Cheryl Henson

Hot on the heels of the 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, its largest and most successful ever, the Chicago Puppet Fest is pulling strings again this spring, dangling two delightful opportunities for Chicago audiences to enjoy the art and craft of contemporary puppetry.

The Center for Puppetry Arts opens the world premiere production of 'Tesla Vs Edison' tonight, February 22nd, 2023.

The Center for Puppetry Arts has announced the world premiere of Tesla vs Edison on February 22nd with performances from Wednesday - Sunday at 8 p.m. until March 12th.

Tickets are now on sale for the 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, returning January 18-29, 2023, at venues large and small throughout the city.

The Obie Award-winning HERE has announced the honorees for the 2022 HERE SPARK Gala. On the heels of HERE’s Puppetopia festival, and in celebration of HERE’s Dream Music Puppetry program, Cheryl Henson will receive the HEREmanitarian Award and Brian Selznick will receive the Avant-Guardian Award.

The Obie Award-winning HERE has announced programming for Puppetopia, a presentation of HERE’s Dream Music Puppetry program. Puppetopia will run May 11–22, 2022 in the HERE Mainstage & Dorothy B. Williams Theatres (145 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10013).

MoMI celebrated the inaugural Marvels of Media Awards and exhibition opening. Go inside the event.

Due to multiple positive COVID-19 cases in the company and staff, New 42 announced that all remaining performances of Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas have been canceled. Performances were scheduled to play through January 2, 2022. 

Production photos have been released for Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, which opens on Friday, December 17th at the New Victory Theater.

Today, Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas released a first look at the upcoming production with a photo  showcasing a few of the characters audiences will see onstage, including both humans and puppets from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Today, Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas announced their full cast and creative team. The cast will include Colin Trudell as Emmet Otter, Jordan Brownlee (Puppeteer) as Tiny Squirrel/Doc Bullfrog, Kevin Covert as Mayor Fox, LaVon Fisher-Wilson as Mrs. Mink/Hetty Muskrat, and more.

Museum of the Moving Image is inviting all audiences to recognize the creativity and leadership of media-makers with autism. To honor media-makers on the spectrum, MoMI is launching an open call for nominations for the Marvels of Media Awards, the very first media awards ceremony, film festival, and exhibit to celebrate neurodiversity.

La MaMa – one of the first major theatres in the U.S. to present contemporary puppet artists and their work on its mainstages – will begin its 60th season with the celebrated, biannual LA MAMA PUPPET SERIES from September 29 to October 24 at the Ellen Stewart Theatre and Downstairs Theatre.

The International Puppet Fringe Festival, New York's only international fringe festival dedicated to puppetry, has been awarded a 2021 Allelu Award by the Jim Henson Foundation. The foundation chose to honor Puppet Fringe, NYC for its efforts to bring high quality international puppetry work to a significant American festival.

Dixon Place announces its Spring 2021 Production Season, premiering four commissioned puppetry productions performed for in-person and virtual audiences, with video on demand (VOD) streaming available immediately following the live premieres.

Dixon Place has announced its Spring 2021 Production Season, premiering four commissioned puppetry productions performed for in-person and virtual audiences, with video on demand (VOD) streaming available immediately following the live premieres.

First up in the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's newly revamped 2020 Summer Season - now online, the 30th NATIONAL PUPPETRY CONFERENCE (PUP) running June 8 through June 12, 2020. PUP, with an already sold-out main CONFERENCE, is offering the public a series of five master classes, as well as, two free open mic puppet sessions. I managed to pull the right strings to pose a few questions to PUP's Artistic Director Pam Arcerio.

For 2020, the 44th year of London's annual festival of contemporary visual theatre, 10 overseas companies join 8 British groups, including 4 LIMF co-commissioned productions: This Time, a tender take on relationships and ageing from aerial theatre company Ockham's Razor; Romancing the Apocalypse from multi award winning dance duo Thick & Tight; Dead Good, a funny and poignant story of dying from full mask theatre company Vamos Theatre; and the story of one of showbiz's long overlooked partnerships, The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel performed by Told by an Idiot at new festival venue, the iconic Wilton's Music Hall.

Dixon Place presents fools in plein air: fermented rain, a new puppet theater commission by Patti Bradshaw, featuring Marie-Helene Brabant, Patrick Gallagher, Valerie Striar and Lissy Vomacka, with costumes by Dorke Poelz and sound and projection design by Andrew Murdock.

The Center for Puppetry Arts will introduce Harold and the Purple Crayon to the puppet stage, April 2-May 26. Based on five of the books from Crockett Johnson's beloved series, the original production invites audiences to watch as a curious young boy discovers his power to create anything he can imagine, simply by drawing it with his oversized purple crayon. From enchanted gardens to the circus - even a wild ride to the moon - audiences will watch Harold create his fantastic world in real time on stage.