National Puppetry Conference

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

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

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
305 Great Neck Road
Waterford, CT
www.theoneill.org/pup
860-443-5378

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.

Green Feather Foundation Classes and Workshops

https://www.greenfeather.org/

Please visit Green Feather Foundation to find out about upcoming crafernoons, workshops, and other related events!

Worlds of Puppets Workshops

Bernd Ogrodnik

Online
https://worldsofpuppets.com/online-courses/

In our Online Courses, I not only pass on my personal approach towards puppetry and what I consider to be the backbone for a successful and fulfilling career but also offer detailed instructions in constructing the innovative control systems I have developed over the years, for projects like the epic marionette movie “Strings” or my trademark performance Metamorphosis.

See website for details

Curious School of Puppetry Professional Training Program

St Barnabas Dalston
Shacklewell Row
London
https://www.curiouspuppetry.com/curious-professional

Looking to take your puppetry skills to the next level? Look no further than the Curious School of Puppetry's 8-week intensive professional training program! Designed each year for a group of 16 puppeteers, artists, and theatre makers who want to explore the limitless possibilities of puppetry, our program is practise based and offers a unique blend of technical instruction and artistic exploration. Led by experienced puppetry professionals and working artists who share their particular perspectives and working practices in a wholly practical approach.

Explore Puppetry Series

Center for Puppetry Arts

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/education/education-programming/
404-873-3391

The Explore Puppetry Series offers courses for adults ages 18+ who want to learn more about puppetry. Different classes are offered throughout the year.

Professional Puppetry Training Program

WonderSpark Puppets

Photo by: WonderSpark Puppets

The Jim Henson Carriage House, NYC
225 E 67th St
New York, NY
wondersparkpuppets.com/puppet-workshops-adults

Are you new to puppetry, looking for a first step or introductory intensive to begin your career? Our professional training program offers access to specialized puppetry skills to all new puppeteers. Our goal is to help foster a diverse new generation of puppet theater professionals through fun and engaging sessions where participants perform, build, and learn traditional techniques. By the end of the final session, students will be ready to move on to auditions, entry-level positions or further studies. This program runs at the Jim Henson Carriage House in partnership with the Green Feather Foundation.

The professional training program runs 2 months and classes meet once per week, with homework on the side. Participants engage through structured learning with performance and building. Puppeteers are provided with the support of a skilled mentor to assist and enhance critical hands-on learning. The program is pay-what-you-can, with a suggested cost of $80 (that's $10 per session).

Ongoing, seasonal

pay-what-you-can

Mastering the Marionette

Puppets in Prague

Online
https://tinyurl.com/45d8tmdm

Join Mirek Trejtnar, author of Puppet Technology, in this course that draws from the centuries-old tradition of Czech marionettes. You will learn to design and carve marionettes with exceptional craftsmanship and gain an understanding of essential storytelling considerations. On the journey, you will get inspired by the rich heritage of Czech puppetry and access to a supportive community of passionate puppeteers. And at the end, you will understand how to make a marionette for the theatre, not just to decorate a wall.

October 1, 2025 - June 1, 2026
See website for details

€650.00

Puppet Building Office Hours with James Ortiz

Little Shadow Productions

Zoom
Zoom
Brooklyn, NY
LittleShadowProductions.com/puppet-building

PRE-SEASON LAUNCH EVENT!

Puppet Building Office Hours is a monthly, community-centered space designed to support the builders and makers in our field—whether you’re just starting out, experimenting with new materials, or refining a long-standing practice.

This week's open, conversational office hour, invites you to pick the brain of award-winning puppet builder, designer and director, James Ortiz. His Milky White for the Broadway revival of Into the Woods as well as his dinosaurs from Lincoln Center’s The Skin of Our Teeth have become fan favorites and tattoos! James's most recent work can be seen in Amazon/MGM Studio's "Project Hail Mary" with Ryan Gosling.

May 17, 2026
2pm et

15

Improv for TV Puppetry with Sarah Nolen

Little Shadow Productions

Zoom
Online
Online, NY
https://www.littleshadowproductions.com/offers/XqW9swr6/checkout

2 90-minute sessions covering the art of Improv through the lens of TV Puppetry!

May 17 - 24, 2026
5pm EST

$75

Improv for TV Puppetry with Sarah Nolen

Little Shadow Productions

Zoom
Online
Online, NY
https://www.littleshadowproductions.com/offers/XqW9swr6/checkout

2 90-minute sessions covering the art of Improv through the lens of TV Puppetry!

May 17 - 24, 2026
5pm EST

$75

It's in the Bag! Exploring Table-Top Bag Puppetry

Mike Horner/What iF Puppets

Photo by: Mike Horner

Online Zoom Workshop for Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St. NW
Atlanta, GA
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2rWMYbWzRCilEoMqrVJ1eA#/registration

At its most basic, the Bag Puppet consists of nothing more than a head on top of a stuffed sack. Yet this deceptively simple tabletop puppet can become as effective an actor as a puppet with articulated joints, complex mechanisms, or even limbs!

Invented by French puppeteer Patrick Conan, the Bag Puppet is an effective tool for both solo storytelling and ensemble pieces. In this virtual workshop, you will see examples of this type of puppet in action and learn tips on how to make a basic Bag Puppet of your own. Lead by Mike Horner, Director of Puppetry Arts with What iF Puppets

May 19, 2026
7pm EST

$30

Kuruma Ningy Technique with Master Puppeteer Kory Nishikawa V and Tom Lee

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Photo by: Philamonjaro

Chicago Puppet Fest Studio in the Fine Arts Building
410 S. Michigan Ave, Studio 433, Chicago, IL 60605
Chicago, IL
https://chicagopuppetfest.org/kuruma-ningyo-technique-with-master-puppeteer-koryu-nishikawa-v/

Chicago Puppet Festival presents an extraordinary opportunity to experience the 160 year old Japanese traditional puppetry style kuruma ningy (cart puppetry). Fifth Generation Master Puppeteer Kory Nishikawa V, headmaster of Hachiji Kuruma Ningy in Japan, will lead a master class with assistance from his student Tom Lee. English translation will be provided by Anna Okuda.

Kuruma Ningy is a unique solo puppetry tradition related to the Bunraku-style or sanninzukai (three person puppetry). A puppeteer sits on a wheeled cart (rokuro kuruma) and holds the head and arms of the puppet figure in their hands. The heels of the puppet figure are held between the toes of the puppeteer. The puppeteer moves around the stage on the wheeled cart, creating one of the world’s most expressive single puppeteer forms.

This six hour workshop has two parts. First, cultural context, warmup, sanninzukai movement training and preparation for the form will be taught by Tom Lee. After a break, Kory Nishikawa V will begin a masterclass translated by Anna Okuda. Puppets will include traditional and contemporary kuruma ningy-style puppets as well as traditional and contemporary carts.

Students will receive a pair of puppetry training sticks inspired by traditional methods to continue their practice at home.

May 31, 2026
Schedule: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (with 1hr lunch break)
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Movement Training and Preparation with Tom Lee
2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Masterclass with Koryu Nishikawa V translated by Anna Okuda

288

Los Angeles - One-Day Puppet Making Workshop - 06/28/2026

Puppetry Plus - Los Angeles

Photo by: Roberto Ferreira

Puppetry Plus West Hollywood Campus
8581 Santa Monica Blvd #476
West Hollywood, CA
https://www.puppetryplus.com/product-page/los-angeles-one-day-puppet-making-workshop-02

Spend a Day at Puppetry Plus Creating Your Own Puppet!
Join us for a hands-on, 7-hour class where you'll cut, glue, and sew your own unique version of our monster puppet pattern. The design is simple, beginner-friendly, and endlessly customizable—so the character you bring to life is entirely up to you (and your glue gun).

Fair Warning:
This class has been known to spark a serious love of puppetry. If you find yourself signing up for the rest of our courses… don’t say we didn’t warn you.

June 28, 2026
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with a one-hour lunch break)

250

In-person Puppet Therapy Training – July 2026 in Barcelona

Barcelona Puppet Therapy Association (BCN)

Photo by: Puppet Therapy BCN

ESPACIO La Sala
Ortigosa 14, Barcelona.
(central Barcelona, near the Gothic Quarter).
Barcelona, Spain
www.puppettherapybcn.com

Four-day intensive in-person training in Barcelona (July 1–4, 2026) focused on the exploration of embodiment, shame, trauma, and memory. It is based on theoretical approaches such as Polyvagal Theory, enactive cognition, and the somatic marker hypothesis, while also integrating relational thinking and object-based approaches.

The program proposes experiential and creative practices where the body, perception, and objects are in dialogue, using puppets and animated forms. Shame is addressed as a bodily and silent experience, working toward its transformation through practices that support resilience and emotional regulation using the NeuroPuppetry™ method.

July 1 - 4, 2026
In-person Training (July 1–4 | Central Barcelona)

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New England Puppet Intensive

New England Puppet Arts

Photo by: Carlos Caicedo

Historic Eclipse Mill
243 Union St.
North Adams, MA
https://newenglandpuppet.org/puppet-intensive.html

After a year abroad in Canada, NEPI returns this summer to the beautiful Berkshires of Massachusetts with the Design and Construction Edition. Immerse yourself in the ultimate studio experience as we engage in a unique design laboratory with a fully stocked, puppet-making workshop at the Historic Eclipse Mill.
Woven throughout the Intensive is a mindful and physical practice — allowing time for reflection, and the opportunity to explore creative thinking that may dovetail with expressive design. Daily yoga, mindful walks, and visits to the world renowned Clark Art Institute and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) will fuel our creative energy and aid in creating a grounded posture from which to work.

July 10 - 20, 2026
Arrive in time for dinner on the 10th; depart after breakfast on the 20th
?Program hours: 9am – 9pm, most days

$1450 USD — Includes instruction, materials, + family style lunch & dinner. Accommodations available starting at $50/night.

Beginning Professional Puppet Building Workshop

Puppetry Plus - Los Angeles

Puppetry Plus West Hollywood Campus
8581 Santa Monica Blvd., #476
West Hollywood, CA
https://www.puppetryplus.com/product-page/los-angeles-beginning-professional-puppet-building

Join us for a 3-day hands-on workshop that introduces several ways of creating a professional foam rubber puppet. You will get a comprehensive overview of "Muppet-style" puppet building covering different kinds of materials and techniques, including both rod-arm and live-hand designs. You will go step-by-step, tracing, cutting, gluing, and sewing (both by hand and using a sewing machine), and on the final day, have a new furry friend to take home.

July 17 - 20, 2026
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (includes a 1-hour lunch break)

450

18th Edition – International Online Course in Puppet Therapy 2026 (in Spanish)

Puppet Therapy Association Barcelona

Photo by: Puppet Therapy BCN

Online via Zoom, all sessions are recorded.
Based in Barcelona, Spain.
Barcelona, AK
www.puppettherapybcn.com

Connect with professionals from around the world and explore the therapeutic potential of puppets and objects through a creative and neuro-informed approach.

The NeuroPuppetry Method™ is a neuro-informed therapeutic approach that uses the animation of puppets and objects to activate somatic memory and support mind-body integration. It is a creative and safe process that promotes emotional regulation and work with memory and trauma.

July 24 - September 25, 2026
July – September 2026
Online via Zoom
Thursday | 17:00 – 21:00 (Madrid time)
All sessions are recorded and available for later viewing.

PRICING INFORMATION: Regular fee: €650

The MASS MoCA Wooden Puppet Lab

New England Puppet Arts

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
1040 MASS MoCA WAY
North Adams, MA
https://newenglandpuppet.org/mass-moca-residency.html

Join us for this unique hands-on workshop where we’ll dig deep into traditional European-style carving techniques and create beautiful wooden puppets together

Formal instruction and demonstrations begin each day at 9 am and run until dinner. The evenings include open studio and specialized programming such as a show-and-tell and puppet-film night. Field trips to the Clark Art Museum, forest hikes, and impromptu picnics can be organized as the spirit moves.
Topics include character design, technical drawings, carving skills, controls, puppet joints, painting, basic costume patterning, and more.
Registration closes: May 15.

July 30 - August 5, 2026
9 am to 9 pm daily

$1,250 USD (includes shared accommodations and some meals)

Wooden Puppetry Carving Course in Czech Republic

"Czech Pine"(Vladimír Sosna and Valerie Meiss)

Workshop of Vladimír Sosna
Sm?d?ice, Czech Republic
Plze?
https://drevoozije.cz/index.php/international

Vladimír Sosna (“Sosna”) has been teaching puppet carving workshops for 20 years with Czech and other European students, and now we (assisted by US puppetmaker Valerie Meiss) are holding international (English language) puppet carving courses. Spend 10 days in a quiet, but theatrical, Czech village, carving a puppet from linden wood of your own design (we help with the design, planning, and sketching phases before your arrival). We have a culture day to visit Plze?, one of the centers of Czech Puppetry, an UNESCO Heritage, the puppetry museum, and the workshop of Divadlo Alfa.
Food and Accomodation are included in the price, and we will stay onsite in a puppet maker's dream house. There is a village swimming pond for hot days, beautiful forest and nature around the workshop, and plenty of imaginative inspiration. Equal parts carving retreat and professional intensive. We look forward to having you.

July 31 - August 9, 2026
Small Performance of created work on the final day of the course: August 9, 2026

1.200 Euro (Food and Accomodation are included)

Theater Arts Intensive

Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

Photo by: David Radovanovic

Arm-of-the-Sea Tidewater Center
57 E. Bridge St
Saugerties, NY
https://www.armofthesea.org/theater-arts-intensive

This boot camp offers a crash course in the distinctive style of theater-making utilized by Arm-of-the-Sea. This professional level course is open to puppeteers of all levels who want to improve their skill, however, no experience is necessary.

Under the direction of Arm-of-the-Sea co-founder Patrick Wadden, workshop participants will help build, improvise, rehearse, and perform an original production presented as Arm-of-the-Sea’s 24th annual Esopus Creek Puppet Suite. Introductory techniques include: paper-mache construction, puppet animation, ensemble voiceovers, and mask performance.

August 10th-16th, 12-9pm
Class days are August 10th-14th, with performances the 14th, 15th & 16th.
Held at the Arm-of-the-Sea Tidewater Center in Saugerties, NY. No lodging provided but camping is possible. One meal per day provided. Please visit www.armofthesea.org for more info or email us at art@armofthesea.org
Open to adults and focused teens ages 16 & up.

August 10 - 16, 2026
August 10th-16th, 12-9pm
Class days are August 10th-14th, with performances the 14th, 15th & 16th.

$300

PUPPPET THERAPY SCHOOL Annual program 2026–2027 Barcelona Author-led training

Barcelona Puppet Therapy Association (BCN)

Photo by: Puppet Therapy BCN

ESPACIO La Sala.
Ortigosa 14, Barcelona.
(central Barcelona, near the Gothic Quarter).
Barcelona, Spain, AK
www.puppettherapybcn.com

Puppet Therapy School is an independent training program created by the founders of the NeuroPuppetry™ method, focused on embodied learning through the animation of puppets and objects as relational and therapeutic mediators. It offers a continuous process that integrates practice, reflection, and personal development over time.

The program combines monthly three-day in-person meetings in Barcelona with online sessions and individual mentoring, creating a steady rhythm of work and integration. It is a learning space guided directly by the method’s creators, with an ethical, situated, and deeply engaged approach to learning.

October 23, 2026 - July 11, 2027
Format of each in-person module: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Friday: 12:00 – 18:00
Saturday: 10:00 –19:00
Sunday: 10:00 –15:00
Online Sessions
Frequency: two Fridays per month, at the beginning and mid-month.

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Puppets in Prague - Online & In-Person Courses

New Workshops!

Puppets in Prague
puppetsinprague.eu

Choose from our wide range of top-quality long-term classes. With us you can turn your dreams into a reality, plus become a part of the flourishing Puppets in Prague community.
Marionette Carving In-Person - June 2024
Marionette Carving & Performance In-Person - August 2024
Automata: Online Course in 7 Modules - September 15, 2024 - April 28, 2025
Puppet Technology: Wooden Marionettes - September 2024 - March 2025

Distance Learning, The Center for Puppetry Arts - ONLINE

Center for Puppetry Arts

Center for Puppetry Arts, ONLINE
puppet.org/programs/?type=digital-learning-workshop

The Center for Puppetry Arts uses the latest technology to offer nationwide Distance Learning programs for PreK-adult through videoconferencing, webinars, and streamed content. Arts-infused workshops are conducted via videoconferencing and are tailored to specific classroom topics and curriculum for K-12 groups. For K-5, hands-on puppet building integrates with science, social studies, language arts and other disciplines to create a dynamic, interactive virtual classroom for a virtual field trip experience. Middle School/High School programs are discussion based. Programs complement national curriculum standards in language arts, social studies, science, math and other areas. The Center provides a comprehensive study guide and materials list for most programs. Webinars (both live and streamed) and streamed workshops and lectures are available for teachers seeking demos and professional development (also available via videoconferencing). Streamed workshops are also ideal for anyone interested in learning about puppetry.