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Puppeteers of America

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THEATERS

Most puppeteers are accustomed to bringing their shows to the audience - to schools, churches, fairs, meetings and other venues. A few organizations, however, have been able to establish fixed locations where the public can experience puppetry on a regular basis, either from a resident company, touring puppeteers, or both.

For this listing, a puppet theater is defined as: a permanent location that is open to the public, with an ongoing schedule of puppetry performances throughout the year.

If you have a place, a performance season or a museum dedicated to puppet arts that is open to the public, and feel it belongs on this list, please contact the PofA Office, 612-821-2382, office@puppeteers.org

ARIZONA

Great Arizona Puppet Theater

Great Arizona Puppet TheaterShows by resident professional troupe and visiting national and international guest artists. Open to the public year-round, 5 days a week. Gift shop with puppets, puppet stages and books. Repertoire consists of classic fairy tales, original stories, and educational programs with a special emphasis on shows that celebrate Arizona’s culture, heritage and ecology. New series features shows for adults.

302 West Latham St.
Phoenix, AZ 85003
azpuppets.org
Nancy Smith - Director
602-262-2050
info@azpuppets.org

CALIFORNIA

Bob Baker Marionette Theatre

Bob Baker Marionette TheatreThe theatre was founded some 44 years ago, and is the oldest, longest running puppet theatre in America. Bob Baker, the proprietor, has been doing puppetry for 72 years, starting when he was 8 in 1932. We offer puppet shows in our theatre that seats approximately 250/300. Adults sit in chairs, children sit on the floor around a “magic circle” where the marionettes are brought out to them. (Children parading as adults may sit on the floor, too.)

4949 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042
bobbakermarionettetheater.com
Alex Evans - Director
213-250-9995
hello@bobbakermarionettetheater.com

Children's Fairyland

Children's FairylandThe Storybook Puppet Theater is the longest on-going professional puppet theater in the United States – founded in 1956. Resident Repertory Puppet Theater Company. Performances year round at 11, 2 and 4 o’clock. June- August: every day; September-October, and April-May: 5 days a week, Wednesday-Sunday; November-March: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Weekend Puppet Fair in August with guest performers, workshops, exhibit.

699 Bellevue Avenue
Oakland, CA 94610
puppetcompany.com
Randal Metz - Director
510-452-2260
puppetcomp@yahoo.com

Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre

Marie Hitchcock Puppet TheatreShows year round at the theater. Wednesday through Sunday.

2125 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101-4792
balboaparkpuppets.com
Millie Patterson - President
619-544-9203
balboaparkpuppets@yahoo.com

Puppetry Center of San Diego - operated by the San Diego Guild of Puppetry, Inc.

Puppetry Center of San DiegoExhibits. Literature and curriculum based education outreach programs. Community based, giant puppet parade pageants. Performances by local, national and international artists for children, families, adults. Workshops. Classes. Internships. Custom design: portrait puppets to giant parade figures. Puppet Theatre Writers’ Conference.

325 15th Street
San Diego, CA 92101
sandiegopuppetry.org
Site Coordinator - Lynne Jennings
1-800-954-6696
sdgp.admin@att.net

COLORADO

Denver Puppet Theatre

Denver Puppet Theatre Established in 1996, the Denver Puppet Theater is a 100 seat marionette theater performing 6 productions each year from October through mid August. We offer marionette shows of classical and modern themes, hands on puppet play activities for children, a fun filled puppet gift shop, a cafe filled with delicious food and a wonderful outside courtyard.

3156 West 38th Avenue
Denver, CO 80211
denverpuppettheater.com
Annie Zook - Director
303-458-6446
annie@hypermall.net

Simpich Showcase - Museum, Gallery and Marionette Theatre

Simpich ShowcaseThe Simpich Showcase Theatre is dedicated to presenting year-round string puppet productions for adult and family audiences. Featuring original plays from the Simpich Marionette Repertoire, the intimate 70 seat theatre plays host to a variety of stories and subject matter, from productions such as The Secret Garden, Hans Christian Andersen Storybook and Great Expectations to original plays by puppeteer David Simpich, as well as Christmas, Easter and other seasonal offerings. The adjoining Simpich Museum also houses rotating exhibits of many marionettes from the Simpich performances, displayed in elaborate settings.

2413 West Colorado Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
simpich.com
David Simpich
719-465-2492

CONNECTICUT

National Puppetry Conference - Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center

National Puppetry Conference - Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center Annual 8-day June conference focused on creating new works for the puppet theatre through the collaborative process. Participants work with renowned guest directors, puppet artists and playwrights to develop innovative productions, either conceived by guest artists, or presentations initiated by the conference participants.

305 Great Neck Road
Waterford, CT 06385
theoneill.org
Pam Arciero - Artistic Director
litoffice@theoneill.org

GEORGIA

Center for Puppetry Arts

Center for Puppetry Arts The Center for Puppetry Arts’ mission is to touch lives through the art of puppetry. The Center for Puppetry Arts is a unique cultural treasure – a magical place where children and adults are educated, enlightened and entertained. Since 1978, the Center has introduced millions of visitors to the wonder and art of puppetry and has touched the lives of many through enchanting performances, curriculum-based workshops, the hands-on museum, as well as distance learning and outreach programs.

1404 Spring Street NW at 18th
Atlanta, GA 30309-2820
puppet.org
Vincent Anthony - Executive Director
404-873-3391
info@puppet.org

ILLINOIS

Opera in Focus

Opera in FocusTo the best of our knowledge, we are the only continuously operating ROD PUPPET OPERA company in the world. We perform on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 1:30 pm. Performances are generally 60 to 80 minutes long and usually consist of three or four scenes, arias or songs. A demonstration of how the rod puppets “work” and a backstage tour follow each performance. Groups of 30 or more may reserve a performance at a day and time of their choosing. PRICES: ADULTS $12.00 SENIORS (Over 60) $11.00 and CHILDREN (Under 12) $7.00 The theater is air conditioned and is fully handicapped accessible. Parking is free and “bus-friendly. A banquet hall with a capacity of 128 is located in the facility and can be serviced by a Park District approved caterer of your choosing.

3000 West Central Road
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
operainfocus.com
Founded by - William B. Fosser
847-818-3220 - Ext. 116
puppetinfo@operainfocus.com


INDIANA

Peewinkle’s Puppet Studio

Peewinkle’s Puppet Studio A quaint old world style 50 seat theatre in downtown Indianapolis, located in a 100 yr. old warehouse building. Shows are scheduled from October thru April, including two weeks of puppet camp in June. Seasonal shows, The Peewinkle Series and Fairytale Series are presented by MMHP Puppet Productions, Inc.

25 E. Henry Street
Indianapolis, IN
peewinklespuppets.org
Debbi White - Box Office
317-917-9454
peewinkleinfo@att.net


IOWA

Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre

Eulenspiegel Puppet TheatreOwl Glass Puppetry Center presents an annual season of 6 productions. These include 2 productions by the in-house troupe, Eulenspiegel Puppets, 2 or 3 guests from all over the world, and one adult evening – Puppets and Pastries Dessert Theatre. The season also includes one community puppet theatre production. Owl Glass sponsors the annual West Liberty Children’s Festival and offers workshops for adults and children, summer puppet camp, and open studio hours during which locals are encouraged to help build puppets for community events.

319 N. Calhoun
West Liberty, IA 52776
owlglass.org
Monica Leo – Puppeteer/Managing Director
1-877-978-7738
monica@puppetspuppets.com

MARYLAND

The Puppet Co. Playhouse

The Puppet Co. Playhouse Since 1983, The Puppet Co. has created puppet theatre, especially for children, as an art form synthesizing the visual and performing arts. Hand puppets, rod puppets, body puppets, marionettes and shadow puppets are used in the fully staged productions of the stories, traditional and original, which comprise our ever-growing repertory. Our new theater and resource center at Glen Echo Park had its Grand Opening on May 1, 2004, and is believed to be the first indoor theater in this country, designed and built from the ground up specifically and exclusively for puppet theater. It seats 250 people.

7300 MacArthur Boulevard
Glen Echo, MD 20812
thepuppetco.org
Toni Goldberg - Executive Director                              
Elizabeth Dapo - Artistic Director

301-634-5380
Box.Office@thepuppetco.org

MASSACHUSETTS

The Puppet Showplace Theatre

The Puppet Showplace TheatreFounded in 1974, the Puppet Showplace Theatre is New England’s first and only year-round theatre devoted entirely to the art of puppetry. As a presenting theatre, the Puppet Showplace provides a different show each week, 50 weeks a year. These award-winning shows are performed by local and traveling professional puppeteers, and cover the entire spectrum of this unique art-form.

32 Station Street
Brookline, MA 02445
puppetshowplace.org
Roxie Myhrum - Artistic Director
617-731-6400
info@puppetshowplace.org

MICHIGAN

Detroit Institute of Arts - Paul McPharlin Collection

The Detroit Institute of Arts is undergoing a renovation project that will limit the exhibition of the McPharlin Puppet Collection. Tours of the puppet storage area can be arranged through a letter of request to the curator. A 116 page color catalog of the collection published in 2000 and titled Strings Hands Shadows: A Modern Puppet History is available for $19.95 on the DIA website www.dia.org. The DIA will open a permanent, rotating puppet exhibit of the Paul McPharlin Collection on 12/22/10. Forty feet of display cases will change every six months and the regularly scheduled puppet shows can be viewed at the DIA website page: dia.org

5200 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48202
dia.org
Lawrence Baranski - Curator
313-833-4686
lbaranski@dia.org

PuppetART/Detroit Puppet Theater

PuppetART/Detroit Puppet Theater PuppetART is a Theater, a Studio, and a Museum. Each visit to PuppetART provides an audience with a performance of high artistic quality followed by a puppet-making workshop. Both events are tied together by an educational and explorative tour through the Museum. PuppetART Theater has an active repertoire of nine shows, staged monthly year around; every Saturday for general public and weekdays for groups. PuppetART Studio provides the opportunity for art education for children, caregivers, and professionals. The mainstream of PuppetART Studio activities is developing and offering hands-on workshops to groups of schoolchildren. Students K-12 learn how to make puppets and recognize, understand and use folk art elements of different cultures. Other workshops on the puppetry art are designed for various levels of interest, including one for teachers especially designed to enhance the curriculum and support an “arts-integrated” education. PuppetART Museum is a source of information on puppetry and how it reflects on history and diverse cultural traditions. The Museum also organizes exhibits to complement repertoire performances. The PuppetART Museum published a book in 2002, entitled “A History of Puppetry in Detroit,” by Gina Granger and Nancy Henk. The book is dedicated to Detroit’s tri-centennial and highlights its important role in the history of professional American puppetry.

24293 Telegraph Rd. Suite 150
Southfield, MI 48033
puppetart.org
Igor Gozman – Executive/Artistic Director
313-961-7777
contact@puppetart.org

MINNESOTA

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre In the Heart of the Beast produces a season of original, company-generated plays for both families and adults. We teach puppetry and pageantry to students and teachers, teenagers and youth, and community members in our neighborhood and throughout Minnesota. We can seat up to 300.

1500 Lake St. E
Minneapolis, MN 55407
hobt.org
Artistic Director – Sandy Spieler
612-721-2535
info@hobt.org

Open Eye Figure Theatre

Open Eye Figure Theatre Open Eye brings the magic of puppetry to audiences of all ages with whimsical yet profound work in its historic jewel box home in Minneapolis and in neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities with the award-winning Driveway Tour.

506 E. 24th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55404
openeyetheatre.org
Artistic Director – Michael Sommers
612-874-6338
info@openeyetheatre.org

MISSOURI

Kramer Marionette Theatre

Kramer Marionette Theatre Performances year-round by resident troupe and guest artists: Monday-Saturday: 10 am demo, 11:15 show, 1 pm demo, 2:15 show by reservation. Sunday at 1 and 2:15. Exhibit, Store, Workshops.

4143 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
kramersmarionnettes.com
Bob Kramer, Doug Feltch
314-531-3313
bkmarionnettes@charter.net

Mesner Puppet Theater

Mesner Puppet Theater Mesner Puppet Theater is a globally known professional puppet theatre company based in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to its local season of storytelling performed in our 200-seat capacity studio, the company tours nationally and performs regionally to more than 30,000 children and adults annually. Mesner Puppet Theater provide a Puppets in Education program to schools and organizations.

1006 E. Linwood Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64109
mesnerpuppets.org
Mike Horner - Artistic Director
816-756-3500

Puppetry Arts Institute

Puppetry Arts InstituteHazelle Rollins Puppet Museum; Special Exhibits; Puppet Shows; Workshops; Birthday parties; Puppet Research Library; Puppet Repair, Restringing & Appraisal. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday. 10 – 5. Museum Admission: Adults $3, children $1.50. Monthly puppet shows and drop-in or reserved group workshops $6 each, over 10, $5 each

11025 E. Winner Rd.
Independence, MO 64052
puppetryartsinstitute.org
Nancy Clark – Director
816-833-9777
pai@att.net

NEW YORK

Puppet BloK at Dixon Place

Puppet BloK at Dixon PlaceBranching out of downtown institution, artistic laboratory and state of the art theater Dixon Place's mission to provide a safe haven for works in progress, Puppet BloK presents strikingly original programming from today's most inspiring artists. Created in 2006, Puppet BloK promotes new works of puppetry and other innovative styles of performance by emerging and established artists year round with multiple development opportunities; one night showcases, a commissioning series and an artist in residence program to further support the creation of new work in NYC.Puppet BloK is the proud recipient of six presenter's grants from The Jim Henson Foundation. Submit your work today!

161A Chrystie Street
New York, NY 10002
dixonplace.org
Leslie Strongwater – Curator
212-209-0736
contact@dixonplace.org

Goat on a Boat @ Bay Street

Goat on a BoatGoat on a Boat Puppet Theatre (founded 2001) is a community puppet theater committed to introducing young children and their families to a life-long love of theater and the creative arts. We are proud to partner with Bay Street Theater in our new home at 1 Bay Street in Sag Harbor. Our theater seats 200 with shows throughout the year for children ages 3-8 and their adults. We host puppeteers from all over the US.

1 Bay Street
Sag Harbor, NY
goatonaboat.org
Liz Joyce – Artistic Director
631-725-9500
liz@goatonaboat.org

HERE Arts Center, Dream Music Puppetry Program

HERE Arts Center, Dream Music Puppetry ProgramOne of few programs in the country to grow and commission contemporary, adult puppet works, Dream Music provides performance opportunities to puppet artists, and encourages multidisciplinary collaboration to develop new puppetry techniques. This program was inaugurated with the premiere of Basil Twist’s OBIE-award winning Symphonie Fantastique in 1998. Under the artistic direction of Twist, with producing direction from HERE co-founder Barbara Busackino, the Dream Music aesthetic is geared toward puppet works that feature live music as a collaborative element.

145 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10013
here.org/programs/dream-music-puppetry/
Barbara Busackino – Producer
212-647-0202 Ext. 307
info@here.org

Open Hand Theater

Open Hand TheaterA World of Puppets performance series for families on the first two Saturdays of the months October-April featuring great puppetry performances from across the country. Touring mask and puppet performances, arts-in-education programs and workshops, collaborations with other arts organizations and mask and puppet museum.

400 S. Salina Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
theredhouse.org
Geoffrey Navias – Artistic Director
315-362-2785
info@theredhouse.org

Puppet Happenings

Puppet Happenings are listings of puppet theater for adults happening in the New York City area. The listings are maintained by The Jim Henson Foundation and are updated on a weekly basis.

Puppet Happenings NYC Adult
Puppet Happenings NYC Family

Puppetry in Practice

Puppetry in PracticeOur main site is still at Brooklyn College and open to teachers and the community but this summer we opened the Puppetry in Practice Museum, an outreach center in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn. We have been hosting parent workshops to supplement our school programs and meetings with other puppeteers and performing artists.

2900 Bedford Avenue
1104 James Hall
Brooklyn, NY 11210
puppetryinpractice.org
Michael Perreca – Executive Director
718-951-4240
info@puppetryinpractice.org

Puppetworks

PuppetworksWeekend Public Performances: 12:30 & 2:30 Weekday Groups: 10:15, 11:30, 12:45 – Also, performances at Macy’s Herald Square, during the Holiday season. Souvenirs, Books, Puppets on sale in Lobby. Seats 100.

338 Sixth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
puppetworks.org
Nicolas Coppola – Artistic Director
718-965-3391
puppetworks@verizon.net

The Shadow Box Theatre

The Shadow Box TheatreThe Shadow Box Theatre is currently the resident children’s company at the Theatres at 45 Bleecker St., Manhattan. With the magic of live theatre, music and puppetry, SBT has served over 2,000,000 children in 41 years in schools, theatres, community centers and parks throughout New York City. SBT also conducts creative arts workshops and publishes storybooks and CDs based on its shows.

325 West End Ave.
New York, NY 10023
shadowboxtheatre.org
Sandra Robbins – Artistic Director
212-724-0677
sbt@shadowboxtheatre.org

The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park

Swedish Cottage Marionette TheatreRun by the City Parks Foundation, the Cottage, a model schoolhouse, was built as Sweden’s exhibit for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. In 1877, Frederick Law Olmsted moved the Cottage to its present site in Central Park. In 1973 it was remodeled to include a permanent stage. Since then this small wooden lodge has hosted daily marionette shows that bring fairy tales alive for enchanted audiences.

Central Park West Drive at 80th St.
New York, NY 10023
cityparksfoundation.org/swedish-cottage-marionette-theatre/
Bruce Cannon
212-639-1697
arts@cityparksfoundation.org

Teatro SEA (The Latino Children’s Theatre)

Teatro SEATEATRO SEA/The Latino Children’s Theatre at the Clemente Soto VĂ©lez Cultural and Educational Center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, is New York’s Only Latino Children’s Theatre, and possibly the Only Latino Children’s Theatre in the United States. Society of the Educational Arts, Inc. (SEA) offers a year-round season of professional Puppet and Children’s Theatre, as well as art workshops. SEA’s repertory of shows, are performed in Spanish, English and bilingual. SEAson runs from September to June.

107 Suffolk Street
New York, NY 10002
teatrosea.org
Dr. Manuel A. Moran – CEO & Artistic Director
212-529-1545
sea@sea-ny.org

PENNSYLVANIA

Lancaster Marionette Theatre

Lancaster Marionette Theatre is a 60-seat Victorian style theatre in downtown Lancaster founded in 1990 by Robert Brock. Marionette performances of classic stories and fairy tales are presented on weekends for the public and by arrangement for groups during the week.

126 N. Water Street
Lancaster, PA 17603
lancastermarionette.org
Robert Brock – Artistic Director
717-394-8398
lancastermarionettetheatre@gmail.com

Mock Turtle Marionette Theater at the Ice House

Mock Turtle Marionette TheaterNow in our seventeenth year of family performances at our city-based IceHouse Theater in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Mock Turtle supplies the Lehigh Valley area with a ten to fourteen show family series called Saturday’s Child and a literacy-based field trip series for elementary schools called Early Reader Field Trips. In addition to our work at the IceHouse, Mock Turtle runs a puppet-based child abuse prevention program for the county and engages in artistic partnerships with community arts groups such as the Pennsylvania Sinfonia and Touchstone Theatre.

421 Second Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18018
mockturtle.org
Doug Roysdon – Artistic Director
610-867-8208
doug@mockturtle.org

Spiral Q Puppet Theatre

Spiral Q Puppet TheatrePhiladelphia’s Spiral Q lives at the intersection of arts and social justice. Established in 1996, Spiral Q uses popular arts (parades, print, pageantry, puppets) to build an urban arts democracy rooted in principles of accessibility, inclusion, self-determination, collaboration, sustainability, and life long learning. Spiral Q works with reclaimed and recycled materials, teaches in schools and community organizations throughout the city, leads collaborative planning of giant public art projects, and supports creative community organizing. Spiral Q’s work is nationally recognized for its originality, its capacity to inspire individuals of all ages and backgrounds, and its ability to creatively revitalize communities throughout Philadelphia.

4100 Haverford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA  19104
spiralq.org
215-222-6979
spiralq@spiralq.org"

SOUTH CAROLINA

Columbia Marionette Theatre

Columbia Marionette TheatreCelebrating 16 years as South Carolina’s premiere children’s theatre, the Columbia Marionette Theatre offers birthday parties, field trips, traveling shows, artists-in-residence programs, home school programs and even puppet shows for adults!

401 Laurel Street
Columbia, SC 29201
cmtpuppet.org
John Scollon – Executive Director
803-252-7366
info@cmtpuppet.org

VERMONT

Sandglass Theatre & Sandglass Center for Puppetry and Research

Sandglass TheatreAn intimate 60 seat renovated barn theater in Putney, Vermont. We present our own work as well as national and international companies.

17 Kimball Hill
Putney, VT 05346
sandglasstheater.org
Eric Bass & Shoshana Bass – Co-Artistic Directors
802-387-4051
info@sandglasstheater.org

Bread & Puppet Theater & Museum

Bread & Puppet Theater & MuseumApprenticeship Program end of June thru July; Summer performances at our farm in Glover, Vermont, July-August. Museum open daily, 10am-6pm, May – October, housing a giant collection of puppets, masks, paintings and graphics in a century old barn.

153 Heights Rd.
Glover, VT 05839
breadandpuppet.org
Linda Elbow, Touring Manager
802-525-1271
puppetsecretary@gmail.com

WASHINGTON

Northwest Puppet Center – Carter Family Marionettes

Northwest Puppet CenterNorthwest Puppet Center features a season of public performances, weekday school series, museum exhibits, archive/library, touring performances and educational programs. In recent years the Carter Family Marionettes have also begun staging full scale marionette operas and was recently the cover story in the national magazine, Early Music America. In December of 2003, Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s “Best of 2003 – Family”, Northwest Puppet Center was listed as #1 children’s attraction. “Pupi per tutti!” (Puppets for all!)

9123 15th Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98115
nwpuppet.org
Dmitri Carter
206-523-2579
info@nwpuppet.org

WEST VIRGINIA

Wonderment Puppet Theater

Wonderment Puppet TheaterShows every Saturday and Sunday at 12 Noon & 2pm

412 West King Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
wondermentpuppets.com
Joe Santoro
304-258-4074
wondermentpuppets@yahoo.com

WISCONSIN

Hazel Green Opera House

The opera house is where people and puppets come together for fun. This is the home of The Fever River Puppeteers, a nonprofit 501c3, who perform marionette and other puppet shows seasonally. We offer occasional puppetry workshops for children and adults, and we feature guest puppeteers as well. The opera house seats 80 patrons on soft chairs.

2130 S Main Street
Hazel Green, WI 53811
hazelgreenoperahouse.blogspot.com
Chuck and Sandye Voight
608-732-6404
voight167@centurylink.net

Puppeteers of America
310 East 38th St, Suite 127
Minneapolis, MN 55409

612-821-2382
office@puppeteers.org