Puppets Around the Web: the Funniest Parody on the Internet

Memberships Half Price! Ends Friday evening

For the first time in nearly 10 years, we've updated the Puppet Showplace Theatre membership benefits and level choices.

And now, we're discounting our membership prices by 50% as our way of saying 'thank you' for your support!

For the next 24 hours, enjoy all of the same great benefits — including complimentary tickets, discounted tickets and Puppet Store purchases — at 50% off!

How Your Membership Helps Us

The actual cost of presenting a family performance is $14-$16 per person, much more than the ticket price! Though more than 80% of our expenses are directly related to programming, ticket sales account for only 60% of our revenue.

It takes generous donations to help make up this difference. In fact, $2,000 in donations are required each week in order to keep excellent puppetry on our stage.

Each membership counts, from helping to pay performers and staff, to keeping the theater and lobby facility in working order.

What It Means To Be A Member

Ask a Puppet Showplace Theatre member why they joined and you'll get a variety of answers — from the money-saving benefits and the friends they've made at shows, to the fact that they are supporting an organization strongly rooted in the local as well as theatrical communities, dedicated to the art of puppetry and the introduction live theatre for children of all ages.

For audiences young and old, live puppetry is not just entertainment. It's a wonderful stimulus for the imagination.

And since the Puppet Showplace Theatre is a non-profit organization, your membership dues are a charitable contribution and are tax-deductible.

About This Special Discount

There is no offer code to enter, and no hoops to jump through. Just click on this link to learn more or to register.

But keep in mind that these prices are only for a limited time – this offer expires at 5PM on Friday, October 8th.

We hope you will take advantage of this fantastic offer and become a member or renew your membership today!

Jim Henson on Making Puppets!

In honor of our theme "Let's make a puppet together!" here's a fantastic video from 1969 where Jim Henson shares a little bit about making simple puppets.

Adult Puppetry, Blair Thomas, and Handmade Puppet Dreams

This past weekend I saw Blair Thomas perform his solo 3-part puppet piece "Hard Headed Heart" at the Charlestown Working Theater. Blair performed preliminary excerpts from this show at PST many years ago, and now he is touring the full-length version through New England. He stopped in Boston at CWT en route to the Puppets in the Green Mountains International Festival in Vermont, a magnificent week-long event featuring world-renowned performers (he'll be joined by PST favorites Bonnie and Jamie of Crabgrass Puppets who will perform at festival events).
Blair spoke eloquently to the Boston Globe about the significance of puppetry for adults:
It’s a logical thing that puppetry is associated with children, because there’s so much a sense of play in puppetry. But there’s also this thing about puppetry, that it requires a different kind of contract than the actors theater does: where the puppet figure asks you to believe in it, and it’s clearly an inanimate object. Children will readily believe. But the same issue goes on in puppet theater for adult audiences. There’s a level of belief that is requested of the audience members when the puppet makes its entrance.

I loved Blair's show, and was incredibly impressed by how he wove together live musical performance, soliloquy, and puppet design to achieve his impact. I was reminded that puppetry, while demanding of technical precision, is at its heart a wildly expressive art form. As Blair pounded 3 musical instruments with his feet while simultaneously performing the story of Don Cristobal with hand puppets, I was deeply moved by being in the presence of a performer who had much to say and who was brave enough to say it all at once.

We at PST are excited about our own adult offerings this year. This season, we are expanding our adult slams so they take place every other month starting in September and continue through July. On Saturday September 25th at 8:00 pm we will kick off our Slam season with a screening of the adult puppet film series "Handmade Puppet Dreams vol. 1," produced by Heather Henson. The show will be preceded at 6:00 pm by a video puppetry workshop led by Puppet Showplace Slam emcee Jonathan Little, who has studied with some of television's greatest puppeteers. Buy Handmade Puppet Dreams Screening Tickets and Reserve a Video Puppetry Workshop Space Here.

Check out Jon's preview video here.

If you have other ideas for adult programming this year, please let me know. Stay tuned for more information about adult puppetry events at PST and upcoming performances by world-class puppet artists in the Boston area!

Roxie
Artistic Director

Meet the Puppets on Display @ PST

Did you know that the Puppet Showplace Theatre is home to the hand-made puppets of some of the area's best-loved puppeteers? It's true! Next time you're at the theatre, look up – they're all around you, displayed up above the Puppet Store in our lobby.

Here are just some of the puppets you're bound to find.

Hummingbird created by Eric Bornstein (puppet in the background created by Paul Vincent Davis)

Betsy and other Cranberry Puppets created by Puppet Showplace Theatre founder Mary Churchill



Rob Roy created by Paul Vincent Davis

Lion created by Puppet Showplace Theatre founder Mary Churchill, shown with a friend of the Showplace, Jim Henson

More about...The Firebird by the Puppet People

Inspired by the Russian folktale and popular ballet of The Firebird, watch as even the impossible is possible, as the mythical firebird comes to life and Ivan and Princess Yelena team up to break the enchantment placed over their kingdom. This 50 minute magical puppet fantasy features beautifully handcrafted marionettes, lavish costumes, vivid sets, and a large body puppet; masterly accompanied by Stravinsky's musical score from the ballet of The Firebird.
Husband and wife team Mark Carrigan and Michelle Smith-Carrigan have been entertaining people for over 20 years. They have performed at many schools, theatres, festivals, libraries, museums, community centers and churches throughout New York State, Massachusetts and Vermont. Learn more about them at their website.

Don't miss this single-run season-closing show, the only time The Puppet People will be here this year!

BUY TICKETS

Sunday 8/29 @ 1:00 pm

or call the Box Office at 617-731-6400

Spring Cleaning...

...in late summer.

We're coming to the end of our program year at the end of the month and will be closing down for a couple of weeks before the new season starts up on September 15. But don't think that the puppets aren't kept busy during this down time.

The Puppet Showplace presents shows for 50 straight weeks every year, leaving little time for us to focus on the upkeep of the theatre itself. So now we roll up our sleeves and dust off our paint brushes to tackle a variety of 'spring cleaning' projects. If you'd like to volunteer during the first two weeks of September to help us spruce up the joint, we'd love to have you join us.

And if you're doing any cleaning of your own and would like to help your friendly neighborhood puppet theatre in the process, we could always use donations of the following:

-cleaning supplies

-Apple Macintosh computers (less than five years old and in good working condition)

-file cabinets

-good quality office furniture

-power tools (in good condition)

-construction materials

-and we'd love to find a powerful A/C unit of 12,000 BTUs or more

But don't forget to check out our last shows of the season next week, and come on back for the shows in September. Our full calendar can be found here.

More About... Galapagos George by Barefoot Puppets

Imagine being the last of your kind, being truly "one-of-a-kind." This funny, silly, touching, educational tale is based on the true story of "Lonesome George," the last Giant Galapagos Tortoise discovered in 1971 after it was believed that his species had gone extinct.

Described by The Smithsonian as "an uplifting eco-fable," this engaging show shares an important lesson about man's impact on the environment in a simple manner understandable by kids as young as four.

Barefoot Puppet Theatre is based in Richmond, VA, and tours extensively throughout the US and Canada, performing at theatres, schools, libraries, and museums. Their shows bring to life world folktales, classic tales with a twist, and original works with imaginative scripts that are well researched and fun. The original production "Galapagos George" was funded in part by a grant from the Puppeteers of America Endowment Fund and received an UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest award possible in puppetry!

BUY TICKETS

Wednesday 8/11 @ 10:30am

Wednesday 8/11 @ 1:00pm

Thursday 8/12 @ 10:30am

Thursday 8/12 @ 1:00pm

Or call our Box Office at 617-731-6400.

Learn more about Puppetry with Brad and Paul

There are still spots available in our intro to puppetry class beginning August 4th. Join us, and you'll learn about construction, performance, and the history and breadth of the art of puppetry!

The class meets in three sessions, August 4th, 11th, and 18th, from 7-9:30pm at the showplace.

To sign up, visit our page at Brookline Community Education.

Puppets Around the Web: Forgotten Muppets

We've spent a lot of time watching Sesame Street. And we bet you have too, either as a parent or growing up as a kid.

Remember Leo the Party Monster? No? Neither did we.

Which is why we were excited to find Ryan Roe's post on Tough Pigs: "7 Sesame Muppets I Never Thought I'd See Before There Was YouTube."

And though he's not a Muppet, be sure to check out the last clip of Mr. Roger's visit to the Sesame neighborhood.

Improvements to Puppetshowplace.org Coming

We plan on making a number of changes to our website over the next few months. The big goal is to make the site more intuitive to navigate and show information more accessible. Smaller goals include adding more relevant video, updating our home page with more frequency, and providing our schedules and other printed pieces for download.

We don't expect this project to be completed until early summer 2011, but we've already taken steps to make information easier to find on our current site: our August 2010 schedule — with show descriptions and age recommendations — is ready and available for download in PDF form on our homepage!

Take a look: Puppet Showplace Theatre homepage

Join Our Family

Love puppets? Want to work with them every day? Then join us as a member of our team.

The Puppet Showplace Theatre is currently seeking a full-time Box Office Manager to lead the daily business operations of this 36-year-old performing arts organization.

The Box Office Manager ensures public access to our weekly performances by selling tickets, booking private performances and groups, assisting audiences, managing staff and volunteers, and maintaining the professional appearance and cleanliness of the theatre, lobby, and office spaces.

Click here for a complete position description. To apply, send cover letter and resume in Word or PDF format to executive@puppetshowplace.org. No phone calls, please.

More About... National Marionette Theatre

NATIONAL MARIONETTE THEATRE is one of the oldest continually running marionette theaters in the United States. Founded in 1967 by artistic director David A. Syrotiak, this award-winning company has been entertaining audiences around the world with their extraordinary productions for over forty years. Noted for their amazing manipulation technique and imaginative fully staged productions, National Marionette Theater is committed to bringing you the very best in family entertainment. The company has received critical acclaim both here in the United States and abroad and was the first American Marionette Theater to receive the prestigious UNIMA award for excellence in puppetry.



More About... Hansel & Gretel

The story of Hansel and Gretel has captured the imagination of audiences for generations. In National Marionette Theatre's newest production, two master puppeteers bring the most famous of the Grimm Brother’s stories to life. Featuring exquisitely crafted marionettes, scrolling scenery and the beautiful music of Engelbert Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel is sure to delight audiences of all ages!

BUY TICKETS

Wed, July 14 @ 10:30 AM
Wed, July 14 @ 1:00 PM
Wed, July 15 @ 10:30 AM
Wed, July 15 @ 1:00 PM

More About... Margaret Moody and Galapagos Puppet Theater

This weekend come cool down or stay dry - depending on what the weather does - at the Puppet Showplace Theatre and enjoy a very special performance of The Monkey King (aka Monkey Wreaks Havoc in Heaven) by Margaret Moody of Galapagos Puppet Theater.

Galapagos Puppet Theater is comprised of Madeleine Beresford & Margaret Moody and includes of a multitude of characters who acts as windows into folktales, fantasies, and historical stories. They perform with hand, rod and life-sized puppets. Galapagos was founded in 1987 and is named for the Galapagos Islands, a habitat for many peaceful and unusual creatures.
They have studied with Taiwan’s master puppeteer Li Tien-lu and his I Wan Jan troupe, and use traditional Chinese puppets and choreography in several shows bringing a love of history and heritage all of their performances.

Galapagos has performed at many venues in the Northeast, including at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and the American Museum of Natural History and this Sunday we are happy to welcome Margaret Moody with her solo performance of The Monkey King to Brookline Village.


The Monkey King -The magical Monkey King makes mischief in the Heavens, eating all of the Jade Emperor's peaches and Lao-tze's elixirs. Traditional music arranged by Kevin and Rose Zhen. Performed with traditional Chinese hand puppets and intricate choreography.

BUY TICKETS

Sunday, July 11 @1PM

Happy 4th of July!

You may have seen this before, but it still makes us laugh.

Come by and join us for our own show on the Fourth: Brad Shur's "Raccoon Tales" at 1:00pm

A Summer of Puppet Fun!

Please note that our performance schedule has changed for the months of July and August. During the Summer we will be hosting 5 performances per week; Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM, Sundays at 1:00 PM. The Puppet Showplace Theatre Box Office will be closed on Mondays and Saturdays throughout the Summer. Tickets can always be purchased online here.

And don't miss a special July 4th performance of Raccoon Tales by Brad Shur!

Puppets Around the Web: For you 'Star Wars' fans

Yea, we consider it a puppet. In fact, we hear that there was even a puppet or two in the original 'Star Wars' movies - you know, the days before computer cartoon characters.

Wrap up report of the O'Neill conference

My week at the O'Neill Puppetry Conference was so packed with puppetry, that there wasn't a spare moment to update you on all the wonderful goings-on. But now, with the conference behind me, I can give the full scoop.

Roxie, Jon Little and myself got to participate in three separate tracks of the conference. I'll let them fill the readers in on the Video Anarchy and the Flock Theatre facets of the conference.

Myself, I participated in the ensemble production. This year was a special one, the 20th anniversary of the conference. In honor of the occasion, we created a show using one puppet from each year of the conference so far. These ranged from marionettes to masks to a Muppet (yes, an actual practice Muppet from the Henson Company, from the first year of the conference). 20 performers and three directors worked together to create one show that would bring all of these very different puppets together.

Besides that project, the conference hosted master classes every day with experts in writing, movement, and other facets for creating a show, as well as celebrity guests like Noel MacNeal from Bear in the Big Blue House, and Kathy Mullen from Fraggle Rock (both have worked on a number of Henson and other puppet productions).

Conference goers also created about two dozen participant projects, short puppet performances created entirely that week.

To name all the names of the amazing people who attended, taught and facilitated that week would take pages. Let me just say that I was surrounded by folks, both staff and participants, who were not just incredibly talented, but also incredibly open and eager to share their knowledge and skills. By the end of the week, I was exhausted by the almost impossibly full schedule but also excited about everything I had seen and learned.

Boston's other Green Monster

Our buddy, Jon Little, takes his friend out for a day on the town. Check out Jon at littlescreatures.com.

More About... Our July/August postcard!

Can you recognize all of our July and August performers? There are 17 in total, and 18 shows! Over the next eight weeks, we'll be highlighting a new performer every few days, close to their performance days. Here's a handy key to all of our performers this summer at Puppet Showplace Theatre!



1. "Galapagos George" by Barefoot Puppets (8/11 & 8/12)
2. "The Carrot Salesman" by Brad Shur (8/25 & 8/26)
3. "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Pumpernickel Puppets (8/1)
4. "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Spring Valley Puppet Theater (7/21 & 7/22)
5. "Everybody Loves Pirates" by Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers (8/18 & 8/19)
6. "Leopard Learns a Lesson" by Magpie Puppets (8/4 & 8/5)
7. "Hansel & Gretel" by National Marionette Theater (7/14 & 7/15)
8. "The Case of the Missing Woodpile" by The Gerwick Puppets (6/30 & 7/1)
9. "The Firebird" by The Puppet People - PST PREMIERE! (8/29)
10. "Wizards and Knights" by Theatre of Life Puppets starring Sammy Snail (7/28 & 7/29)
11. "The Brave Little Tailor" by Lionheart Puppet Company - PST PREMIERE! (7/25)
12. "The Twig Family" by Deborah Costine, Puppeteer! (7/18)
13. "Raccoon Tales" by Brad Shur (7/4, 7/7, & 7/8)
14. "Here Come the Clowns!" by Brad Shur (8/15)
15. "The Monkey King" by Galapagos Puppets (7/11)
16. "The Three Pigs and Other Tales" by Deborah Costine, Puppeteer! (8/22)
17. "The Little Red Hen" by Lionheart Puppet Company (8/8)