Showtimes & Tickets
$18 all-ages general admission / $14.50 members / plus $2 service fee
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April 23 (Thur) 2026: 10:30 am
April 24 (Fri) 2026: 10:30 am
April 25 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
April 26 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
May 2 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
May 3 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm
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About the Show
Who is George? He's a tortoise, a giant Galapagos tortoise! Watch George grow up among lizards, sea turtles, and sea lions, along with hungry goats and dancing birds with blue feet. This show tells the true story of the last tortoise to be found on Pinta Island in the Galapagos archipelago.
All the way from Virgina, Barefoot Puppets brings us an “uplifting eco-fable,” as described by The Smithsonian, that shares an important lesson about humans’ impact on the environment. This adorable show was awarded the UNIMA Citation of Excellence in 2005, the highest honor in puppetry arts.
If you love animals, tortoises, the environment, and adorable puppets, Galapagos George is the show for you! You’ll fall in love with these islands... and this not-so-little tortoise.
After the Show: Meet the Puppets & More!
Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close!
Plus, join us in the lobby to enjoy coloring sheets inspired the the show, a dress-up station, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk! These activities are available after every performance, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm.
All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 12
Rod, hand, and shadow puppetry
Length: 50 minutes
Language: English
From Richmond, Virginia
Performed, written, and devised by Heidi Rugg
Puppets by Heidi Rugg
Staging/Scenery: Heidi and Sam Rugg
Music by Eric Weinberg
Photo credits: Warren Johnson
The show was supported in part by a grant from the Puppeteers of America Endowment Fund.
Watch the Teaser
About the Artist
Headshot by Randy Davidson
Heidi Rugg is a Richmond-based puppeteer, puppet builder, playwright, director, and educator. As a puppetry artist, she approaches her works with equal parts curiosity and creativity and is thrilled when her work sparks meaningful conversations. She enjoys tackling complicated themes and breaking them down for young audiences while infusing her work with rich language, vibrant visuals, and a joyful exuberance for the creative process.
Specializing in wet-felting applications in puppetry and rod puppet mechanisms, Heidi has a passion for sustainable practices in art-making and has been exploring a variety of techniques while on a quest to create biodegradable puppets. When she is not on the road, Heidi maintains a studio practice from her home on the edge of a swamp in Richmond’s Northside where she lives with her husband (and fellow company member), Sam Rugg, an immortal gecko, a rescue pup, and a host of puppets.
Barefoot Puppet Theatre empowers intergenerational conversations with performances, workshops, and residencies that focus on environmental themes and sustainable arts practices. From their studio on the edge of a swamp in Richmond, Virginia, they work with cardboard, wool, handmade papers, and a host of recycled materials on a quest to create biodegradable puppets. Their original show, Galapagos George, received an UNIMA-Citation of Excellence in 2005. Barefoot Puppet Theatre has been performing, presenting workshops, partnering on arts integration programming, and participating in artist residencies since 1997. The company has toured extensively to theatres, schools, libraries, museums; notable venues include The Smithsonian Discovery Theater, Puppet Showplace Theater in Boston, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.
