The Brookline Arts Center's Palette Project

This spring, as they get ready for a big Spring fundraiser gala coming up this weekend, our friends at the Brookline Arts Center have created a town-wide art show.

Artists' palettes donated by more than 100 artists have been displayed throughout the town: each is designed by a Brookline talent, and will be available in a silent auction.

The Puppet Showplace's own Artist-in-Residence, Brad Shur, added his talents, creating a whimsical puppet inspired character. Apparently this green little guy has made many friends at The Children's Bookstore in Brookline Village where he's been on display.

You can bid on Brad's palette at the Children's Bookstore or at the BAC's fundraiser event, Color Your World Gala, this Saturday. Visit BAC's website for details.

Kitsch in Sync presents Ken's Farewell Show - Friday, May 7, 8:00 PM

Did you know that on the first Friday of each month the Puppet Showplace Theatre turns into a comedy club? That is because local Improv Comic Troupe Kitsch in Sync calls this theatre home.

According to their website this troupe, which was founded in 1989, "is a committed and familial band of comedians out to make you laugh through the wonders of short-form improv comedy. At the end of the night, if [they've] done [their] job right, people are left with a fleeting, momentary respite from their empty relationships, unfulfilling jobs, and hopeless, meaningless lives. Hopefully the audience feels okay, too."

Kitsch in Sync performs a type of improv called "Short Form." In short-form improv, short, unrelated scenes and vignettes are performed, each one inspired by a different audience input. In most cases these scenes last five minutes or less. This is the type of improv fans of the TV show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" will recognize.

Don't miss their next show, Friday May 7 at 8:00.
Tickets are $10 General Admission; $8 Students.

This is being dubbed "Ken's Farewell Show" in homage to long-time cast member Ken Grout. This will be Ken's last performance with the troupe.

Learn more about Kitsch in Sync
Learn more about renting the Puppet Showplace Theatre for your own event

More About...Len Gerwick & The Gerwick Puppets

This is a very special week at the Puppet Showplace Theatre: We're welcoming The Gerwick Puppets in for four big days of Aesop's Fables, including Mother's Day, Sunday May 9th, when moms get in FREE!

Len Gerwick has been a puppeteer for most of his life. In fact, he grew up doing puppet shows. From junior high through college he took his portable theater by subway to all five boroughs of New York City. He graduated from Pratt Institute, studied at Columbia University, the University of Vienna (Austria), and received a Master's in Art History from the University of Toronto, Ontario.

Len has been passionate about painting, history, classical music and dance throughout his life. He was an art teacher at Holliston High School in Holliston, Massachusetts for nine years before entering puppetry full time.

He has been very active in the professional puppetry community, having served on the board of Puppeteers of America as chair of its Endowment Committee, and is currently on the board of The Puppet Showplace Theatre. In 2008, Len was awarded the Northeast Region of Puppeteers of America's Artistic Achievement Award.

Along with puppetry, he is dedicated to his painting where his work has been shown in galleries in Massachusetts.

The Gerwick Puppets have performed over 5,000 shows since their founding in 1974.


Aesop's Fables - This lively retelling includes The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, The Dog and his Bone and The Fox and the Crow. This performance delights audiences both young and old while teaching valuable lessons. Hand puppets.

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Wednesday, May 5 - SOLD OUT

Thursday, May 6 @10:30AM

Saturday, May 8 @1PM @3PM

Sunday, May 9 @1PM @3PM

More About... Saltamontes Puppet Arts and "Babui"

Have you heard? Babui is coming. Join us this weekend for the sole North American presentation of "Babui" for 2010.

The puppeteers arrive with only a box. But it is empty - almost empty. There are no puppets in that box, only a book, an egg and an old newspaper. What could be in that egg? And how to hatch it? Three very different animals, an ostrich, a tiger, and an elephant, all give their best but to no avail. After much time it finally hatches on its own, and a delightful new creature, Babui, is born.

Saltamontes Puppet Arts was founded in 1994 in Bogota, Columbia and moved to Bavaria, Germany in 2004. "Babui" premiered in 2006 and received a prize as one of the best shows at the International Puck Festival in Cluj Napoca, Romania.

Performance will be at 1pm and 3pm Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available online or by calling 617-731-6400.

Puppet Showplace Theatre holding annual fundraiser Saturday - Brookline - Your Town - Boston.com

Puppet Showplace Theatre holding annual fundraiser Saturday - Brookline - Your Town - Boston.com

Massachusetts Day of Puppetry Celebration!

Have you ever wondered how a professional puppeteer works? Here's your chance to find out! Michael Graham, the very talented performer behind Spring Valley Puppet Theater, will be performing his show "The Three Wishes" without curtains or walls – just puppets, props, and scenery!

It's all part of our special
Massachusetts Day of Puppetry celebration!

Saturday, April 24 from 5:00 - 5:45 PM at the Puppet Showplace Theatre. Tickets are $6 general admission; $4 Puppet Showplace Theatre and Boston Area Guild of Puppetry members.

More about... Jim Napolitano and Nappy's Puppets

Jim Napolitano, or "Uncle Nappy" to his fans, is a native of Milford, Connecticut, and a graduate of the University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts Program. After completion of his degree, Jim worked with Bits 'N' Pieces Puppet Theatre of Tampa Bay, Florida. He performed around the country and around the world, including The National Culture Center in Japan and The National Theater in Taiwan.

Jim's work can be seen on the PBS show Between The Lions. Other television credits include The Book Of Pooh, The Weinerville Chanukah Special, A Show of Hands and Stick Stickly. Jim has also worked on programs for Scholastic Home Video and HBO Pictures.

About Father Goose Tales
Mother Goose is away for the day and Father Goose has to take care of all her chores, including the storytelling. But every time one of those all-too-familiar stories gets started, try as he might, he just can’t seem to get it right. Father Goose Tales is an amusing, modern retelling of nursery rhymes, stories and children’s songs designed with shadow puppets to entertain the whole family.


A well-loved song from Father Goose Tales: "Five Little Monkeys"



TICKETS are still available for Thursday and Friday. Call our Box Office at 617-731-6400 or click below for more information.

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Happy Patriots Day and Marathon Monday

In observance of these two events, the Puppet Showplace Theatre will be closed on Monday. But don't let that stop you from having some puppet fun this week.

Because this is also vacation week we've got 12 performances of three fantastic shows. Tuesday and Wednesday is Romper Rhythm and Puppets' production of "Hungry Caterpillar and Forest Folktales." Thursday and Friday Nappy's Puppets bring the hilarious shadow puppet show "Father Goose's Tales." And the weekend features the classic "Jack and The Beanstalk" by Spring Valley Puppet Theatre. All shows are at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Buy Tickets soon, we're likely to sell out.

But that's not all... Saturday, April 24th is the official National Day of Puppetry and Massachusetts Day of Puppetry! In celebration, we will be presenting a special behind-the-scenes performance of Spring Valley Puppet Theatre's "Three Wishes" at 5:00pm. The curtain will be literally pulled away so that you can see the puppeteer at work. Tickets are only $6 ($4 for members).

And watch out for members of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry (BAGOP) on Saturday. They are taking puppets to the streets of Boston, with visits at the Children's Museum and the Frog Pond.

Puppets in Primetime...and on the Silver Screen

We at Puppet Showplace love live puppet theater more than anything, but we also know how important TV and film have been to making puppets famous around the world. Our regular Friday evening series, "Puppets in Primetime," is coming up April 16th at 6:30. Come on by the theater for a double bill of classic Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock episodes.

If you're craving more puppets on the big screen, our friends at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge are doing a weekend muppet marathon, with screenings of the Muppet Movie, Labyrinth, and other great films.

When I watch TV or film puppetry I'm always on the lookout for examples of the subtle manipulation techniques that really make the puppets come to life. It's a lot harder than it looks! Not only do puppeteers need to re-wire their brains while performing on camera so they can watch their puppet in monitors that show everything in left-right reverse, but they need to choreograph their movements so they translate well from 3D to 2D.

For a manipulation skill that's also translatable into live puppet theater, next time you watch the muppets try using your hand as a mouth (for extra fun, add a set of "peepers" eyes from our store) and see if you can talk in time with the puppets. Make sure the movement is mainly coming from your thumb rather than your top fingers--otherwise, your eyes would move every time you opened your mouth! This skill, called "lip synch" is one of the first things puppeteers need to master when working with talking mouth puppets.

Bonus: for an example of (intentionally) not-so-great on-camera puppetry, check out last week's episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart where he satirizes RNC chairman Michael Steel with a crazy puppet routine (the puppet appears about 10:30). Funny, or just painful to watch? The character is based on a Sesame Street routine set in a restaurant where Grover waits on a man who keeps sending his soup back. Enjoy!

Saturday April 24, 2010 officially proclaimed "Massachusetts Day of Puppetry"

More information on the day's events coming soon!

More About... Sarah Lamstein

This Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30AM, Sarah Lamstein joins us with her show Funny Bone Tales. The show is recommended for children ages 4 and up. The Wednesday show has sold out, but tickets are still available for Thursday's show. Ticket information can be found here: BUY TICKETS

Puppeteer. Past PST Board President. Benefactor. Sarah has been actively involved in the Puppet Showplace Theatre for many years, fighting to keep the doors open during our darkest hours. The Puppet Showplace Theatre owes a great debt of thanks to Sarah for her inexhaustible devotion.

She has been performing as a puppeteer for over 30 years and served as a board member of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry. In addition, she was a secondary school English teacher and school librarian for 17 years and now writes for children, publishing picture books and a young adult novel. Sarah lives with her husband in Newton and has three children and one grandchild.

More About... Funny Bone Tales
With her gentle demeanor and sly wit, Sarah Lamstein tells three charming tales with hand puppets. Silly Sam is about a little boy who’s trying to find a suitable birthday present for his friend. Bendemolena is about a cat that finds everything she hears is all mixed up! Finally, a gentle version of the famous Punch and Judy show has children laughing and calling out directions to the trickster Mr. Punch.

Sarah Lamstein's official website

Only Seven Days Left

Please help make the Puppet Showplace one of Massachusetts' Great Places.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts invites residents from all 351 cities and towns across the state to nominate their favorite places. The nominations will be considered for a final list of 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts to be announced in May.

The Great Places initiative will celebrate what is unique about the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, its communities, and its people. It also aims to stimulate the economy by boosting visitation to the state's wide range of exceptional historic sites, cultural venues, and natural landscapes.

The deadline for nominations is April 15. Tell your members, visitors, and fans to nominate their favorite place here: http://www.massvacation.com/1000/index.php

Check out Chronicle on WCVB-TV on Monday, April 12 at 7:30 pm for more on 1,000 Great Places.

Shadow Puppets at Brookline Music School

Since we're closed on Mondays, we encourage you to visit our friends at Brookline Music School on the 13th for a great shadow puppet performance.

Brookline Music School faculty and friends return as The Elephant Tango Ensemble to bring you more classic and original bedtime stories with live music! Shadow Puppet Storytime & Music will debut a new work by Jill Gibson, featuring puppets by Dylan Gould and Karin Webb, with music by Brendan Burns, Valerie Thompson, Vessela Stoyanova and Nate Greenslit. This show will also present a shadow puppet interpretation of three Aesop's Fables: Mice in Council, Mountain in Labor, and The Lion's Paw, with music selections from The Elephant Tango Ensemble.

The Elephant Tango Ensemble is a collective of musicians, actors, puppeteers, designers and dancers who are committed to the preservation of Storytime through the use of original music, puppets and creative storytelling. For more information on The Elephant Tango Ensemble visit www.elephanttango.com.

Monday, April 12, 2010, 7:00pm
Lincoln School Auditorium, 19 Kennard Rd., $5

More About...Tucker's Tales Puppet Theatre

Tucker's Tales Puppet Theatre is the performing division of Puppet Perceptions, Inc., a Philadelphia-area-based performing company founded in 1981. Co-directors Marianne and Tom Tucker have performed at puppet, folk, ethnic, and street festivals, and at craft fairs, shopping centers, theatres, and school across the country. They've also performed at the Puppet Showplace Theatre for many years!

In addition to performing, Marianne and Tom are active in the national puppetry community. Marianne currently serves on the board of directors for UNIMA-USA, and they have each served as president of the Greater Philadelphia Area Puppetry Guild (GPAPG).

Their production of Peter Rabbit Tales features three of Beatrix Potter's most beloved stories: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse, and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. The show features wonderful hand puppets, clever scenery, and turn-of-the-century costumes, adding up to an unforgettable theatre experience.

Showtimes: Wednesday and Thursday @ 10:30AM; Saturday and Sunday @ 1PM and 3PM.
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Puppets Now on Display @ PST: Punch & Judy

This season, the Puppet Showplace Theatre is excited to display posters and puppets depicting and portraying the irascible – and ancient – puppet duo of Punch and Judy. Did you know that Punch and Judy is one of the oldest puppet shows still being performed today? It's true. The show is over 400 years old... and we thought the Puppet Showplace Theatre has been around a long time!

The next time you join us for a show, make sure to look up at the walls all around the theatre. Until then, here's a peek at what you'll find.

Judy & Baby by Paul Vincent Davis


Punch & Dog by Paul Vincent Davis


Punch & Judy by Nancy Laverick

Muppets Easter Bunny

Warning: video contains images of violence against cute bunny rabbits. And bad singing.

Save the Date

The EVENING OF PUPPETRY is May 1st. Please join us for this celebration of puppetry and the Puppet Showplace Theatre.

And if you're in the mood for rabbits this weekend, check out Artist in Residence Brad Shur's "The Carrot Salesman" Saturday at 1pm and 3pm.

(Note: we will be closed on Sunday in observance of Easter.)

Webelos Earn Badges at the Puppet Showplace

On March 31st, 2010 a group of 13 Webelos earned their Showman Badge at the Puppet Showplace Theatre.

PST Artist in Residence Brad Shur led a Shadow Puppet Making Workshop for this group of young men from Wayland. The Webelos were able to fulfill all of their Showman Badge requirements, and best of all, have FUN!

Webelos is a 20 month program for 4th and 5th grade boys to prepare to join a Boy Scout troop while learning outdoors skills and participating in 20 different activity badges. A group of Webelos is a gradual change from being an 'adult-run' den to being a 'boy-run' patrol ready to fit right into an adventurous scouting troop. This migration requires the parents and den leaders to give the scouts more and more control, decision-making power, and responsibility as they progress in skills, abilities, and maturity.

If you would like more information about group workshops and other educational opportunities led by our Artist in Residence, call our Box Office at 617-731-6400. We are able to host groups in our lobby and theatre, or come to you!

More About... Sparky Davis and Sparky's Puppets

We're excited to welcome back Sparky Davis and Sparky's Puppets to the Puppet Showplace Theatre stage, tomorrow and Thursday, with their show Tricksters and Noodleheads.

Sparky Davis first performed here at the Puppet Showplace Theatre in the early 1980s and has been an audience favorite ever since! We think it's her gentle approach, her lively sense of humor, her unique interpretations of familiar tales, and her imaginative original characters that engage children and delight audiences of all ages.

Sparky began dramatizing children's literature while working as a school librarian, and now performs these tales all around New England in schools, libraries, and festivals.

A limited supply of tickets are still available for this week's performances. Call our friendly Box Office at 617-731-6400 or click here for more information!

Next Puppet Incubator: Tuesday March 30th

Next Puppet Incubator: Tuesday March 30th

Part jam session, part master class, part puppeteer clubhouse, the next incubator session is this coming Tuesday from 7-9pm!

If you're interested in building, performing with or just talking about puppets, you are invited to join us. The incubator is a great place to share puppet projects in progress, or to learn from others with a range of experience from fans to professionals.

In addition, we're working on an Incubator group project, a short puppet performance to debut at the next puppet slam on May 22. It's not too late to join in! The group project is a wonderful way to get your feet wet. We'll be covering all aspects of putting a short puppet show together, from writing through design, building and rehearsal.

The Incubator is free to the public, but donations are always appreciated.

-Brad Shur
Artist in Residence
Puppet Showplace Theatre