Apr 18 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

It’s the Year of the Horse! Join Horse for puppet skits, dances, songs, and Chinese sayings that celebrate the wit and wisdom of the Chinese Zodiac animals!

All ages welcome; recommended for everyone 3 and up!
Bu Dai Xi hand puppetry

Apr 19 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

It’s the Year of the Horse! Join Horse for puppet skits, dances, songs, and Chinese sayings that celebrate the wit and wisdom of the Chinese Zodiac animals!

All ages welcome; recommended for everyone 3 and up!
Bu Dai Xi hand puppetry

oin us Sunday, April 19at 11:30 am, for live music and more activities! Jimmy Zhao and Qin Jun will perform, using traditional Chinese instruments, after the morning performance of Hao Bang Ah! Horse!

Apr 20 (Mon) 2026: 10:30 am

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

Apr 21 (Tues) 2026: 10:30 am

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

April 23 (Thur) 2026: 10:30 am 

Who is George? He’s a tortoise, a GIANT TORTOISE! Based on a true story, this award-winning show tells the tale of a one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 12
Rod, hand, and shadow puppetry

April 24 (Fri) 2026: 10:30 am 

Who is George? He’s a tortoise, a GIANT TORTOISE! Based on a true story, this award-winning show tells the tale of a one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 12
Rod, hand, and shadow puppetry

April 25 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Who is George? He’s a tortoise, a GIANT TORTOISE! Based on a true story, this award-winning show tells the tale of a one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 12
Rod, hand, and shadow puppetry

April 26 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Who is George? He’s a tortoise, a GIANT TORTOISE! Based on a true story, this award-winning show tells the tale of a one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 12
Rod, hand, and shadow puppetry

May 2 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Who is George? He’s a tortoise, a GIANT TORTOISE! Based on a true story, this award-winning show tells the tale of a one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 12
Rod, hand, and shadow puppetry

May 3 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Who is George? He’s a tortoise, a GIANT TORTOISE! Based on a true story, this award-winning show tells the tale of a one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 12
Rod, hand, and shadow puppetry

May 9 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Meet Jamie, who loves to visit their very own cozy little cave —but one day, change follows them. They soon discover that what goes on in their cave is more extraordinary than they ever imagined!

Be among the first to see this world premiere from CactusHead Puppets — known for their delightful shows of mixed puppetry styles, like Magnificent Monster Circus and The Bremen Town Musicians!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Tabletop and shadow puppetry

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

Meet Jamie, who loves to visit their very own cozy little cave —but one day, change follows them. They soon discover that what goes on in their cave is more extraordinary than they ever imagined!

Be among the first to see this world premiere from CactusHead Puppets — known for their delightful shows of mixed puppetry styles, like Magnificent Monster Circus and The Bremen Town Musicians!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Tabletop and shadow puppetry

May 10 (Sun) 2026: 10:30am | 11:30am | 1:30pm

This Mother’s Day, the MFA teams up with Puppet Showplace Theater to bring you an art tour led by one the Museum’s knowledgeable guides — with help from a very silly puppet “assistant.”

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

May 16 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Meet Jamie, who loves to visit their very own cozy little cave —but one day, change follows them. They soon discover that what goes on in their cave is more extraordinary than they ever imagined!

Be among the first to see this world premiere from CactusHead Puppets — known for their delightful shows of mixed puppetry styles, like Magnificent Monster Circus and The Bremen Town Musicians!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Tabletop and shadow puppetry

May 17 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Meet Jamie, who loves to visit their very own cozy little cave —but one day, change follows them. They soon discover that what goes on in their cave is more extraordinary than they ever imagined!

Be among the first to see this world premiere from CactusHead Puppets — known for their delightful shows of mixed puppetry styles, like Magnificent Monster Circus and The Bremen Town Musicians!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Tabletop and shadow puppetry

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

Embark on a whimsical journey through the mesmerizing cycle of water in this heartwarming show featuring live baroque guitar music! To The Clouds is primarily wordless and full of color, making it especially welcoming for the very young.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 0 - 6
Object puppetry, flat puppets, and live guitar music

May 31 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Embark on a whimsical journey through the mesmerizing cycle of water in this heartwarming show featuring live baroque guitar music! To The Clouds is primarily wordless and full of color, making it especially welcoming for the very young.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 0 - 6
Object puppetry, flat puppets, and live guitar music

June 6 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

When Jack sells the family cow for some magic beans, he launches his family on a GIANT adventure! Don’t miss this joyous and imaginative adaptation of the classic tale.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles: hand puppets, figures, marionettes, and masks

June 7 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

When Jack sells the family cow for some magic beans, he launches his family on a GIANT adventure! Don’t miss this joyous and imaginative adaptation of the classic tale.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles: hand puppets, figures, marionettes, and masks

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

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!

Apr 15 (Wed) 2026: 7:30 pm

Join us for a one-night double feature of thoughtful, mind-bending, and whimsical marionettes and shadow puppetry.

Recommended for adults and teens ages 16+
Shadow puppetry and marionettes

Apr 16 (Thurs) 2026 | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Shadow Girls Cult uses a mind-bending blend of techniques with overhead projection to create an animated film-like shadow puppetry experience — join them for a crash course in the basics!

Recommended for adults and youth ages 10+ accompanied by an adult

April 19 (Sun) 2026 | 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Take a peek behind the curtain and inside the creative process! Hear from five talented artists about the works-in-progress they’ve been building during Puppet Showplace’s Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers.

CANCELLED Apr 23 (Thurs) 2026 | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm 

It's springtime — in every sense of the word! Join Heidi Rugg of UNIMA award-winning Barefoot Puppet Theatre for a deep dive into springs.

Recommended for adults 18+

Apr 28 (Tues) 2026 | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm 

Join Heidi Rugg of UNIMA award-winning Barefoot Puppet Theatre in this one-evening workshop all about working with fluffy wool to create dense structures suitable for puppet building.

Recommended for adults and teens ages 16+

May 20 (Wed) 2026 | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Armed with a trusty glue gun, you will learn the basics of Nate Puppets’ personal puppet making techniques, including foam sculpture, fabric patching, on-the-fly changes, and "the secret crust."

Recommended for adults 18+

May 21 (Thu) 2026: 8:00 pm

What if a fuzzy hand puppet could make you face your own humanity and reconcile with a tragic and horrific past? You are cordially invited to an evening of some old-fashioned sass with class, with a splash of Broadway and jazz standards — plus some pleasant, and not-so-pleasant, surprises along the way!

Recommended for ages 16+
Hand puppets

May 22 (Fri) 2026: 8:00 pm

What if a fuzzy hand puppet could make you face your own humanity and reconcile with a tragic and horrific past? You are cordially invited to an evening of some old-fashioned sass with class, with a splash of Broadway and jazz standards — plus some pleasant, and not-so-pleasant, surprises along the way!

Recommended for ages 16+
Hand puppets

June 13 (Sat) 2026: 8:00 pm

Celebrate bold new voices in puppetry! Discover innovative works at a one-night-only finale to the 6th edition of the Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers, featuring “puppet slam”-style performances — at Boston University’s lovely Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre!

Recommended for adults & teens

June 23 (Tue) 2026: 5:30 pm | 7:30 pm

A Tarot-inspired mystery play full of slapstick comedy, music from the middle ages, puppetry, and whimsy to drive away fear and offer relief from impending doom — just as folly brought light to the Dark Ages. Don’t miss the laugh-out-loud fun, fit for both adults and kids!

Enjoyed by all ages, 3 - 103!
String, hybrid, and stomper marionettes