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.

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.

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.