Dear Friends of Puppet Showplace,

I write to you at a time when the arts are more vital than ever, at a time when we understand deeply the need for imaginative expression to lift our spirits. Puppet Showplace Theater has brought the joys of puppetry to audiences of all ages since its founding by puppeteer Mary Churchill in 1974. Its history is one of delight, of creativity, of keeping alive traditions of puppetry while supporting the creation of new productions and bringing new artists to our stage. Puppet Showplace is a treasured cultural institution, a destination in Brookline Village that serves as a home to puppeteers from throughout the Northeast and beyond. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have not offered live puppetry inside our theater since March. Determined to continue to offer outstanding professional puppetry in whatever way we safely can, during the summer we mounted puppet shows online in interactive formats and featured live puppetry outdoors in socially-distanced performance spaces. For adults and teens, we live-streamed puppet slams, with performers joining us from across the nation and abroad, drawing a national audience to view an impressive line-up of imaginative, sometimes quirky, often moving performances. We supported a new creative initiative for Black puppeteers, bringing their powerful work to a virtual audience.

As most of you know, we suffered a second and near-fatal blow in October: a theft that depleted our bank account and left us in debt. The Board of Trustees responded by immediately taking control of our systems to assure their security. But most important, our community responded. You joined our effort to save Puppet Showplace, and your response has been magnificent: 970 donors to date have stood with us and helped make possible a future for this beloved theater. We have raised sufficient funds to assure that we will be able to pay the rent and retain basic staff in the coming months. Now we seek your continued support so that we can begin to re-envision and recreate that world of whimsy and magic that we all know. 

This winter we hope to offer live-streamed performances while children remain safe at home, and bring virtual puppetry classes to schools and adults. When spring arrives, it should be possible to mount puppet shows in parks and other outdoor spaces. In a post-pandemic world, we look forward to again inviting audiences of all ages back to live performances at 32 Station Street. It is your continued support that will make this possible. Please join us!

With immense gratitude,

Margueritte Murphy

President

Puppet Showplace Board of Trustees