Let’s get slammin’

Adults and teens: Join us this Saturday night for our long-awaited Summer Puppet Slam! Come enjoy an evening of short-form puppetry acts, featuring a range of puppetry styles, and a guaranteed good time!

Plus —  All ages are welcome to meet us at our Summer Outdoor Series on the Boston Common this Saturday for performances of SpinS by Janoah...anygoodjokes?

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Summer Outdoor Series | Shows for Families on the Boston Common
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Aug 13
Magnificent Monster Circus by CactusHead Puppets at TADPole10 | SUMMER OUTDOOR SERIES

Aug 13 (Thu) 2026: 10:30 am at TADPole10, at the Tadpole Playground in the Boston Common

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

Read more →
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Aug 15
SpinS by Janoah...anygoodjokes? at Uncommon Corner | SUMMER OUTDOOR SERIES

Aug 15 (Sat) 2026: 12:00 pm at Emerson College’s Stage at UnCommon Corner in the Boston Common

A pajama-clad unicyclist careens on stage, suitcase in tow. Unpacking, ze introduces the audience to a whimsical world of clothes-pin towers, erratic toothbrushes & gargantuan grins!

All ages welcome!
Juggling, puppetry, and more

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Aug 22
Magnificent Monster Circus by CactusHead Puppets at Uncommon Corner | SUMMER OUTDOOR SERIES

Aug 22 (Sat) 2026: 12:00 pm at Emerson College’s Stage at UnCommon Corner in the Boston Common

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

Read more →
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Aug 29
The Loose Caboose by Harry LaCoste at Uncommon Corner | SUMMER OUTDOOR SERIES

Aug 29 (Sat) 2026: 12:00 pm at Emerson College’s Stage at UnCommon Corner in the Boston Common

When his caboose is stranded, a train engineer discovers puppet characters and enchanting musical stories inside a suitcase!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 7
Hand puppets, live music, and more

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Mainstage | Shows for Kids & Families

More Mainstage shows coming soon! Stay tuned for our fall season.

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!

Read more →
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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!

Read more →
Puppets at Night | Shows and Classes for Adults & Teens
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Aug 15
Summer Puppet Slam — Hosted by Tyler Kitten

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+

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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?”

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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!

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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.