Summer is here! 😎

… And we’re kicking off our Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays series with a hilarious, hand-crafted farce: Judy Saves The Day by Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion on Sunday, July 12!

Plus — see this show at our Summer Outdoor Series in the Boston Common on Saturday, July 11!

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Mainstage | Shows for Kids & Families
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Jul 12
Judy Saves The Day by Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion | Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays!

July 12 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

A hilarious, hand-crafted farce inspired by the tradition of Punch and Judy puppet shows, featuring a hungry alligator, peppy cheerleaders, and more!

Recommended for ages 4 - 10
Hand puppetry

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Jul 19
Party Animals by Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion | Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays!

July 19 (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.

Recommended for ages 5 - 10
Hand puppetry

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Jul 26
A Pirate’s Great Adventure by Peanut's Playhouse | Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays!

Jul 26 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am

Join Pirate Kasandra and her puppet pals for an interactive high-seas adventure full of surprises, laughter, and treasure hunting!

Recommended for ages 5 - 8
Soft puppets

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Aug 2
Magnificent Monster Circus by CactusHead Puppets | Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays!

Aug 2 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am

Encounter magnificent creatures from the wilds of your imagination as their quirky human caretaker tries to teach them new tricks in this colorful show from CactusHead Puppets!

Recommended for ages 3 - 7
Mixed puppetry styles, including table top and direct manipulation

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Aug 9
The Tiny Bird Show by Carole D'Agostino | Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays!

Aug 9 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am

The Tiny Bird Show is an interactive miniature puppet show about the joy of backyard birds! Learn fun facts about each bird — including their songs, what they eat, and how you can bring them to your feeder.

Enjoyed by all ages, 5 - 105!
Rod puppets, toy theater

Kids Puppetry Workshops & Vacation week Programs
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Aug 17
Summer Puppet Adventure for Rising 2nd - 7th Graders with Sarah Nolen - Session 1

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.

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

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Aug 24
Summer Puppet Adventure for Rising 2nd - 7th Graders with Sarah Nolen - Session 2

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.

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

Puppets at Night | Shows and Classes for Adults & Teens
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Aug 15
Summer Puppet Slam

Aug 15 (Sat) 2026: 8:00 pm

Join us for an evening of short-form puppetry for adults, featuring a range of puppetry styles and a guaranteed good time.

Recommended for adults and teens 16+

News & Blog Posts
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The New England Theatre Geek, “Slapstick reverie: ‘Death and the Fool: A Tarot-Inspired Medieval Folly’”

“Death, the Fool eventually learns, is inevitable, so why not make merry and dance our way to the end?”

Read more →
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The Boston Globe, “For Black puppeteers, the hardest part wasn’t the craft, it was finding each other”

The Boston Globe spoke with CRBP leadership team about the residency program.

Read more →
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Majeedah Johnson | CRBP Artist Spotlight

“The Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers is a heart-centered community. I am grateful for the dialogue, constructive feedback and support from this incredible group,” says Majeedah

Read more →
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Danyett Tucker | CRBP Artist Spotlight

“Being inspired by other brilliant black artists has been the most rewarding and beneficial part of this experience. I’m a sponge and a lifelong learner. Everything they are doing gets me excited,” says Danyett

Read more →
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Beyonce Armstrong | CRBP Artist Spotlight

“The residency validated that puppetry can be a serious tool for examining power and telling stories that matter to our communities,'‘ says Beyonce.

Read more →
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Samuel J. Lewis, II | CRBP Artist Spotlight

“It is such a pleasure to get to know other Black puppeteers, witness the breadth and diversity of our practices, and create in proximity to each other,” says Samuel.

Read more →
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The Harvard Crimson, “Puppet Showplace Theater’s ‘Rapunzel’: Slapstick Comedy Shines in a Dynamic Medium”

“While this production was advertised for young children, the creativity and ingenuity of the adaptation had something to offer for everyone.”

Read more →
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Brookline News, “Duck on hand, a Brookline puppeteer tackles life, death and politics”

“People think that puppets are just for kids,” Dr. Linn told Brookline News.. “But it’s a really powerful medium that can be both very funny and very moving all at the same time.”

Read more →
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The New England Theatre Geek, “We Didn’t Start the Fire. The Princess Did. Because She’s Petty: ‘The Fiery Mountain and Its Princess’”

 “The show gave its viewers a kind of intergenerational abundance, in which culture, humor, and shared humanity are passed from one place to another, one generation to the next,” wrote Lu.

Read more →
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Sampan "Hand in Glove" — Featuring "The Fiery Mountain and Its Princess"

Recently, Sampan, the only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England, spoke with Margaret Moody and Madeleine Beresford of Galapagos Puppets, as well as musician Jimmy Zhao, about their upcoming show The Fiery Mountain and Its Princess: A Monkey King Tale.

Read more →
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Meet the Artists of the 2026 Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers

We are thrilled to officially announce the artists of Puppet Showplace Theater’s 2026 Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers!

Read more →
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Tricky Riddles, Haitian Folklore, & An Adventurous World Premiere!

On November 15 & 16, 2025, families and puppetry-lovers filled Puppet Showplace with chatter and laughter, gathered for the world premiere of Jokes with Josue + The Tales of Turtle Boy.

Read more →
 

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Our Mission

Puppet Showplace Theater is dedicated to presenting outstanding puppetry to diverse audiences through performances, workshops, and community outreach activities.

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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.