✨ A Thanksgiving weekend fairy tale

Kick off the holiday season with Hansel and Gretel, a delightful adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale by Tanglewood Marionettes. Watch as pages of a giant storybook turn to reveal the duo’s adventure in the woods!

Plus, stay after the show to enjoy a dress-up station and coloring sheets!

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Share the transformative power of puppetry this winter! By donating to Puppet Showplace, you can help support awesome puppetry, champion artistry, and welcome everyone.

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Mainstage | Shows for Kids & Families
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Nov 29
Hansel and Gretel by Tanglewood Marionettes

Nov 29 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

While lost in the woods, Hansel and Gretel encounter many challenges (including a witch!) and must call upon their inner reserves to make it through in this beautiful adaptation.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 9
Marionettes

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Nov 30
Hansel and Gretel by Tanglewood Marionettes

Nov 30 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

While lost in the woods, Hansel and Gretel encounter many challenges (including a witch!) and must call upon their inner reserves to make it through in this beautiful adaptation.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 9
Marionettes

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Dec 6
The Trolls and the Tree: An Environmental Fable by Margaret Moody Puppets

Dec 6 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm (PWYC)

When two trolls take care of the fairies’ garden, they have to decide what’s more important — their deluxe toaster or the fairies’ cherished tree?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10
Hand puppets and live lute music

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Dec 7
The Trolls and the Tree: An Environmental Fable by Margaret Moody Puppets

Dec 7 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

When two trolls take care of the fairies’ garden, they have to decide what’s more important — their deluxe toaster or the fairies’ cherished tree?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10
Hand puppets and live lute music

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Dec 13
Hanukkats by Talking Hands Theatre

Dec 13 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

How do you play dreidel and why? Join Ziva the cat as she goes back to the time of the first Hanukkah to recover the missing letters on her dreidel!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Hand puppets

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Dec 14
Hanukkats by Talking Hands Theatre

Dec 14 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

How do you play dreidel and why? Join Ziva the cat as she goes back to the time of the first Hanukkah to recover the missing letters on her dreidel!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Hand puppets

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Dec 19
Holiday Sing-Along! by Sarah Nolen & Phil Berman

Dec 19 (Fri) 2025: 4:00 pm

Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music

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Dec 20
Holiday Sing-Along! by Sarah Nolen & Phil Berman

Dec 20 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm

Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music

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Dec 21
Holiday Sing-Along! by Sarah Nolen & Phil Berman

Dec 21 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm

Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music

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Dec 22
Holiday Sing-Along! by Sarah Nolen & Phil Berman

Dec 22 (Mon) 2025: 4:00 pm

Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music

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Dec 23
Holiday Sing-Along! by Sarah Nolen & Phil Berman

Dec 23 (Tues) 2025: 1:00 pm | 4:00 pm

Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music

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Dec 24
Holiday Sing-Along! by Sarah Nolen & Phil Berman

Dec 24 (Wed) 2025: 10:30 am

Celebrate the season with a family-friendly sing-along featuring dancing snowmen, jingle bells, and lots of snowy fun!

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 2 - 9
Mixed puppetry styles and live music

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Dec 27
Vacation Week Palooza: Sleeping Beauty by Tanglewood Marionettes

Dec 27 (Sat) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

When a wicked witch curses the baby princess Aurora, the entire kingdom falls into a deep sleep. Will a prince with a true heart arrive in time to break the spell?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes

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Dec 28
Vacation Week Palooza: Sleeping Beauty by Tanglewood Marionettes

Dec 28 (Sun) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm 

When a wicked witch curses the baby princess Aurora, the entire kingdom falls into a deep sleep. Will a prince with a true heart arrive in time to break the spell?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes

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Dec 29
Vacation Week Palooza: Sleeping Beauty by Tanglewood Marionettes

Dec 29 (Mon) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm 

When a wicked witch curses the baby princess Aurora, the entire kingdom falls into a deep sleep. Will a prince with a true heart arrive in time to break the spell?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes

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Dec 30
Vacation Week Palooza: Sleeping Beauty by Tanglewood Marionettes

Dec 30 (Tues) 2025: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

When a wicked witch curses the baby princess Aurora, the entire kingdom falls into a deep sleep. Will a prince with a true heart arrive in time to break the spell?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes

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Jan 1
Vacation Week Palooza: Peter Rabbit by Pumpernickel Puppets

Jan 1 (Thu) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

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Jan 2
Vacation Week Palooza: Peter Rabbit by Pumpernickel Puppets

Jan 2 (Fri) 2026: 10:30am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

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Jan 3
Vacation Week Palooza: Peter Rabbit by Pumpernickel Puppets

Jan 3 (Sat) 2026: 10:30am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

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Jan 4
Vacation Week Palooza: Peter Rabbit by Pumpernickel Puppets

Jan 4 (Sun) 2026: 10:30am | 1:00 pm

Naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and sets off to find adventure — and lunch! — in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3-7
Hand puppets

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Jan 17
Penguin In My Pocket by Kurt Hunter Marionettes

Jan 17 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

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Jan 18
Penguin In My Pocket by Kurt Hunter Marionettes

Jan 18 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm (PWYC)

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

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Jan 19
Penguin In My Pocket by Kurt Hunter Marionettes

Jan 19 (Mon) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm — Martin Luther King Jr. Day

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

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Jan 24
Penguin In My Pocket by Kurt Hunter Marionettes

Jan 24 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

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Jan 25
Penguin In My Pocket by Kurt Hunter Marionettes

Jan 25 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

What happens when a penguin scientist crash lands in the jungle?

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8
Marionettes and rod puppets

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Jan 31
Party Animals by Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion

Jan 31 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Party Animals follows five furry friends as they navigate the biggest social hurdle of their young lives — throwing their first party! Featuring incredibly catchy, original rock 'n' roll music.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Hand puppetry

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Feb 1
Party Animals by Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion

Feb 1 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Party Animals follows five furry friends as they navigate the biggest social hurdle of their young lives — throwing their first party! Featuring incredibly catchy, original rock 'n' roll music.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 9
Hand puppetry

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Feb 7
The Snowflake Man by PuppetKabob

Feb 7 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

How do you take a picture of a snow crystal?! Inspired by a true story, The Snowflake Man swings audiences into the iconic 1920s.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Czech-style marionettes and pop-ups

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Feb 8
The Snowflake Man by PuppetKabob

Feb 8 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

How do you take a picture of a snow crystal?! Inspired by a true story, The Snowflake Man swings audiences into the iconic 1920s.

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10
Czech-style marionettes and pop-ups

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Feb 14
The Fiery Mountain and Its Princess: A Monkey King Tale by Galapagos Puppets & Jimmy Zhao Chinese Music Ensemble

Feb 14 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

Join mischievous Monkey King in taming a fiery mountain and winning a magical fan from the powerful Princess in this episode of the classic Chinese adventure story Journey to the West. 

All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 12
Bu Dai Xi hand puppets, masks, and live music

Kids Puppetry Workshops & Vacation week Programs
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Feb 16
February Puppet Adventure: Fantastic Fairy Tales — Czech Marionettes for 2nd - 8th Graders

Feb 16 (Mon) - Feb 20 (Fri) 2026 | 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Explore storytelling and performance with Fantastic Fairy Tales! In this one-week program, kids will dive into the art of storytelling, building skills in narration, structure, and presentation.

2nd - 8th Graders

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Apr 20
April Puppet Adventure Program: Butterflies! — Puppetry Exploration for 2nd - 8th Graders

Apr 20 (Mon) - Apr 24 (Fri) 2026 | 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Calling all kids who love butterflies, nature, bugs, and puppets! In Butterflies!, you’ll learn about the life cycle of butterflies and build your own puppet stage, plus rod and shadow puppets to complete it.

2nd - 8th Graders

Puppets at Night | Shows and Classes for Adults & Teens
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Jan 20
Marionette Crash Course: Class with Kurt Hunter

Jan 20 (Tues) & Jan 22 (Thurs) | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Jump into marionettes with this two-day evening workshop — perfect for beginners!

Recommended for adults and teens 13+

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Jan 27
Creating Theater with Materials: Water, Paper, String & Place — Class with Max

Jan 27, Feb 3, Feb 10, Feb 17 (Tues) 2026 | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Discover the movement and stories within different materials in this four-session weekly class, culminating in a short performance!

Recommended for adults 18+

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Feb 6
Tempus CarniVEIL by PuppetKabob

Feb 6 (Fri) 2026: 8:00 pm

Something wicked creeps beyond the veil and into this world… Tempus CarniVEIL blends poetry and puppetry into a sensory feast that blurs the line between abstraction and nostalgia.

Recommended for adults and teens ages 14+
Cantastoria, string, hand & more

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Feb 24
Shadow Puppetry 101: Class with Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion

Feb 24, Mar 3, Mar 10, Mar 17, Mar 24 (Tues) 2026 | 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

What do translucent buffalo hides and overhead projectors have in common? Find out (and make your own puppet!) in this introductory level class with Puppet Showplace’s Resident Artist Sarah Nolen.

Recommended for adults and teens 16+

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Mar 19
Collaborative Theater: A Magical Realist Approach — Workshop with Charlotte Lily Gaspard of Midnight Radio Show

March 19 (Thurs) 2026 | 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Join playwright, director, and puppeteer Charlotte Lily Gaspard of Midnight Radio Show for an overview of the methods (and madness!) behind her collective's magical realist approach to creating live performance.

Recommended for adults 18+

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Mar 26
Traditional Turkish Shadow Theater: Workshop with Ayhan Hulagu of US Karagoz Theatre Company

March 26 (Thurs) 2026 | 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Step into the vibrant world of traditional Turkish shadow theater in this three-hour, hands-on workshop

Recommended for adults and teens 13+

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Mar 27
The Other Side of Hollywood: A Modern Turkish Shadow Play by US Karagoz Theatre Company

Mar 27 (Fri) 2026: 8:00 pm

Humor, tradition, and the fantastical intertwine across cultures in this modern twist on one of the oldest Turkish literary works.

Recommended for adults and teens ages 13+
Shadow puppetry

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Our Mission

Puppet Showplace Theater is dedicated to presenting outstanding puppetry to diverse audiences through performances, workshops, and community outreach activities.

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Puppet Showplace Theater is supported by...

 

Puppet Showplace Theater is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts through the New England Arts Resilience Fund, part of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund, an initiative of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations and the Mellon Foundation, with major funding from the federal CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan from the National Endowment for the Arts.