Regions & Local Guilds

Puppeteers of America encourages local puppet groups known as “guilds.” The guilds are independently run with no financial or administrative connection to Puppeteers of America.

Puppet Guilds are communities of people with a common love and interest in the Art of Puppetry. The Guilds provide opportunities for puppet professionals, enthusiasts and those new to puppetry to meet regularly, enjoy performances, and learn puppet technique.

You can belong to PofA without belonging to a guild, and you can belong to a guild without belonging to PofA. If you are interested in forming a new guild, or have questions about guilds, please review the Guidelines for Guilds.

For a complete list of guild contact information, contact the PofA office

GREAT LAKES

States/Provinces: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Western Ontario (Canada), Western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Rick Morse
REGIONAL TREASURER
David Herzog

Central Illinois Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1989
President: Anne Newman
Newsletter: Puppetoptics

Chicagoland Puppetry Guild
Founded 1938, Chartered 1961
President: Connor Asher
Newsletter: The Puppet Patter

Indiana Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1982
President: Lyssa Troemel
Newsletter: Indiana Puppetry Guild Newsletter

Detroit Puppeteers Guild
Founded 1946, Chartered 1963
Vice President: Diane Boatman
Newsletter: DPG Newsletter

West Michigan Puppetry Guild
President: Joe Emory

Cincinnati Area Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1973
President: Terrence Burke/Linda Mason
Newsletter: C.A.P.G. Puppetgram

Columbus Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1940 & 1976
President: Michael Siculan
Newsletter: Columbus Puppetry Log

Puppetry Guild of Northeastern Ohio
Chartered 1975
President: Vincent J. Polowy
Newsletter: Swazzle

Wisconsin Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1983
President: Mark Hare
Newsletter: Puppetcetera

GREAT PLAINS

States/Provinces: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Saskatchewan – Manitoba (Canada), South Dakota

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Kallie Melvin
REGIONAL TREASURER
Wayne Krefting

Rocky Mountain Puppetry Guild
President: Katy Williams

Twin Cities Puppeteers
Founded 1940, Chartered 1962
President: Benjamin Peterson
Newsletter: TC Puppet Monitor

Puppet Guild of Greater Saint Louis
Founded 1939, Chartered 1963
President: Daniel Romano
Newsletter: Puppet Guild of Greater St. Louis

MID-ATLANTIC

Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York City & Long Island, Virginia, Washington DC

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Brendan Schweda
REGIONAL TREASURER
-Position Open-

National Capital Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1964
President: Yolanda Sampson
Newsletter: Puppetimes

Garden State Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1972 & 2002
President: Diane Koszarski
Newsletter: The Phoenix

Puppetry Guild of Greater New York
Founded 1962, Chartered 1966
President: Bruce Cannon
Newsletter: PuppetMaster

Greater Philadelphia Area Puppetry Guild
(Formerly Quaker Village)
Founded 1938, Chartered 1940
President: Tom Tucker

NORTHEAST

States/Provinces: Connecticut, Eastern Canada, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Upstate NY (does not include NYC), Vermont

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Eric Weiss
REGIONAL TREASURER
Anna Vargas

Connecticut Guild of Puppetry
Chartered 1975
President: Matt Leonard
Newsletter: Nutmeg Puppet News

Boston Area Guild of Puppetry
Chartered 1961
President: John Lechner
Newsletter: The Control Stick

Western Massachusetts Puppetry Guild 
Forming now
President: Eric Weiss (Homeslice) 

Puppetry Guild of Upstate New York
Chartered 1981
President: Nancy Hardy
Newsletter: Puppetry Guild of Upstate NY

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

States/Provinces: Alaska, Alberta – British Columbia (Canada), Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Annett Mateo
REGIONAL TREASURER
Jean Enticknap

Puppetry Guild of Portland (formerly Columbia Association of Puppeteers)
Chartered 1980 
President: Mary Nagler
Newsletter: Puppetry Guild of Portland Gazette

Willamette Valley Puppeteers
Chartered 2009
President: Doris Hicks
Newsletter: Newsletter

Puppeteers of Puget Sound
Chartered 1981
President: Rachel Jackson
Newsletter: Puppet Intelligencer

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

States/Provinces: Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Christine Papalexis
REGIONAL TREASURER
-Position Open-

Phoenix Guild of Puppetry
Founded 1959, Chartered 1962
President: Connie Galeener
Newsletter: The Punchline

Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry
Founded 1956, Chartered 1957
President: Rachel Burson
Newsletter: Puppet Life

Orange County Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1961 & 1978
President: Lorene Gilleland
Newsletter: Strings ‘n’ Things

San Diego Guild of Puppetry
Chartered 1958
President: Lynne Jennings

San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers Guild
Founded 1954, Chartered 1960
President: John Arnold
Newsletter: SFBAPG

Hawaii Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1978
Contact: RoxAnne Lawson

Puppetry Arts Guild of Utah
Contact: Carla Schulz

Northern Utah Puppetry Guild
President: Susan Neidert

SOUTHEAST

States/Provinces: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
-Position Open-
REGIONAL TREASURER
Jody Wren

Central Florida Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1988
President: April Tennyson
Newsletter: The Central Florida Puppet Guild Journal

Florida Suncoast Puppet Guild
Chartered 1976
Contact: Jody Wren
Newsletter: Suncoast Puppet Platform

Gold Coast Puppet Guild
Chartered 1982
President: Alan Gibson
Newsletter: The Puppet Post

Puppet Guild of South Florida
Chartered 1965
President: David Goboff
Newsletter: Puppet-Gram

Atlanta Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1974
President: Heidi Carpenter
Newsletter: The Atlanta Puppet Press

Savannah Coastal Puppetry Guild
Chartered 1979
President: Angela Beasley
Newsletter: The Gluppet Gazette

Mississippi Puppet Guild
Chartered 1985
Contact: Peter Zapletal

SOUTHWEST

States/Provinces: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Joanne Schroeder
REGIONAL TREASURER
Jean Kuecher