Embedded Files
Calendar
Calendar
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
Apply for the 2026-2027
Puppet Lab Artist Residency!
Application closes:
Monday, September 14th, 2026
NOTIFICATION:
Monday, September 28th, 2026
There will be a virtual Application Q & A hosted by the Puppet Lab Co-Artistic Directors on Wednesday, August 5th from 6:30 - 7:30pm on Google Meet. This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions that come up as you draft your application!
Trees Are Cool!
Friday, August 7th, 2 pm
In the Heart of the Beast Theatre
2411 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis
Geared for ages 7 and up
FREE
Trees are Cool introduces its young audience to a Grandmother Squirrel who teaches us to plant trees for the benefit of future generations. The simple narrative of a grandmother and her tree climbing grandchild is packed with educational information about our specific ecosystem here in the city, the importance of trees, and the magnificence of the interconnection of all living things. Told through puppetry, song, and even some tree jokes, Trees are Cool is a delightful and educational show that illuminates just how cool trees are.
Open Eye Theatre's
Driveway Tour
Tucker's Robot: June 4 - July 12
Jeremy and the Giant King: July 16 - August 23
The award-winning Driveway Tour brings high-quality, original outdoor puppet shows with live music to communities all across the metro!
Jeremy and the Giant King
Sunday, July 19th, 4 pm
Grace Episcopal Church
4557 Colfax Ave South, Minneapolis
Join us on the Front Lawn for a show and cool treats! Bring your laughter and your own chair or blanket. If rainy or too hot, the show will be held inside.
Directed by Ches Cipriano
Performed by Annika Sorensen and Irene Weinhagen
With music by Dan Turpening and Ford Campbell
Annual Puppeteers Picnic
Sunday, August 30th, 1-4 pm
Kurt and Kathy Hunter's Place, RSVP for address
The annual Twin Cities Puppeteers Picnic is a chance to come together around our shared love of puppet theatre. We will catch up with old friends, meet new friends and share some of the puppetry that we've been doing.
RSVP
Please RSVP to Kurt (kurt@huntermarionettes.com) by August 23rd, so we have an idea how much food we'll need.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU!
We'd like to get to know everyone better, so it would be great if you could bring a story, puppet or short performance to share at the picnic. Since we would like everyone to share, performances should be less than five minutes and you should plan to bring anything that your performance will need (stage, table, etc.)
PUPPETRY SWAP AND SHOP
Do you have puppets, puppetry supplies or books or other puppetry related items that you would like to pass along to a good home? Bring them to the picnic to sell, trade or give away!
You'll be responsible for how you receive payment, if you are selling. You should bring a tarp, blanket, box or table to display your items. Don't forget to take home any stuff that you have left at the end.
Support Twin Cities Puppeteers with a Membership!
The Twin Cities Puppeteers Guild has been bringing puppeteers together in Minnesota since 1940. Your generous support helps us continue to champion puppeteers and puppetry in Minnesota.
Suggested Membership Donation:
Single adult: $20
Group or couple: $30
Senior Citizens and Juniors: $15
Out-of-State Supporters: $10
Any Donations Welcome!
(The membership year runs from June to June)
You can renew two ways.
1) Send a check made out to Twin Cities Puppeteers to:
Kathy Tran
6116 Virginia Ave S.
Edina, MN 55424
OR
2) Send money via Paypal to tcpuppet@gmail.com
or use this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/tcpuppet
. Please leave a comment in the notes section with your name, email address and phone number. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
As always, thank you for your continued dedication to continuing the art of puppetry. We look forward to serving you for another year!
Puppets at the Minnesota Fringe Festival August 6 - 16, 2026
The Minnesota Fringe Festival is upon us once again! It has grown from featuring 52 shows in 1994 to showcasing nearly 560 performances of over 99 shows in 2025. To get a list of shows that include puppetry from the list of all shows ( https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026 ) you can select "Puppetry" under "Select Genre."
Be warned, however, those shows will include some puppetry, but it might not be much. For better odds of getting a satisfying fill of puppetry, check out the shows below.
The Choose Your Own Adventures
of Turtle Boy
By Tiger Love Studios LLC
Created by Emmanuel Elpenord
Emmanuel comes from New York with a one-person puppet show with call and response/audience participation. The bashful but rowdy Turtle Boy leads you through an action movie of your own making. John Wick meets TMNT. Karate Kid meets Mr. Rogers.
Click here for tickets and more information
DOOZY a good friend never forgets
By Dolly Who? (Destiny Davison)
A good friend never forgets. Too bad, Dolly did. But no worries, it's her day off! No agenda, no script, no work...and all the time in the world for a little sweet, sweet revenge.
Click here for tickets and more information
The folks at Phantom Chorus Theatre are making puppets for two shows at the festival this year!
Fighting Unicorns
By Angela Fox Productions
A girl and her unicorn sidekick journey through a fantastical world to find her lost story. A powerful show about healing and moving forward. Puppets, humor, heart. Part of the Social Butterfly Project. 120 min
Click here for tickets and more information
Muskie
By New Endeavors
It's Fishing Opener on Lake Mille Lacs, but some of the locals have started disappearing. Could it be the work of the terrifying, mythical Muskie? Find out in this Minnesota-based parody of "Jaws."
Minneapolis Crankie Fest
September 25, 26, 27
Tickets Go Live in September!
Minneapolis Crankie* Fest is a homegrown backyard evening of crankie shows, live music, popcorn and our wacky, beautiful, ever-growing crankie community! We are excited to offer a platform for artists new to the form as well as those who are seasoned performers. We intend to honor those who have been holding up artists in this community and embrace those that are newly emerging, offering them an outlet and creative support to deepen their practice and connection to the rich puppetry community in Minneapolis. We celebrate the crankie as an art form with a selection of pieces that range from traditional to experimental, humorous to somber, heartfelt to crude.
Upcoming Opportunities
Upcoming Opportunities
Backpack Walk Around Puppet Stage
Free to a Good Home or Puppeteer!
This backpack walk around puppet stage (sans curtains) was originally used by Joan Mickelson's World Tree Puppet Theater. I believe Paul Eide helped design it. I received it from Joan, refurbished it a bit, intending to use it, but had too many other stages and projects. It needs some servicing (like playboard hinges) but overall it's in good shape.
Let me know if you're interested. - Wayne Krefting, 612-270-8170
Open Call- One Hippopotamus Night Only
The Puppet Union is looking for puppet slam pieces for our fall show, to be held on September 19th.
Each performance must contain a hippopotamus in some way.
Apply here
Full Moon Puppet Arts- Fundraiser Committee
Looking for volunteers to serve on a fundraiser committee for Full Moon Puppet Arts. Meetings are via zoom every few weeks for 1hr. We'll need help with developing fundraiser language, website content, design images, and preparing for Give to the Max. If you have or want experience with fundraising or just want to give back to Full Moon we could use your help!
Please email dolly@fullmoonmpls.org for details.
HOBT Summer Puppet Camps
June Session: Monday, June 22 - Friday, June 26, 2026
August Session: Monday, August 31 - Friday, September 4, 2026
9 am -12 pm and/or 1 pm - 4 pm
Your child will be able to explore the materials and create with others. Each session will have a slightly different focus: creating a puppet show, engaging in improv with newly made puppets, working on individual puppets or masks or a large collaborative project. ALL are welcome. Prior experience is not required. Suggested ages: 7-12.
Out of Town events
Out of Town events
Puppet Festival Scholarship
The Twin Cities Puppeteers will be awarding one scholarship for registration to the Great Plains Puppet Train, September 10 - 13, 2026 in West Liberty, Iowa.
Housing and means are not covered by the scholarship. You must reside in Minnesota to apply.
The deadline to apply is July 24th.
Great Plains Puppet Train
September 10 - 13, 2026
West Liberty, Iowa
Located close to Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa and the internationally renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop, West Liberty is an iconic small town, with an active main street and warm hospitality. The Regional Festival will take place in various buildings downtown, all within a distance of about four to six blocks, starting Thursday evening with registration, finger foods, a show, and a party. Friday will include workshops, performances in our opera house, and a Puppet Slam. Saturday will feature the West Liberty Children’s Festival, complete with five puppet performances and lots of street food and activities, A street dance with Latino bands, and finally a delicious catered dinner and an evening performance. Sunday: breakfast, one last show, and farewells to friends, old and new!
We’ll have the following kinds of shows:
Family friendly shows outdoors during the West Liberty Children’s Festival
School shows that connect to the curriculum
International shows, slam pieces, etc.
And workshops: Shadow puppets, Marionettes, Giant puppets, Business workshops to help puppeteers make a living in the current economy, Advocacy through puppets and more!
Puppets in the House
October 8-10, 2026
Verona, Wisconsin
Puppets in the House is offering two opportunities to gather with like-minded folks and hone your puppetry skills this year. We'd love to see our Midwest puppet friends in Wisconsin!
July - Frankie Cordero is teaching a ten-hour class on tv monitor puppetry. Appropriate for beginner and intermediate students, learn eye focus, breath, intention, lip sync and more in this two-day workshop. Opportunity to buy a beginner-style puppet built by Frankie himself.
October - Puppets in the House returns with a smaller and more intimate festival. Registrants choose from intensive nine-hour workshop tracks in writing, needle-felting, shadow puppet flip books, and creating a puppet slam piece/building puppet joints. (We deliberately cap class sizes for greater teacher-student interaction and to build an intimate cohort, so join us while space is still available!) Besides the workshops, the October festival will include a puppet open mic, performances from the guest artists and local talent, Friday night dinner, and Saturday afternoon's Community Day, a public event with free puppet performances, more workshops, art and food vendors, crafts, and a glowing puppet parade at dusk.
Recurring Events
Recurring Events
First Saturday Storytime With Chelly
First Saturday Storytime With Chelly
The first Saturday of the Month
10:30 - 11:30 am
Heart of the Beast
2411 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
Join Chelly and her sidekick Turnip the Dog for a fun-filled storytime, followed by open hours for the puppet library until 2 pm.
This event is free and open to the public.
Artist Gathering Space (Puppet Doodle Club)
Artist Gathering Space (Puppet Doodle Club)
Third Tuesday of each month, 6-9 pm
2411 Hennepin, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Lightly led/coordinated by Felicia Cooper and Steve Ackerman
A space to connect in time and space A space to share and witness
Are you looking for an accountability group?
Would you like a cohort to brainstorm with, to showcase your work and get feedback?
Are you interested in sharing resources?
OR are you just looking for a space to be in a community?
And share some food, ideas and art. Attend often or once in a while, no prerequisites and no restrictions on participation
July 2026
July 2026
Puppeteers for Fears
presents
Robopocalypse: The Musical!
July 1, 7:30 pm
The Cedar
416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
Singing appliances! Killer robots! Bleepin’ bloops!
Puppeteers for Fears is an Oregon-based comedy troupe, specializing in original horror and science fiction rock’n’roll musicals performed with puppets.
Click here for tickets and more information
Wishes in the Sand
July 21, 2026, 7:30pm
Open Eye Theatre
506 E 24th St Minneapolis
WISHES IN THE SAND is a contemporary fairy tale that weaves together tabletop puppetry and shadow play. A queer puppeteer confronts his past, where memory, fantasy, and imagination collide in a moving story of transformation and self-discovery. Initially created as part of the 2024 Puppet Lab Festival of New Work, this work-in-progress presentation invites audiences to experience the next phase of the show's development.
Click here for tickets and more information
Pacer Puppet Building Opportunity
Pacer Puppets is looking for someone to build approximately 15 new puppets from the new redesign I recently finished for them. (See photo above. The actual eyes are still oval but larger/wider.) The builder would be provided with the new patterns and instructions I constructed for this redesign project. Details regarding remuneration, materials, and so on would be worked out between Pacer and the builder. I will be available for advice and questions during the build process, though I don't have time to build myself. If you are interested, contact me and I will put you in touch with Pacer who will have the final decision on builder.
June 2026
June 2026
Puppet Union Presents:
O.H.N.O.
(One Hungry Night Only)
Saturday, May 30th
Two shows: 2 pm and 7 pm
Open Eye Theatre
506 E. 24th Street, Minneapolis
It's a Puppet Slam! Come join us for a night of short-form new works in puppetry, all helmed by and wrangled by the Puppet Union: an informal, supportive network of puppetry artists and performers dedicated to sharing resources, advocating for fair working conditions, and fostering collaboration within the puppetry community.
All at Once:
Boundless / Sin límites
June 4–7 & June 11–14, 2026
Pillsbury House Theatre
3501 Chicago Ave S. Minneapolis
A visually rich, community-rooted performance blending puppetry, myth, and South Minneapolis history, Boundless / Sin límites invites audiences into a time-traveling journey of identity, migration, and belonging.
Boundless is the first production by All at Once Puppet Company, a BIPOC collective comprised of Sofia Padilla, Oanh Vu, Andrew Young and Erica Warren.
Puppetry and Mime Workshops
by Phantom Chorus Theatre
Puppeteering Basics with Marc Berg
Sun., May 17, 4 - 7 pm
Fundamentals of Mime with Thalia Kostman
Sun., May 31, 2 - 4 pm
Large Scale Puppeteering with Marc Berg
Sat, June 13, 2 - 5 pm
Learn the same performance techniques that Phantom Chorus Theatre uses in their shows: Puppetry, Mime, Physical Theatre, Clown and all kinds of Weird Stuff that defies classification!
Classes are focused on hands-on, practical lesson plans, each taught by one of Phantom Chorus Theatre's experienced artists.
Classes are currently for adults only (18+).
More youth oriented workshops will be available starting sometime this summer.
All classes take place at the Carleton Artist Lofts in St. Paul, MN.
oW wOw mEow
presents their surrealist puppet show
Let Them Eat Melon
June 13, 7:30 pm
In the Heart of the Beast Theatre
2411 Hennepin, Minneapolis, MN 55407
A puppet show inside a watermelon, inside a stomach, inside of a anti folk music show, looking at themes of microbial ecosystems, health autonomy, death and decay, and connecting systems of body to systems of ecology and politics. We use music and puppetry to explore how the worlds inside us connect us to the worlds beyond us and create stories that are equal parts hilarious, grotesque, and beautiful.
This show is for all ages if your little is a fan of the odd and strange! Perfect for kids who like cartoon network.
May 2026
May 2026
May Day Parade and Ceremony
Sunday, May 3rd
Parade - Noon
Ceremony - Following the Parade
The parade is on Bloomington Ave., from 28th Street to 34th Street and into Powderhorn Park. Seating for the ceremony is on the hillside on the west side of Powderhorn Lake.
Open Eye Ball
A Night at the Circus
Thursday, May 7th, 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Open Eye Theatre
506 E. 24th Street, Minneapolis
Step Right Up for the Open Eye Ball! Join the revelry and support Open Eye’s ambitious, locally-rooted artistry.
Reserve your place at Open Eye’s annual fundraiser, a one-of-a-kind evening of celebration, connection, and generous support for the imaginative work that keeps our theatre thriving.
Join artists and fellow friends of Open Eye in our beautiful jewel box theatre and help sustain a vision rooted in creativity, community, and wonder!
RSVP by Monday, May 4
$100 per guest ($75.00 deductible)
Everything is Nothing
May 8th and 9th at 7:30pm
Open Eye Theatre, 506 E 24th St, Minneapolis
Happy Accident (liz HOWLS & Drew Simpson) returns to the Twin Cities with a new puppet dispatch from our beautiful cultural sewers with an Opening act by Alo Osberg. In their new show, EVERYTHING IS NOTHING, your favorite Saturday morning super pals take you on another trip through the dark alleys of modern life.
Puncuate the Moment: A puppet workshop on sound, light, and movement
May 9th 9:00am-12pm
Open Eye Theatre,
506 East 24th St, Minneapolis
liz Howls and Drew Simpson (Happy Accident) crack open their playful, curious process. What makes an object steal the scene? How do you sharpen focus, land a moment, or surprise an audience? Through hands-on experiments, participants will layer movement, sound, and light to transform object theatre, proving that small shifts can make big.
Minneapolis Crankie Fest
Call for 2026 Artists!
Application deadline is May 20th, results sent out on June 4th.
Curious about the application?
Join an info session on May 6th 6-8pm at Crankie Fest HQ: 2411 11th Ave S, Minneapolis.
If you’re considering attending, please RSVP to crankiefest@gmail.com
Minneapolis Crankie* Fest is a homegrown backyard evening of crankie shows, live music, popcorn and our wacky, beautiful, ever-growing crankie community! We are excited to offer a platform for artists new to the form as well as those who are seasoned performers. We intend to honor those who have been holding up artists in this community and embrace those that are newly emerging, offering them an outlet and creative support to deepen their practice and connection to the rich puppetry community in Minneapolis. We celebrate the crankie as an art form with a selection of pieces that range from traditional to experimental, humorous to somber, heartfelt to crude.
Melancholics Anonymous presents Worm Teeth by Kelsey Sullivan!
May 15-24th
Phoenix Theater 2605 Hennepin Avenue
"Worm is quite happy being just that: a worm. However, there is one thing missing - this worm wants teeth. And you, yes you, are going to help it get them! Follow along on Worm’s journey as it meets old friends, sings some songs, and discovers how far it's willing to go for some pearly whites.”
Whimsical, feral, and sometimes deeply unnerving, Worm Teeth is not children’s theater, but rather a delightfully twisted fable about self acceptance for people who grew up watching strange videos on YouTube.
WORM TEETH is produced by direct special arrangement with playwright KELSEY SULLIVAN
April 2026
April 2026
Indigenous Short Film Festival
Sunday April 26th, 11 am and 7 pm
Z Puppets Rosenschnoz
4054 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis
Join Z Puppets for 45 min. of free, family-friendly short videos by local Indigenous artists. See animation, puppetry, comedy and drama on screen through a Native lens.
FREE admission and FREE popcorn! Recommended for ages 6-adults.
NOTE: Space is limited. Arrive early to get a seat.
Doors open at 30 minutes before showtime.
This Cultural Districts Arts Fund activation is funded by the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department
Monkeybear New Puppetworks
Friday April 24th 7pm
Saturday April 25th 7pm
Sunday April 26th 2pm
Pillsbury House and Theater, 3501 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis
Monkeybear’s Harmolodic Workshop supports Native, Black, IPOC in developing creative and technical skills in contemporary puppetry.
Monkeybear is thrilled to present the puppet theater pieces of our New Puppetworks cohort!!! Johanna Keller Flores, Danielle Hendricks, Jennings Mergenthal, David Valentine, Juanita Vang and Senah Yeboah-Sampong. Each of them have created a 7 minute piece using different styles of puppets. For many of them, it's their first time making puppets, so proud of the beautiful work they've created!
ASL interpretation on Sunday, April 26th 2pm show
Large print playbills will be available. The theater is ADA compliant.
Wicked Wisdom
by Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus
with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
April 4th, 2:30 and 7:30 pm at Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
In Wicked Wisdom, we celebrate the genius of legendary composer Stephen Schwartz, whose music dares us to dream, challenges us to care, and reminds us that even the most misunderstood voices can rise, shine, and soar.
The centerpiece of the concert, Songs of Old Wisdom, brings the beloved book Old Turtle to life in a breathtaking choral-orchestral work. With a full orchestra, over 200 voices, the radiant harmonies of See Change Treble Choir, and the magical storytelling of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, this one-of-a-kind performance transcends words. It’s a symphony of spirit, nature, and timeless truths that speak across generations.
Puppet Lab
April 10 - 19, 2026
Open Eye Theatre, 506 E 24th St, Minneapolis
Led by Co-Artistic Directors Oanh Vu and Sofia Padilla
Featuring new work by PUPPET LAB artists
Chelly Beaver, Destiny Davison, Mackenzie Langason and Jake Quatt
PUPPET LAB is a 2-week festival of brave, quirky, imaginative, and visually dazzling new puppet work, the culmination of a 6-month development residency for emerging puppetry artists.
Razia's Shadow: A Puppet Rock Opera
The Hive Collaborative, 677 Hamline Ave N, St. Paul
Razia’s Shadow: A Puppet Rock Opera is a fantastical tale told through puppetry & song, full of wild characters and eye-popping spectacle. The show features the talents of 10 amazing puppeteers/vocalists, and over a dozen unique puppet characters – including a vengeful Satyr, a gigantic technicolor Spider, a pair of reptilian Witch Sisters, a mechanical Mad Doctor, and more! Performing April 10 - 25 2026 at the Hive Collaborative in Saint Paul.
That Felt Good
Fridays in April at 9:30 pm
Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake St, Minneapolis
That Felt Good is a weekly variety show brought to you by a fuzzy puppet and their ragtag team of skin-covered best friends.
Every Friday night, we kick things off with a special guest comedian, followed by a hodgepodge of long-form improv with some music/film/miscellany scattered in.
With a cast of a Henson Company-trained puppeteer, a clown, an opera singer, and your favorite improvisers and performers, TFG promises that no two shows will be the same, but every one will be the weirdest thing you've seen all week.
Come enjoy a night out, you deserve a Friday that Felt Good.
Let's Get Crankie
Crankie Theater Workshop with Erica Warren
Saturday, April 18, Noon - 2 pm
Oddmart, 2520 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis
Fee: $15
Make your own simple, crankie theater box with Monkeybear Alum Erica Warren. Crankies are a great way to tell stories. Tools provided!
Baba Yaga and the Firebird
Sun., April 19, 2 pm
The O'Shaughnessy, 2004 Randolph Ave, Saint Paul
"Baba Yaga" uses pop-up books, inventive puppets and audience interaction (prepare to sing) to demonstrate that love is an enchantment that no one can outlaw."
In this exuberant yet heartwarming original story, based on Slavic folklore, two performers play over fifteen roles. The world of Baba Yaga and the Firebird bursts forth from the pages of a pop-up book, from which appears a single backdrop and almost a dozen puppets.
This madcap musical adventure is the story of a princess and a pauper who take a fantastical journey to beg the witch, Baba Yaga, for a firebird, in hopes of saving their ailing mothers. Along the way, they meet a talking bear, singing skulls, a winter witch, flying horses, and a nefarious sorcerer with dreams of immortality – all who come alive through a musical form rooted in both vaudeville and the oral tradition of storytelling.
March 2026
March 2026
Bug Ballet
March 6-15, 2026
7:30 pm, Southern Theatre
1420 S. Washington Avenue, Minneapolis
Set on the windowsill of a recently deceased Grandmother's home, Bug Ballet is a large puppet and dance spectacle told through movement and original music, centered on the creeping, otherworldly, and often overlooked creatures we share our lives and homes with. Bug Ballet takes inspiration from the virtuosity of ballet form, but throws many of the typical rules and structures out the window, replacing them with giant puppets and theatrical dance.
Bug Ballet is directed and produced by Orren Fen and Katie Burgess with choreography by Arwen Wilder and a live score composed by Adrian Cox-Thurmond
What will happen when we are gone and our homes sit empty, deteriorating, decomposing?
Maybe if we are lucky they will become grand stages for the Bug Ballet!
History of Puppetry in the Twin Cities
Monday, March 9, 7:00pm
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Linden Hills 4201 Sheridan Ave. S, Minneapolis
Jennings Mergenthal (that's me!) will present on their ongoing research project exploring the history of puppetry in the Twin Cities, where puppetry came from and why it has been so enduring.
The Twin Cities Puppeteers, will display historically significant puppets as well as photos and ephemera.
Sponsored by the Linden Hills Historical Study Group.
Click Here to watch the video recording!
Above: "Ruth Cole Builds Puppet Collection, 1941"
Courtesy Hennepin County Libraries
Dinosaur World Live
March 3rd to April 5th, 2026
Children's Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Mpls
Are you brave enough to face a T-rex? Do you know what it feels like to get sneezed on by a triceratops? Find out when dinosaurs take over CTC! Feel the rumble of their rawrs as a young paleontologist takes you on a tour so up-close-and-personal you’ll almost smell their stinky breath! This extraordinary experience has wowed kids and adults all over the world. But be on the lookout: you never know who (or what!) you’ll run into after the show…
Written and Directed by Derek Bond
Puppet Design by Max Humphries
Puppet Direction by Laura Cubitt
Click here to read our interview with puppetry designer Max Humphries
World Puppetry Day
Saturday, March 21st
Family Event - 10:30 am - 12:45 pm
Heart of the Beast
2411 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
The Twin Cities Puppeteers will be partnering again with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater to celebrate World Puppetry Day.
10:30 am - 2:00 pm: HOBT Puppet Library Open
10:30 am: Family Fun Puppet Slam with Kim Faurot, Laura Krentz, Steve Mark, Kathy Tran, Will Schroeder, and Lizz Windnagel and Michael Grace. MC'd by Kurt Hunter.
11:30 am: Hands on Puppet Activities, Puppet Information Tables and History Presentation by Jennings Mergenthal
1:00 pm: Shadow Puppet Workshop for teens and adults with Tom Tuke
Click here for more information
UNIMA Online Offerings
UNIMA, the international organization of puppeteers, has organized two special events open to everyone, everywhere in the world, to celebrate World Puppetry Day.
A keynote speech will be presented by Yaya Coulibaly, internationally renowned carver and puppetmaster from Mali.
UNIMA Friendship Cafe, a virtual meeting space on Zoom, will be open for 24 hours for puppeteers around the world to meet and hang out
Click Here for UNIMA International Online Events!
USA World Puppetry Day Online
Four U.S. puppetry organizations are coming together to celebrate 2026 World Puppetry Day on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 4:00 pm CST.
This event will have presentations from UNIMA-USA, Puppeteers of America, Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers, and Vent Haven. There is no fee, but advance registration is required.
The City that Slept
by Tom Tuke
Friday & Saturday, March 20th and 21st 7:30 pm
Heart of the Beast
2411 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
What happens when Sleep arrives in New York? We listen, as the city falls asleep, and folks retell dreams. Using shadow, lantern and large-scale marionettes, we see these dreams as they weave through the towers, avenues and city blocks. Using interviews recorded in Union Square, and soundscapes from around the city, Tuke creates a tableau of New York. The City That Slept incorporates fusions of traditional puppetry forms, which Tuke has developed while studying at The University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program. These include an original design - floating shadow puppets, which glide through a pool of moving water.
The show is approximately 50 minutes in length, and is written with adults in mind but has been enjoyed by all ages.
LIMBS
By Ches Cipriano
March 21st, 7:30 pm at New City Center, 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
March 29th, 7:30 pm at Open Eye Theatre, 506 E 24th St, Minneapolis
LIMBS is a multidimensional puppet show featuring an 8-ft tall marionette, shadow puppetry and masked creatures. Inspired by the "Bride of Frankenstein," LIMBS explores memories of a three-faced Creation as they are disassembled and discarded by their Creator. The dismembered limbs follow threads from their lives - together and separate - in a swirl of interactive shadows. The performance is an exploration of regaining lost autonomy, and the body as a tapestry of memories through fleeting thoughts, and a vehement soundscape as the Creation's lives flash before your eyes.
HedgeHearts: A Woodland Puppet Rom Com
Sat., March 15, 2 pm
Sun., March 22, 7 pm
Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake St., Minneapolis
Tickets are $15 in Advance / $18 at the Door.
Come to the Minneapolis Premier of HedgeHearts, a woodland puppet rom com by Liz Hara, directed by Stacey Weingarten.
Featuring live puppet acts by Erica Warren, Kurt Hunter, and Liping Vong.
"A love story with a few sharp edges."
From the brilliant mind of Liz Hara (Sesame Street, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur), comes a whimsical and bittersweet puppet romantic comedy. Follow Lily the Hedgehog as she navigates the ultimate prickly predicament: a love triangle involving her best friend Marco and the literal plant of his dreams, Rebecca the cactus.
An All-Star Puppet Cast:
This world-class production features a powerhouse lineup of industry veterans, including:
Liz Hara (Sesame Street)
Victor Yerrid (Crank Yankers, The Dark Crystal)
Camille Chen (Game Night, Renfield)
Planning for May Day 2026 is well underway. Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 3rd.
You, the community, are invited to share what is on your hearts and minds this year, and what images, themes, poems, or songs resonate with the pulse of our community in this moment.
1st Community Meeting:
Tuesday, March 10 from 7-9pm
This first meeting is to collect inspiration from our community about themes and ideas for the Ceremony.
2nd Community Meeting:
Tuesday, March 24 from 7-9pm
The second meeting is to propose story ideas based on those themes and to receive feedback from the community.
Location for both Meetings: St. Paul’s Church at 2742 15th Ave S.
There are lots of ways that you can get involved!
Volunteer!
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February 2026
February 2026
PLEASE!
by Felicia Cooper
at Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake St, Minneapolis, MN
Fri., Feb. 6, 10 pm
PUPPETRY, PROJECTION, AND POP MUSIC COMBINE IN FELICIA COOPER’S NEW ADAPTATION OF BUCHNER’S WOYZECK
PLEASE! is a high intensity and humorous trip through expressionism and indie sleaze, exploring the depths of surveillance, desire, power and who holds it. PLEASE! was created in collaborations with Lizz Windnagel, Sam Weisberg, Alice Endo, Davey Steinman, and LIPING VONG, with original music by Lisa Frank.
Click here for tickets and more information
Finger Puppet Follies
Friday and Saturday, February 13 & 14, 2026
7:30 pm
Heart of the Beast
2411 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
Come see the Finger Puppet Follies: A Valentine's Day Puppet Slam!
Local artists will perform an original, tiny 8-10 minute puppetry piece.
Come see the intricate, the minuscule, the teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy fine art of finger puppets!
Partially funded by Puppet Slam Network.
Plus
Valentines Sip and Puppet
Saturday, February 14, 2026
1:00 PM 4:00 PM
Looking for a fun activity for Valentine's Day? Join us for a puppet making workshop at HOBT on Feb. 14th for 3 hours of puppet making, connections and light snacks. We will be making Finger Puppets!
Come back for the Finger Follies in the evening - tickets included in the price of this activity.
TRICK LOCKET
by Bryn Battani
Part of The Cedar Commissions Night One
Friday, February 20, 2026
7:30 PM 11:00 PM
The Cedar Cultural Center
416 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis
Bryn Battani is a Texas-bred writer/performer who loves to say the opposite of what she really means. She supports her “persona pop” songs with genre-bending arrangements colored by her folk-rock roots and theatrical background, heightening her shapeshifting stage presence with props and costume changes. Her work oscillates between tongue-in-cheek melodrama and raw vulnerability, examining social politics, thorny entanglements, and other modern absurdities.
This February, Bryn will deliver a rock operetta exploring themes of credibility and authority in an age of algorithms, educational censorship, and commodified desire. Morphing between unreliable narrators influenced by hidden agendas, blatant biases, and genuine intentions, she playfully questions where we get our information and who we trust. This new work punctuates character-driven songs with short scenes and musical interludes, utilizing pop idioms and misleading appearances to disguise deception and challenge the audience’s assumptions of the singer-songwriter as an “authentic” voice.
Click here for tickets and more information
January 2026
January 2026
Penguin in my Pocket
by Kurt Hunter
The Conn Theater
at Plymouth Congregational Church
1919 La Salle Ave, Minneapolis
Sat., Jan. 10, 2 pm
PENGUIN IN MY POCKET tells the fun-filled and quirky tale of a penguin scientist who crash lands in the jungle when her experimental jetpack fails, and how she works with an artistic monkey to find her way home — encountering a sea monster along the way. It’s a solo show featuring marionettes, rod puppets, audience member puppeteers, and a concertina.
Are You Thirsty?
Heart of the Beast
2411 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis
January 17, 1pm
Free and Open to the Public
“Thirsty” just wants a drink of Water! But first they must explore a myriad of questions contained in that one precious sip.
Please join us for Are You Thirsty?, a revival of the dynamic 2008 performance by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre*. This family-friendly performance ignites us to see ourselves as relatives of Water, bringing many current Water issues vibrantly to life, and encouraging our important and joyful participation in taking care of Water.
Performed by Lora Pedersen and Spencer Polk, directed by Sandy Spieler, and music by Greg Herriges.
Illuminating Sound: a shadow puppet and music show
January 10 at 4pm (3pm doors, 3:30pm house)
January 11 at 4pm (3pm doors, 3:30pm house)
At the Southern Theater.
Illuminating Sound is an innovative shadow puppet and music performance that blends live music and visual storytelling to explore the cyclical nature of time, the creation and destruction of the world, and humanity's impact on the environment.
10th Wave musicians are at the heart of the show and their musical performance creates the visual imagery. The musicians wear large masks to cast silhouettes of deities and the puppeteers around them use focused lights to isolate and magnify the instruments in action, producing sparks of light and texture as they create the universe. Among the creatures born from the darkness is a small bird whose life we follow across the ages. When climate catastrophe strikes, the bird is separated from its flock and befriends a mythical fox-deer. Together they travel the world in search of a new home, only to encounter repeated devastation caused by human exploitation. Can they survive -- and will they ever find a place to belong?
Get tickets here
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