Hello hello! My name is Amarachi Okeke, and as a summer intern here at Puppet Showplace, I’m here to tell YOU about how puppetry goes beyond sock puppets and Sesame Street favorites like Elmo, especially here at Puppet Showplace, where it’s diverse, unique and best of all, memorable!
Beyond the walls of Great Britain’s Punch & Judy hand puppets to Japan’s Bunraku puppets, we see that there's more to puppetry than meets the eye. Here in Brookline, there are many ways one can form and even find their own community, including at Puppet Showplace, which is full of puppet shows from around the world and brings together people of different backgrounds.
Performed in our theater only a few years ago in 2019, I Wan Jan Puppet Troupe’s “A Chance Encounter” is a story told almost entirely without words through movement and music, showcasing the acrobatic movements of Bu Dai Xi puppetry, a form of entertainment developed in the 18th century as puppeteers traveled in rural Taiwan and Fujian. Despite the change in scenery in our theater, this beloved show brought audience members together, leaving them in high spirits, even after the show ended!
Photo from “I Commedianti” by Teatrino Giullare
A year later, from the streets of Italy, Harlequin, Pantalone, a host of tricksters and clowns brought the ancient Italian Commedia dell'Arte tradition to life in the hands of two masterful puppeteers at our very theater! This comedic performance combined pantomime, music, and puppetry with traditional Italian leather masks, costumes, and scenery.
Shows like this are more than just loved by our audience; they’re happy memories in the making, bringing people from all over together in order to enjoy the marvelous art of puppetry!
Puppet Showplace’s Summer 2025 Interns, From Left: Amarachi Okeke, Calla Paragiri, and Kevin Zhou
Editor’s Note: This blog post was written by Amarachi Okeke, a Summer 2025 Intern at Puppet Showplace Theater. Read other blog posts authored by the Summer 2025 intern team on our blog →
