 Highway
Independence, MO
whatifpuppets.org/see-a-show

When a seaweed-covered creature washes ashore in the Cape Cod village of Barnacle Bay, the inhabitants fear the worst. Is it a sea monster in their midst? No, it's a baby as big as a house! The villagers adopt the giant baby, whom they name Stormalong…or Stormy for short. Growing over 24 feet tall, Stormy struggles to fit in and chooses a life aboard a merchant ship to find his place in the world. Meanwhile, a REAL sea monster torments the villagers and only Stormy is big enough to save them all!
* Recipient of a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant (2022)

May 11, 2024
11:00am

Additional dates:
Kansas City, Kansas - June 13, 2024

Registration Required

Happy Birthday, Mon Ami *

Alex & Olmsted

Black Cherry Puppet Theater
1115 Hollins St
Baltimore, MD
blackcherrypuppettheater.weebly.com/upcoming-events.html

World premiere production! Class, cultures, and expectations clash when Henri's American cousin Jack visits him in Paris for a birthday celebration. Winner of a 2024 Jim Henson Foundation family grant award, Happy Birthday, Mon Ami will premiere at Baltimore's renowned Black Cherry Puppet Theater.

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

May 30 - June 2, 2024

Puppet Up!

Brian Henson presents

Henson Studios - Chaplin Stage
1416 North La Brea Avenue
Hollywood, CA
puppetup.com/

Puppet Up! - Uncensored is a night of outrageous, off-the-cuff comedy featuring 80 of the MISKREANT puppets brought to life by a cast of world-class comedian puppeteers from The Jim Henson Company. Created by legendary puppeteer and award-winning director Brian Henson and directed by Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Puppet Up! - Uncensored is never the same show twice. Based on suggestions from the audience, Patrick and his team of expert puppeteers create a hilarious two-shows-in-one: the improvised puppet action projected live on screens above the stage, with the puppeteers racing around below in full view of the audience. The show also features recreations of classic pieces originally created by Jim and Jane Henson, and Frank Oz that haven’t been seen by live audiences in decades. This is no ordinary puppet show.

April 26 - 28, 2024
Friday - 8:00pm
Saturday - 5:00pm & 9:00pm
Sunday - 3:00pm & 7:00pm

Starting at $75

Sesame Street The Musical

Rockefeller Productions

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/sesame-street-the-musical/

THE MONSTER HIT RETURNS! Join Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Rosita, Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, The Count, Gabrielle, and a whole host of Honkers, Martians, and other Sesame Street favorites as they will appear onstage in their very own musical. Filled with live puppetry, iconic songs fans know and love, and new compositions by Tom Kitt, Helen Park, and Nate Edmondson, this production is designed for both the young and the young-at-heart, including furry fun for fans of all ages.

June 5 - August 4, 2024

Starting at $29

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.

January 1 - December 31, 2024

$15 Adult / $10 Child

Stellaluna - FAMILY

Based on the book by Janell Cannon, Adapted and Directed by Jon Ludwig

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/stellaluna-2/

Accidentally dropped by her mother, the helpless baby fruit bat, Stellaluna, falls into a nest of bird fledglings. The baby birds graciously accept her as one of the family—as long as she acts like a bird and doesn’t confuse her adoptive siblings. Stellaluna does her best, but she still likes to fly at night and sleep hanging upside. Stellaluna’s adventures continue until one day, she gets separated from her bird family and is discovered by other bats sleeping with her head up. As the bats gather to see this unusual creature, Stellaluna is joyfully reunited with her mother. It is a classic tale of differences and similarities and how with acceptance and respect “..we’re friends. And that’s a fact,” says Stellaluna. Based on the beloved bestselling children’s book.

March 26 - May 19, 2024

$22

PUPPET LAB: A Festival of New Work

Erica Warren, Felicia Cooper, David Hanzal, and the team of Fletcher Wolfe and Maggie Arbiter

Open Eye Theatre
506 E. 24th Street
Minneapolis, MN
openeyetheatre.org/puppet-lab-festival-2024

Residency artists who have been workshopping projects for six months will have their new works professionally produced during the two-week PUPPET LAB Festival! This April, join us for the culmination of the 6-month developmental laboratory program with performances by Erica Warren, Felicia Cooper, David Hanzal, and the team of Fletcher Wolfe and Maggie Arbiter. The residency artists are led by Co-Artistic Directors of PUPPET LAB Oanh Vu and Sofia Padilla.

April 12 - 21, 2024
Week 1: Maggie Arbiter & Fletcher Wolfe and Felicia Cooper
Friday, April 12, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 13, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 14, 2:00pm
Week 2: David Hanzal and Erica Warren
Friday, April 19, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 20, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 21, 2:00pm

$18 General Admission / $15 Economic Accessibility

Shterna & The Lost Voice

The Magid Ensemble Presents

Mayo Street Arts
10 Mayo St
Portland, ME
tickettailor.com/events/mayostreetarts/1152856/r/enews

Join us! – for Shterna and the Lost Voice: a musical crankie storytelling adventure! This new folktale by A. C. Weaver is inspired by mythical stories of Elyahu Hanovi and traditional Yiddish folklore. Shterna and the Lost Voice follows a young woman’s quest from the realms of the dead to the celestial gardens of the immortal – all to restore her friend's lost voice. Shterna’s epic adventure is accompanied by live original klezmer music while the narrative unfolds through a papercut crankie. This dynamic performance is geared towards audiences of all ages!

April 19, 2024
7:00pm

$15

Open Session: AI & Puppetry, Vol 1. Genie from the Lamp

UNIMA Youth Commision

Zoom
unima.org/en/unima-yc-open-session-aipuppetry-vol-1-genie-from-the-lamp/

Youth Commission invites you to join us for a series of conversations about AI and puppetry, navigating the ethics of AI in art, useful tools and ways that AI could be an advantage for puppeteers, and other topics we will explore together.

April 20, 2024
1:00pm CET

Free

I Am the Village: A Puppet Pageant Celebrating the Life and Art of Marc Chagall

Alyson Doyle

Photo by: Alyson Doyle

Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry
1 Royce Cir
Storrs, CT
bimp.uconn.edu/2024/03/29/chagall/

I Am the Village: A Puppet Pageant Celebrating the Life and Art of Marc Chagall is an MFA production written by UConn Puppet Arts student Alyson Doyle (’24) and directed by Doyle and Mel Carter, which includes a community puppet-making workshop, a parade, and the performance of the pageant proper each day at the Ballard Institute and in Betsy Paterson Square, all in Downtown Storrs. On both April 20 and 21 in Downtown Storrs, the events will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a free, outdoor public puppet-making workshop at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, where participants can paint an emotive umbrella or fish. At 3:30 you and your creation can be part of a parade around Betsy Paterson Square.

The I Am the Village pageant will begin in the Square at 4 p.m., and last 45 minutes. Written by Alyson Doyle, directed by Mel Carter and Alyson Doyle, and scored with traditional klezmer songs and new compositions by renowned clarinetist Nat Seelen of Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band, this outdoor spectacle features giant colorful figures and fantastic performing objects made of cardboard and paper-mâché floating to life to tell a story of acclaimed modernist painter Marc Chagall—from his beginnings as a poor child in the Pale of Settlement to his legacy as one of the most lauded painters in history.

In addition to the workshop and performance, Alyson Doyle will curate an installation in the Ballard Institute Theater that will share more about the history surrounding Chagall's life, as it pertains to elements of the pageant's script. This display will be on exhibit during Ballard Institute operating hours from Wednesday, April 17 to Sunday, April 21.

April 20 - 21, 2024
1:30 - 5:00pm

Free

The Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide

Bread & Puppet Theater

Mayo Street Arts
10 Mayo Street
Portland, ME
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mayostreetarts/1152926/r/jim

Puppet show! Puppet show! Bread & Puppet Theater is excited to announce that they will kick off our 61st year by traversing the Northeast and Eastern Seaboard with a brand-new play created with their director, Peter Schumann, for the exact moment at hand. Of the show–The Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide–director Peter Schumann says, “The imminent end of the capitalist empire, colonizing and genociding as the whole world looks on in horror, attacked by a flock of cranes migrating from Palestine to replace the shit inside the White House with genuine bird droppings. Frogs, caribou, dancing bears, bicycling chickens make up the rest of the cast.” After the performance, Bread & Puppet will serve its free sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets, and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.

April 20, 2024
3:30 (doors 3:00 PM) & at 7:30 PM (doors 7:00 PM), 75-minutes, no intermission

No one will be turned away for lack of funds; contact MSA at 207-879-4629 or info@mayostreetarts.org for information on our pay-what-you-can admission policy.

$0-$23

April Puppet Slam

hosted by Susan Linn & Audrey Duck

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/04/20/april-puppet-slam

What's a Puppet Slam? It's when Puppet Showplace Theater stays open late to showcase the region's finest short-form puppetry acts...for adults! Each piece is performed by a different artist, and the content ranges from the hilarious to the profound. So, what are you waiting for? Join host Susan Linn with her long-time pal Audrey Duck for an evening of short-form puppetry for adults, featuring a range of puppetry styles, beer and wine, and a guaranteed good time.

April 20, 2024
8:00pm

$25

DIRT: The Secret Life of Soil - FAMILY

Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

Vassar College
124 Raymond Ave
Saugerties, NY
armofthesea.org/see-a-show

Fusing cutting-edge science and age-old puppetry, DIRT takes audiences on an imaginative journey of discovery into the ground beneath our feet. This show reveals the photosynthetic alchemy of plants, the dance between fungi and roots, and the labors of soil microbes. Educational, magical, and fun for all ages.

April 21, 2024
3:00pm

Additional dates:
April 27 - Newburgh Urban Farming Festival, Newburgh, NY - 1pm
May 18th - Kingston Kids Festival at Kingston Point Park, Kingston NY - 2pm

Bob Baker Day

Los Angeles State Historic Park
1245 N Spring St
Los Angeles, CA
bobbakerday.com/

Join us for all day festivities, puppet shows, games, and more at the 10th Annual Bob Baker Day! Celebrate Bob Baker’s 100th Birthday and Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s 60th Anniversary at LA State Historic Park on April 21st.

April 21, 2024
10:00am - 5:00pm

$20 Suggested Donation

A Celebration of the Work of Nancy Renfro - ONLINE

Puppeteers of America's Puppetry in Education & Therapy Committee

Zoom
zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_migvcInHTeqeCEksHanzVA#/registration

Join the Puppeteers of America PIET Committee for an exciting discussion celebrating the artistry and enormous influence of Nancy Renfro, a trailblazing puppetry educator and artist whose ideas are still shaping the field of puppetry today. Presenters will be Ellen Scott, Claire Ritzler, and Samantha Maggio. Moderated by Johanna Smith.

April 21, 2024
4:00pm PDT, 7:00pm EDT

Free

Jack and the Beanstalk - FAMILY

Great Arizona Puppet Theater

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

Our classic show, Jack and the Beanstalk , is back! This wonderful tale is told with hand puppets, beautiful changing scenery, a growing beanstalk, and a very tall Giant.

April 24 - May 12, 2024
Sat 10am & 2pm, Sun 2pm

$15 Adult / $10 Child

Madame Butterfly

Opera Philadelphia

Photo by: Ray Bailey

Academy of Music
240 S Broad St
Philadelphia, PA
operaphila.org

Opera Philadelphia presents this new production of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly that illuminates and ultimately transcends harmful stereotypes, empowering the protagonist Cio Cio San with new choices for her future. The production casts Asian and Asian American singers in all of the lead roles and separates Pinkerton’s fantasy - a perfect, “doll-like” puppet - from Cio Cio San’s true Spirit. Over the course of the opera, the Spirit awakens to the role she is being asked to play, realizes the trap - and trope - she’s been caught within, and bravely walks into a new chapter ahead. Puppet artist Hua Hua Zhang (Visual Expressions) has designed, built, and performs the two original puppets to represent Cio Cio San alongside the vocalists of the cast.

April 26 - May 5, 2024
Friday, April 26th at 8pm
Sunday, April 28th at 2pm
Friday, May 3rd at 8pm
Sunday, May 5th at 2pm

$25-$275

Le Cabaret de Marionettes

Great Arizona Puppet Theater

302 W Latham St
Phoenix, AZ
azpuppets.org/shows.php

Great Arizona Puppet (GAPT) will be hosting their original production of Le Cabaret de Marionettes, in addition to resident puppeteers of the theater; we are excited to include two invited artists to join the cast. Joining as guest performer Crystal Cruz, or “Madame C” from Phoenix, Arizona, and Los Angeles, Matthew Scott of Rasputin’s Marionettes. Two shows will occur on Friday, April 26th, and Saturday, April 27th, starting at 8:00pm. Both shows will be 18+

April 26 - 27, 2024
8:00pm

$30 for general admission and $45 for VIP

Little Red Riding Hood & The Three Little Pigs - FAMILY

The Puppet Co

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/04/27/little-red-riding-hood-the-three-little-pigs

In this musical retelling of two classic “wolf-centered” fairytales, sometimes it's not always clear who the bad guy really is! In Little Red Riding Hood, a little girl brings a basket of cookies to her ailing grandmother, who lives on the other side of a forest. Along the way she meets a wolf who has other plans for the little girl, Granny, and the cookies! Then, in The Three Little Pigs, three pig brothers each build a house out of different materials and a hungry wolf comes to investigate. With original music, witty dialogue, and all your favorite lines — including “not by the hair of my chinny chin chin” and “I’ll huff and I'll puff…” — these wolfy tales will have you howling in delight!

April 27 - May 5, 2024
10:30am & 1:00pm

$16

Wonderful Joe

Ronnie Burkett

Bing Concert Hall Studio
327 Lasuen Street
Stanford, CA
live.stanford.edu/calendar/may-2024/ronnie-burkett

Canadian puppeteer Ronnie Burkett (Little Willy, The Daisy Theatre) returns with a new Stanford Live commissioned work examining the feelings of isolation and loneliness. Dark and poetic, yet magical, Wonderful Joe and his dog Mister go on a fantastic journey into the world in search of home.

May 1 - 4, 2024

$50

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!

May 1 - 5, 2024

$18

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster

Manual Cinema

The Lincoln Center
17 W Magnolia St
Fort Collins, CO
lctix.com/shows-tickets/leonardo-a-wonderful-show-about-a-terrible-monster/

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? Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster uses hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, book pages, two-dimensional props, furry monster puppets, and songs to bring Mo Willems' books to life. Manual Cinema wanted to re-create the experience of holding one of Mo’s book pages, which are big, bold, colorful, and full of visual rhythm, with a playful use of scale. Like all Manual Cinema productions, you’re invited to watch the big screen like a traditional movie, or to watch the artists below as they create the story in real time. (There is no wrong way to watch the show!)

May 4, 2024
Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 4pm

Additional dates:
May 17-19 - Pittsburgh, PA

$20+

The Bella Show: Bugs! - FAMILY

Brenda Huggins & Phil Berman

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/05/11/the-bella-show-bugs

Go on a pink and furry adventure with Bella and her friends through a beautiful garden to meet silly bugs, creepy-crawlers, and musical surprises! Sing along to your favorite tunes like "The Ants Go Marching" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," as well as original songs including "Leg Up on You!" and "Chuck It In." We even get to meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar in a colorful and hilarious adaptation. Puppeteers Brenda Huggins and Phil Berman combine their talents as puppeteers, early childhood educators, and exceptional musicians — Huggins is a classically trained soprano and Berman is the singer-songwriter frontman of Americana-vaudeville band Phil and the Flying Leap — to create an engaging and interactive puppetry experience ideal for the very young and their grown-ups.

May 11 - 12, 2024
10:30am & 1:00pm

$16

Riparian Rhapsody - FAMILY

Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

Kingston Earth Fair - TR Gallo Park
30 Rondout Landing
Saugerties, NY
armofthesea.org/see-a-show

Riparian Rhapsody is a puppet and mask extravaganza that dives into Catskill ecology to reveal the intricate interactions between Forest & Stream and lyrically makes the case for protecting streamside buffer zones. Featuring stunning visuals, live music, and a singing Bear! This puppet show is great for all ages.

May 11, 2024
11:15am

Additional dates:
May 25th - Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville NY - 3pm
May 26th - Arts Inn Collective, Fleischmanns NY - 6pm

A Slice of Crazy Pie: A Marionette Cabaret

Madison J. Cripps

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/05/17/a-slice-of-crazy-pie-a-marionette-cabaret

Ladies and gentlemen, funky folk and party people, step into the kooky world of A Slice of Crazy Pie, a cabaret-style marionette puppet show that will have you shivering, laughing, and wondering if you had too much to drink. Much like his handlebar mustache, Madison J. Cripps will twirl you and his marionettes around to take you on a journey exploring everything from ecology to the human condition. Meet eccentric characters, visit imaginary locales, and join Madison in considering whether the puppets are really alright. Accompanied by eerie harmonica and interactive hijinks, this raunchy one-man show combines vaudeville-esque showmanship with marionette storytelling in one wild ride you don’t want to miss.

May 17 - 18, 2024
8:00pm

$35

The Legend of the Banana Kid

Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers

Photo by: Photo courtesy of Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers

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

Little Chucky heads to the Wild West to outwit outlaws in this cowboy adventure! With a fistful of bananas, Chucky rides into town on his trusty goat for a showdown with Big Bad Bart and his gang of bandits. The Legend of the Banana Kid features 20 hand-crafted glove, mouth and rod puppets, and a slew of flying and twirling styrofoam bananas. Recommended for ages 4+. The show runtime is approximately 45 minutes.

May 18, 2024
11 am EST

Adults $12 / Members & Seniors $10 / Students $8 / Kids $6 (12 years and under)

The Selfish Giant

The Puppet & Its Double Theatre (TAIWAN)

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/the-selfish-giant/

The Selfish Giant is a timeless family-friendly theatrical production based on the classic story by Oscar Wilde. This heartwarming tale follows the journey of a selfish giant who learns about the true meaning of friendship and generosity through the innocence of children. The production combines captivating storytelling, enchanting visuals, and a talented cast to create a magical experience for audiences of all ages.

May 24 - 26, 2024
Friday at 7:00pm
Saturday at 11:00am
Sunday at 2:00pm

$22

The Fairy Tailor - FAMILY

Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/06/01/the-fairy-tailor

Meet the Fairy Tailor, hard at work in her enchanted shop, where dressing racks and laundry baskets are known to have a mind of their own. Watch as she transforms everyday garments into extraordinary characters, and shares stories of bravery, from “Little Red Riding Hood(ie),” to “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” With the audience’s help, the Fairy Tailor summons the courage to take a stand against a giant, crafting a solution that combines cleverness with creativity. This whimsical, interactive production is guaranteed to inspire audiences of all ages.

June 1 - 8, 2024
10:30am & 1:00pm

$18

National Puppetry Conference Public Performances

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

Photo by: Richard Termine / Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

305 Great Neck Road
Waterford, CT
theoneill.org/pup

The National Puppetry Conference provides a meeting and creating ground for master artisans to pass their craft and ingenuity to new artists in the field of puppetry. Participants gather from across the globe to create works that defy the bounds of contemporary theater and the imagination.

June 14 - 15, 2024

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.

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

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

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 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

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