Details & Registration
Apr 28 (Tues) 2026 | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Location: Puppet Showplace Theater
$85 Regular / plus 4% service fee
$70 Access / plus 4% service fee
$105 Supporter / plus 4% service fee
+ $15 materials fee
Puppets at Night members receive 15% off
Become a member →
Registration Deadline: April 14
Register early — if minimum enrollment is not met by April 14 the class will be cancelled.
About the Class
Get ready to sculpt with clouds! Join Heidi Rugg of UNIMA award-winning Barefoot Puppet Theatre in this one-evening workshop all about working with fluffy wool to create dense structures suitable for puppet building. Participants will learn needle felting basics, some advanced needle felting tricks, felting vocabulary, and techniques for creating more complex forms — perfect for rod and hand puppets. You will also get a peek at puppets created from other felting processes, including wet-felting and nuno-felting and be introduced to wool/felting resources and materials. Participants will leave this workshop with the essential skills needed to start using needle felting in their puppet-building practice!
Recommended for adults and teens ages 16+
About the Instructor
Heidi Rugg is an interdisciplinary artist with her feet firmly planted in the worlds of both performance and visual arts. As a builder, Heidi has a passion for ergonomic design, spring mechanisms, and eco-friendly processes in puppet-making. In her creative practice, she is on a quest to create biodegradable puppets and works primarily with wool, handmade papers, and recycled materials. Heidi founded Barefoot Puppet Theatre in 1997, a company born of her desire to share story-driven, timely works to uplift young audiences. In 2005, Barefoot Puppet Theatre was awarded an UNIMA Citation of Excellence for their original work, Galapagos George. Barefoot Puppet Theatre continues to tour works to theatres, schools, museums, festivals, libraries and community centers. People always need a good story. 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.
