Hi everyone! My name is Elle and I have just begun my journey as an intern here at Puppet Showplace Theater. I am a senior studying Arts Administration. I am looking forward to diving into the arts world in the coming years!

 World Puppetry Day (March 21st) is just around the corner and in celebration, Puppet Showplace Theater is presenting two free, virtual shows with a global focus. 

First, The Puppet Showplace Slam LIVE Virtual Extravaganza for adults and teens will be honoring World Puppetry Day with special guest artists from Mexico (Lormiga Títeres), and Quebec (Les Sages Fous, Caroline Bernier-Dionne), as well as artists from across the United States. The versatile line up will showcase live, short-form puppetry acts, over Zoom on Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 8pm. Learn More / RSVP

Next, Rock the Boat is a NEW family-friendly show by Sandglass Theater that will be presented in film form on Sunday, March 21 at 3:00 pm, followed by an interactive Q&A with the cast and creative team. This show features a cast of animal characters (including a hippo poet!) and explores themes of refugees, inclusion, and respectful curiosity.  In the spirit of World Puppetry Day, kids and families will learn about welcoming new friends from near and far. The show also provides a platform for a multi-ethnic ensemble to combine puppetry, movement, music, and poetry for an entertaining, educational, uplifting experience. Learn More/ RSVP.

So what exactly is World Puppetry Day? This yearly celebration held on Sunday, March 21 was launched by international puppetry organization UNIMA in 2003 with the goal of celebrating the vast diversity of global puppetry. In the United States, Puppeteers of America and UNIMA-USA coordinate celebrations and events. Each year, artists from across the world celebrate with their own theatrical performances and workshops. 

As I research this celebration, I am struck by how artists from across the globe are adjusting to COVID responses and using their art for educational purposes. One Kenyan puppeteer, Fedelis Kyalo, has been making public health puppet episodes with his "Ask Dr. Pamoja" series. 

In Japan, a renowned Bunraku puppet master Kanjuro Kiritake has been spending his quarantine sharing his art by making puppets for children and passing down the sacred Bunraku techniques that he learned from his father. 

Another artist, an inspiring young woman from a rural community in Qalyubiyya, Egypt,  21-year-old Basma has built her very own at-home puppet theater from which she broadcasts a weekly puppet show on Facebook. Her show is designed to convey serious messages in a fun way and tackle subject matter such as Covid prevention, positive parenting, and issues affecting young girls in her community. 

Celebrating artists around the world draws attention to the diversity of the global puppetry community and helps introduce the art to new generations of puppeteers. Without such celebration, puppetry practices can be overlooked and even lost in time. 

As arts organizations, it’s important for us to work together to celebrate global puppetry, raising awareness of these cultural traditions and innovations. 

As a new intern at Puppet Showplace Theater, I have experienced just how welcoming puppeteers can be! Just as the world of puppetry is made stronger by every character, puppeteer, and culture that takes part, Puppet Showplace Theater invites YOU, our audience, to become part of puppetry’s global story by joining us for World Puppetry Day weekend, March 20-21, 2021. 

Let’s celebrate World Puppetry Day together!  I look forward to learning from each and every one of you! 

Elle