Wednesday December 31, 2025 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Puppet Showplace Theater returns to First Night Boston with two shows that will have you and your kiddos grinning from ear to ear!

Find the full First Night Boston schedule and details on the First Night Boston website!

Jan 1 (Thu) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

Jan 2 (Fri) 2026: 10:30am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

Jan 3 (Sat) 2026: 10:30am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

Jan 4 (Sun) 2026: 10:30am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

Jan 17 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

Jan 18 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm (PWYC)

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

Jan 19 (Mon) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm — Martin Luther King Jr. Day

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

Jan 24 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

Jan 25 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

Jan 31 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Party Animals follows five furry friends as they navigate the biggest social hurdle of their young lives — throwing their first party! Featuring incredibly catchy, original rock 'n' roll music.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Hand puppetry

Feb 1 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Party Animals follows five furry friends as they navigate the biggest social hurdle of their young lives — throwing their first party! Featuring incredibly catchy, original rock 'n' roll music.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Hand puppetry

Feb 7 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

How do you take a picture of a snow crystal?! Inspired by a true story, The Snowflake Man swings audiences into the iconic 1920s.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Czech-style marionettes and pop-ups

Feb 8 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

How do you take a picture of a snow crystal?! Inspired by a true story, The Snowflake Man swings audiences into the iconic 1920s.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Czech-style marionettes and pop-ups

Feb 14 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Join mischievous Monkey King in taming a fiery mountain and winning a magical fan from the powerful Princess in this episode of the classic Chinese adventure story Journey to the West. 

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 12
Bu Dai Xi hand puppets, masks, and live music

Feb 15 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Join mischievous Monkey King in taming a fiery mountain and winning a magical fan from the powerful Princess in this episode of the classic Chinese adventure story Journey to the West. 

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 12
Bu Dai Xi hand puppets, masks, and live music

Feb 16 (Mon) 2026: 10:30 am

Join mischievous Monkey King in taming a fiery mountain and winning a magical fan from the powerful Princess in this episode of the classic Chinese adventure story Journey to the West. 

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 12
Bu Dai Xi hand puppets, masks, and live music

Feb 17 (Tues) 2026: 10:30 am

Join mischievous Monkey King in taming a fiery mountain and winning a magical fan from the powerful Princess in this episode of the classic Chinese adventure story Journey to the West. 

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 12
Bu Dai Xi hand puppets, masks, and live music

Feb 19 (Thurs) 2026: 10:30 am

Three Little Pigs build their houses of hay, wood and bricks — but will they withstand the Big Bad Wolf? The classic tale retold with hilarious puppet pigs and a silly wolf!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 6
Tabletop puppets

Feb 20 (Fri) 2026: 10:30 am

Three Little Pigs build their houses of hay, wood and bricks — but will they withstand the Big Bad Wolf? The classic tale retold with hilarious puppet pigs and a silly wolf!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 6
Tabletop puppets

Feb 21 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Three Little Pigs build their houses of hay, wood and bricks — but will they withstand the Big Bad Wolf? The classic tale retold with hilarious puppet pigs and a silly wolf!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 6
Tabletop puppets

Feb 22 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm (PWYC)

Three Little Pigs build their houses of hay, wood and bricks — but will they withstand the Big Bad Wolf? The classic tale retold with hilarious puppet pigs and a silly wolf!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 6
Tabletop puppets

Feb 28 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Princesses can be named after vegetables and witches can have good intentions, in this charming rendition of a classic story.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Glove puppets

March 1 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Princesses can be named after vegetables and witches can have good intentions, in this charming rendition of a classic story.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Glove puppets

March 7 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Princesses can be named after vegetables and witches can have good intentions, in this charming rendition of a classic story.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Glove puppets

March 8 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Princesses can be named after vegetables and witches can have good intentions, in this charming rendition of a classic story.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Glove puppets

Mar 14 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Four original stories and a choose-your-own-adventure, brought to life using nothing but cardboard and the power of your imagination!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 11
Mixed puppetry styles

Mar 15 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Four original stories and a choose-your-own-adventure, brought to life using nothing but cardboard and the power of your imagination!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 11
Mixed puppetry styles

March 21 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Join "bona fide fairy princess" Charlotte Lily Gaspard for enchanting original fairy tales and songs by Midnight Radio Show!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Shadow puppetry and live original music

March 22 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm (PWYC)

Join "bona fide fairy princess" Charlotte Lily Gaspard for enchanting original fairy tales and songs by Midnight Radio Show!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Shadow puppetry and live original music

Feb 16 (Mon) - Feb 20 (Fri) 2026 | 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Explore storytelling and performance with Fantastic Fairy Tales! In this one-week program, kids will dive into the art of storytelling, building skills in narration, structure, and presentation.

2nd - 7th Graders
7th - 9th Graders can apply to be a Junior Puppet Counselor!

Apr 20 (Mon) - Apr 24 (Fri) 2026 | 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Calling all kids who love butterflies, nature, bugs, and puppets! In Butterflies!, you’ll learn about the life cycle of butterflies and build your own puppet stage, plus rod and shadow puppets to complete it.

2nd - 7th Graders
7th - 9th Graders can apply to be a Junior Puppet Counselor!

Aug 17 (Mon) - Aug 21 (Fri) 2026 | 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Dive into one exciting style of puppetry while exploring a variety of others — shadow puppets, sock puppets, marionettes, and more! Kids will roll up their sleeves to learn hands-on techniques to build puppets, and also practice performance and storytelling skills.

Rising 2nd - 7th Graders
Rising 7th - 9th Graders can apply to be a Junior Puppet Counselor!

Aug 24 (Mon) - Aug 28 (Fri) 2026 | 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Dive into one exciting style of puppetry while exploring a variety of others — shadow puppets, sock puppets, marionettes, and more! Kids will roll up their sleeves to learn hands-on techniques to build puppets, and also practice performance and storytelling skills.

Rising 2nd - 7th Graders
Rising 7th - 9th Graders can apply to be a Junior Puppet Counselor!

Jan 20 (Tues) & Jan 22 (Thurs) | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Jump into marionettes with this two-day evening workshop — perfect for beginners!

Recommended for adults and teens 13+

Jan 27, Feb 3, Feb 10, Feb 17 (Tues) 2026 | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Discover the movement and stories within different materials in this four-session weekly class, culminating in a short performance!

Recommended for adults 18+

Feb 6 (Fri) 2026: 8:00 pm

Something wicked creeps beyond the veil and into this world… Tempus CarniVEIL blends poetry and puppetry into a sensory feast that blurs the line between abstraction and nostalgia.

Recommended for adults and teens ages 14+
Cantastoria, string, hand & more

Feb 24, Mar 3, Mar 10, Mar 17, Mar 24 (Tues) 2026 | 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

What do translucent buffalo hides and overhead projectors have in common? Find out (and make your own puppet!) in this introductory level class with Puppet Showplace’s Resident Artist Sarah Nolen.

Recommended for adults and teens 16+

March 11 (Wed) 2025: 8:00 pm

Join Susan and her trusty avian sidekick in pondering the important questions of life, death, art, and the universe.

Recommended for adults 18+
Ventriloquism and hand puppetry

March 12 (Thu) 2025: 8:00 pm

Join Susan and her trusty avian sidekick in pondering the important questions of life, death, art, and the universe.

Recommended for adults 18+
Ventriloquism and hand puppetry

March 19 (Thurs) 2026 | 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Join playwright, director, and puppeteer Charlotte Lily Gaspard of Midnight Radio Show for an overview of the methods (and madness!) behind her collective's magical realist approach to creating live performance.

Recommended for adults 18+

March 26 (Thurs) 2026 | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Step into the vibrant world of traditional Turkish shadow theater in this three-hour, hands-on workshop

Recommended for adults and teens 13+

Mar 27 (Fri) 2026: 8:00 pm

Humor, tradition, and the fantastical intertwine across cultures in this modern twist on one of the oldest Turkish literary works.

Recommended for adults and teens ages 13+
Shadow puppetry