It’s a Puppet Palooza!
Spend winter break with us, as Pumpernickel Puppets performs colorful, interactive retellings of classic stories, like The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Peter Rabbit.
Plus, Saturday January 28 at 1:00 pm is Pay-What-You-Can tickets!
Ensure that Puppet Showplace thrives for 50 more years to come! By donating to Puppet Showplace, you can help share awesome puppetry, champion artistry, and welcome everyone.
Dec 23 (Mon): 10:30 am (SOLD OUT) | 1:00 pm (SOLD OUT)
Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!
All ages welcome, recommended for 2-9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music
Dec 24 (Tues): 10:30 am (SOLD OUT) | 1:00 pm (SOLD OUT)
Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!
All ages welcome, recommended for 2-9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music
Dec 27 (Fri): 10:30 am (SOLD OUT) | 1:00 pm
Three classic tales make up this wonderful animal-inspired vacation week series — The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Lion and the Mouse, and Peter Rabbit.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets
Dec 28 (Sat): 10:30 am | 1:00 pm (PWYC)
Three classic tales make up this wonderful animal-inspired vacation week series — The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Lion and the Mouse, and Peter Rabbit.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets
Dec 29 (Sun): 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Three classic tales make up this wonderful animal-inspired vacation week series — The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Lion and the Mouse, and Peter Rabbit.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets
Dec 31 (Tues): 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm
Three classic tales make up this wonderful animal-inspired vacation week series — The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Lion and the Mouse, and Peter Rabbit.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets
Jan 1 (Wed): 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm
Three classic tales make up this wonderful animal-inspired vacation week series — The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Lion and the Mouse, and Peter Rabbit.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets
Jan 11 ( Sat): 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
A baby bird goes on a voyage of growth, flight, and the changing seasons in this heartwarming story.
All ages welcome, recommended for 1 - 6
Hand puppetry and live music
Jan 12 ( Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm (PWYC)
A baby bird goes on a voyage of growth, flight, and the changing seasons in this heartwarming story.
All ages welcome, recommended for 1 - 6
Hand puppetry and live music
Jan 18 ( Sat): 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
The Light House is an interactive shadow puppetry tale that celebrates kindness, magic adventures, and friendship!
All ages welcome, recommended for 3 - 8
Shadow puppetry and interactive performance
Jan 19 ( Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
The Light House is an interactive shadow puppetry tale that celebrates kindness, magic adventures, and friendship!
All ages welcome, recommended for 3 - 8
Shadow puppetry and interactive performance
Jan 20 (Mon) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm
The classic story of a young woman whose good heart transports her from rags to royalty, with a few unexpected twists!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4-8
Marionettes
Jan 25 ( Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Join mischievous Monkey King in saving a village from a hungry river monster!
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Bu Dai Xi hand puppetry and live music
Jan 26 ( Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Join mischievous Monkey King in saving a village from a hungry river monster!
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Bu Dai Xi hand puppetry and live music
Feb 1 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
A gloriously silly and inventive ode to the feelings we have when we choose our clothes… and what happens when our clothes come to life.
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by 3 - 8
Mixed puppetry styles
Feb 2 ( Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
A gloriously silly and inventive ode to the feelings we have when we choose our clothes… and what happens when our clothes come to life.
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by 3 - 8
Mixed puppetry styles
Feb 8 ( Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Help Sylvie and her family of homespun creatures find a new home in this joyously silly and deeply poignant show.
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by 3 - 13
Mixed puppetry styles
Feb 9 ( Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Help Sylvie and her family of homespun creatures find a new home in this joyously silly and deeply poignant show.
Recommended for all ages, especially enjoyed by 3 - 13
Mixed puppetry styles
Feb 15 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Whimsical marionette lions, recycled dinosaurs, and found-object “moving sculptures” — enter the wonderful world of Jeghetto’s workshop!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 10
Marionettes and rod puppets
Feb 16 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm (PWYC)
Whimsical marionette lions, recycled dinosaurs, and found-object “moving sculptures” — enter the wonderful world of Jeghetto’s workshop!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 10
Marionettes and rod puppets
Feb 17 (Mon) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm
Whimsical marionette lions, recycled dinosaurs, and found-object “moving sculptures” — enter the wonderful world of Jeghetto’s workshop!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 10
Marionettes and rod puppets
Feb 18 (Tues) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Whimsical marionette lions, recycled dinosaurs, and found-object “moving sculptures” — enter the wonderful world of Jeghetto’s workshop!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 10
Marionettes and rod puppets
March 8 ( Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Join Coati and a cast of Mexican wildlife for three original stories celebrating tacos and the place they were created.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Hand puppetry
March 9 ( Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm (PWYC)
Join Coati and a cast of Mexican wildlife for three original stories celebrating tacos and the place they were created.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Hand puppetry
March 15 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
When the Grimm family’s fabulous contraption malfunctions, they have to invent a new way of storytelling on the spot, with some help from the audience!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10
Mixed puppetry styles and live music
March 22 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
When the Grimm family’s fabulous contraption malfunctions, they have to invent a new way of storytelling on the spot, with some help from the audience!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10
Mixed puppetry styles and live music
March 23 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
When the Grimm family’s fabulous contraption malfunctions, they have to invent a new way of storytelling on the spot, with some help from the audience!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10
Mixed puppetry styles and live music
March 29 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Dive beneath the ocean’s sparkly surface to a wild and dripping-wet world — featuring actual underwater puppets!
Puppet Showplace Theater's Incubator Program is proud to present the world premiere of this new, underwater version of Little Big Eye!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 – 8
Underwater puppetry, mixed puppetry styles, and original music
March 30 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
Dive beneath the ocean’s sparkly surface to a wild and dripping-wet world — featuring actual underwater puppets!
Puppet Showplace Theater's Incubator Program is proud to present the world premiere of this new, underwater version of Little Big Eye!
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 – 8
Underwater puppetry, mixed puppetry styles, and original music
Feb 17 (Mon) - Feb 21 (Fri) | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Puppetry is exercise for your imagination! Join the Teaching Artists of Puppet Showplace Theater for one week of fun puppet-building and performance activities during your school vacation week.
Open to students in grades 2–6; grades 7–9 can apply to be Junior Puppet Counselors!
Apr 21 (Mon) - Apr 25 (Fri) | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Puppetry is exercise for your imagination! Join the Teaching Artists of Puppet Showplace Theater for one week of fun puppet-building and performance activities during your school vacation week.
Open to students in grades 2–6; grades 7–9 can apply to be Junior Puppet Counselors!
Jan 16 (Thu) 2025 | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Use the sound of your own voice to explore an authentic “body language” in this one-evening workshop with visiting artist Natasha Mirny.
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13+
Tuesdays Jan 21 - Feb 11 2025 | 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Eastern
Been wanting to dip your toes into puppetry? This hands-on virtual class explores a range of puppetry styles and world traditions.
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13+
Jan 28 (Tue) 2025 | 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Eastern
Ever felt stuck when trying to describe your creative work for a grant application, pitch, or promotion? Get expert guidance from the Artistic Director Emerita of Puppet Showplace Theater in this live, online workshop.
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13+
Feb 13 (Thu) 2025 | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Learn and play with master puppeteer Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, as he shares his techniques born from years of experience in this hands-on workshop.
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13+
Feb 28 (Fri) 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 1 (Sat) 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
As I write this, Puppet Showplace is preparing to announce the 5th cohort of our Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers (CRBP). This program is expanding from two months to six months so that we can offer more support, mentorship, and community-building to support early-stage works by Black artists.
Now in its 5th year, Puppet Showplace’s Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers has invested in 20 Black artists since 2020 by supporting creative research at the earliest stage of production development.
This fall, shows that were nurtured at Puppet Showplace are spreading their wings, and performing at amazing venues all over Boston and New England.
“We've found that audiences really respond to the relaxed environment of an outdoor show. By nearly doubling the number of shows and quadrupling the neighborhoods reached, we aim to reach diverse communities and connect with new audiences through the joy of puppetry."
Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping Puppet Showplace kick off our 50th anniversary year so joyfully! Thank you for eating all the popcorn, playing with all the free-play puppets, filling our window with birthday flags and our sidewalk with chalk art.
On Sunday, June 2, we officially turned 50, and I came across a letter that touched me, written by Puppet Showplace Theater's founder Mary Churchill in 1990: "The theater will have existed for twenty years. How many other people have had the opportunity to set up and run a great place like this, that some will remember long after we are dead?"
We're still buzzing with excitement from the premiere run of Don't Make Me Get Dressed by The Gottabees last month! With over 1,700 attendees, the show was definitely a hit — 9 out of 23 performances were completely sold out.
As we move into our 50th anniversary year, Puppet Showplace is dedicated to expanding the impact of our programs — investing in new works of puppetry that uplift diverse artists and stories, so that every child (and every grownup) can encounter a fictional world that is as rich as the world we live in.
“Audience members still talk about Les Sages Fous’s previous sold-out visit to Puppet Showplace ten years ago,” shares Veronica Barron.
We’re pleased to announce our new Executive Artistic Director, Veronica Barron; our new Visiting Artistic Associate Ash Winkfield, and a first peek at our vision for PST’s 50th anniversary next year.
Over 50 puppetry fans joined together virtually and in-person to celebrate and learn about the work created by six spectacular Black puppetry artists of Puppet Showplace’s 2023 Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers.
Puppet Showplace Theater is dedicated to presenting outstanding puppetry to diverse audiences through performances, workshops, and community outreach activities.
Puppet Showplace Theater is supported by...
Puppet Showplace Theater is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts through the New England Arts Resilience Fund, part of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund, an initiative of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations and the Mellon Foundation, with major funding from the federal CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan from the National Endowment for the Arts.
It’s a summer afternoon and Natsumi, age 10, is here to express herself. She doesn’t want to act in a play — “I don't like it when eyes are on me,” — but she loves designing her own puppets and creating shows in our vacation week programs.