Traditional Tales Enchant Brookline This Week!

"Puppeteers of New England"

Series of puppet shows that celebrate exciting and diverse

work by puppetry artists from the Northeast.

"The Three Wishes And A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

by Spring Valley Puppets

Thurs & Fri, May 22nd and 23rd, at 10:30 am

Sat & Sun, May 24th and 25th. at 1:00 and 3:00 pm

BUY TICKETS

This week is filled with delightful mischief as two popular fables take the stage at Puppet Showplace! Join Michael Graham of Spring Valley Puppets from New Haven, CT as he and his hand-crafted glove puppets weave a magic all their own. 

"The Three Wishes"

"Thoroughly enjoyable! Informative! Exceptional quality!" 

- Comprehensive Arts Program - New Haven, CT

"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

"...[A] delightful performance! Beautiful scenery and charming puppets ... a professional production that delighted the students and staff." 

- Parkway School - Greenwich, CT

About the show:

Stunning craftsmanship and delightful special effects bring two traditional tales to life in this elegant puppet production. In "The Three Wishes," a magical elf wreaks havoc in the household of an elderly woodcutter and his wife while teaching us a lesson about getting stuck in our routines. Then, a little lamb proves that she's not so helpless in an original adaptation of "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". Based on Aesop's popular fable, this story is enlivened with a colorful Mexican setting, a humorous communication gap, and a surprise ending!

About the performer:


Michael Graham has performed with puppets since he was a young boy. He founded the Spring Valley Puppet Theater in 1977. Since then, he has performed throughout New England, primarily for schools and libraries. His work has been featured numerous times at regional and national festivals of the Puppeteers of America, and he is a recipient of the prestigious UNIMA citation of excellence. Michael designs and makes all of his puppets by hand, writes his own scripts, creates the scenery, and performs many of the voices. 



He graduated from Western Connecticut State College with a degree in Elementary Education and Spanish, and has created many bilingual adaptations of folk tales. Michael has been a guest instructor at the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts program, the Institute of Professional Puppetry Arts (IPPA) at the O'Neill Theatre Center, and has presented casting and hand puppet construction workshops for puppetry guilds in Connecticut and Massachusetts. www.springvalleypuppets.com

Animals Teach A Lesson In Friendship

Animal April continues with...

“The Carrot Salesman” 

by Brad Shur, Artist in Residence 

with live music performed by Chris Monti

EASTER WEEKEND!
Apr 17 (Thu) | 10:30 am
Apr 18 (Fri) | 10:30 am & 1 pm
Apr 19 ( Sat) | 1 pm & 3 pm

BUY TICKETS

Join Mr. Bunni, star and sympathetic hero of “The Carrot Salesman” as he searches for new customers and new friends. This show features beautifully designed, 2-dimensional puppets created by Artist in Residence, Brad Shur, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Imagine a giant pop-up book that comes to life right in front of your eyes! This gentle and interactive show is perfect for ages 2 & up.

About the Performance:

Join Mr. Bunni, a door-to-door vegetable salesman, as he journeys beneath the earth, into the sea, and even to outer space in search of new customers. Will he ever sell enough carrots to please his boss? Or will his new friends teach him a valuable lesson? This imaginative table-top performance features a live actor, colorful 2D paper puppets, and plenty of audience interaction. 

LIVE MUSIC!

All performances of "The Carrot Salesman" will feature live music performed by local musician, Chris Monti.

Brad Shur and Chris Monti in rehearsal for "The Carrot Salesman"

About the Performer:

Brad Shur is a versatile puppeteer who has created and performed characters made of everything from pixels to papier mache. As the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace Theatre he performs 6-7 different shows each year in multiple puppetry styles. He also teaches puppetry classes to students of all ages, Pre-K to adult.

Brad Shur in "The Carrot Salesman"

Prior to becoming the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace, Brad toured the country as a performer with Big Nazo (Rhode Island), Wood & Strings Theatre (Tennessee) and The PuppeTree (Vermont). As a builder, Brad has designed and fabricated puppets for American Idol, Dollywood, Avenue Q, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. Brad is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.

More Animal Adventures at Puppet Showplace!

"Animal April"

Series of puppet shows featuring animal characters and nature themes continues with...

“Raccoon Tales” 

by Paul Vincent Davis, Artist in Residence Emeritus

performed by Brad Shur, Artist in Residence
Apr 10 & 11 (Thu & Fri) | 10:30am
Apr 12 & 13 (Sat & Sun) | 1 pm & 3pm

BUY TICKETS

If you look carefully among the trees and bushes of the forest, you might see a creature peeking from behind the leaves! Meet a trickster raccoon, red coat bushy-tail fox, timber wolf, and brown bear in "Raccoon Tales," a collection of Native American tales from the Seneca tribe of New York. Join us for an exciting week of trickster tales staring the cleverest raccoon around!

Red Coat Bushy-Tail Fox

About the Show:

Get transported into the forest with the trickster Ring-Around-His-Tail Raccoon as your guide! The animals in the forest are always getting into trouble playing tricks on each other. Will they ever learn their lessons? "Raccoon Tales" features three humorous vignettes inspired by the Native American just-so-stories of the Seneca tribe: "How the Fox and the Raccoon Trick Each Other," "Why the Blue Jay is Blue and the Gray Wolf Isn’t" and "Why the Bear has a Stumpy Tail." The show is performed with hand-crafted glove puppets made by Paul Vincent Davis.

About the Seneca tribe:

Seneca is pronounced "SEH-neh-kah." It comes from the name of one of their villages, Osininka. In their own language, the Senecas call themselves Onandowaga, which means "people of the mountain." The Senecas originally lived in New York state.  Many Seneca people still live in New York today, but others were forced to migrate to Oklahoma or Canada.

There are lots of traditional Seneca legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Seneca Indian culture.

Click for more info!

About the performer:

Brad Shur is a versatile puppeteer who has created and performed characters made of everything from pixels to papier mache. As the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace Theatre he performs different shows each year in multiple puppetry styles. He also teaches puppetry classes to students of all ages, Pre-K to adult. As protégé of master puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis, Shur trained extensively in the art of glove puppetry and currently performs two of Davis’ classic shows, "Raccoon Tales" and "Clown Circus," at venues across New England.

Prior to becoming the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace, Brad toured the country as a performer with Big Nazo (Rhode Island), Wood & Strings Theatre (Tennessee) and The PuppeTree (Vermont). As a builder, Brad has designed and fabricated puppets for American Idol, Dollywood, Avenue Q, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. Brad is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Paul Vincent Davis with Brad Shur, and Robin character from Brad's new glove puppet show, "Robin Hood"

Nature and Animal Stories at Puppet Showplace!

Animal April

Series of puppet shows featuring your favorite creatures!

VIEW FULL CALENDAR

UP NEXT: "Turtle's New Home"

by Deborah Costine, Puppeteer!

Thurs & Fri, April 3 & 4 at 10:30am

Sat & Sun, April 5 & 6 at 1 & 3pm

BUY TICKETS

Join us this Spring at Puppet Showplace for a series of puppet shows featuring your favorite animal characters. Adventure with animals from Galapagos Island, journey into the forest with a trickster raccoon from Native American stories, or travel to the jungles of africa to meet your favorite Spider Anansi and his friends.  First in the series is an original story by local puppeteer Deborah Costine about animals native to New England. VIEW FULL CALENDAR

"Turtle's New Home" by Deborah Costine, Puppeteer!

About the show:

New England animals are the stars of this charming story about friends in a wetland habitat. The little pond where Blanding the turtle has lived for many years is no longer safe because a road has been built between there and the place she goes to lay her eggs. When she meets young Castor the Beaver, who is eager to build a dam, she sees that her problems might be solved! Along the way, we also meet a young boy and his nature-loving babysitter who learn together how to look closely at nature.

"Turtle's New Home" by Deborah Costine, Puppeteer!

About the performer:

Debbie is an artist, naturalist and National award-winning puppeteer whose mission is to inspire the love of nature in children. She co-founded The Gerwick Puppets in 1974 and, with Len Gerwick, designed, and built 14 productions during which time she created over 200 puppet characters and presented over 5,000 performances throughout New England.

Deborah Costine, Puppeteer and the cast of
her UNIMA award-winning show, "A Woodland Cinderella"

Eventually Debbie formed her own solo company -and produced shows appropriate for ages 3 and up, Including “The Three Pigs and Other Tales, “The Twig Family in the Oak Tree” and “A Woodland Cinderella.” “Turtle’s New Home” is the newest production and received funding from the Jim Henson Foundation. It is an endearing story about friendship, habitat needs and “puppet” children learning how to look closely at nature. www.deborahcostinenaturepuppets.com

March Puppet Slam: Puppets Around the World

"Puppets at Night"

Series of evening puppetry performances for adults and teens presents...

Chinese Theatre Works (NYC)

"Puppet Showplace Slam: International Edition"
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Saturday, March 22 at 8pm

BUY TICKETS

Every other month Puppet Showplace stays open late to deliver the finest in grown-up short form puppetry entertainment. Each cabaret-style piece is performed by a different artist or artists, and the content can be wide-ranging: some acts are elegant or poignant, others are satiric, irreverent, or humorous, and still others can be passionate, political, or spiritual in nature. 

In honor of the World Day of Puppetry, March's Puppet Showplace Slam will bring together puppetry styles and stories from around the globe. Performers include Chinese Theatre Works (NYC), Israeli mask artist Avital Peleg, Margaret Moody of Galapagos Puppets, Puppet Master Jake, Accordionist Ian Theo Mitchell, and more!

Cash bar! Beer and wine will be served.

There's a Puppet Pandemic at Puppet Showplace!

PUPPET SHOWPLACE SLAM: Featuring Puppet Pandemic

ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Sat, Jan 18 at 8pm

BUY TICKETS

The Puppet Showplace Slam returns! January's slam features "Puppet Pandemic" performers, aka alumni of the O'Neill National Puppetry Conference. Acts include "Goldilocks and the Three Kraken" by Broderick Jones, "The Bread Death" performed and created by Gavin Cummins (age 40) and narrated by Chanz Kalstrom (age 5), "Stealium" by Matt Witham and Christine Dempsey, an excerpt from Bonnie Duncan's acclaimed dance/puppetry production "Poste Restante" and many more!

RAFFLE: You'll also have a chance to win awesome puppet-themed raffle prizes. Proceeds from the raffle go to the O'Neill's Alumni Scholarship Fund.

CASH BAR: Beer and wine will be served through out the night thanks to our beer sponsor for the evening, Berkshire Brewing Company!

ABOUT THE O'NEIL NATIONAL PUPPETRY CONFERENCE

The National Puppetry Conference located at the Eugene O'Neil Theater Center in Waterford, CT creates contemporary works of theater that defy imagination and confound expectations. Over the course of just eight days, Conference participants collaborate with nationally and internationally renowned puppet artists, and each other, to produce innovative plays and productions that push the boundaries of puppetry’s definitions and dare participants to challenge themselves and their audiences. 

FEATURED PERFORMERS:

Gavin Cummins is a puppeteer and graduate student at University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts program. He first started performing with puppets in Seattle with Thistle Theater and Brain Kooser Productions before co-founding The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam and the creating the ubiquitously named Puppet Show: The Puppet Show. Gavin has performed around the country and was honored to be selected as part of the 2013 National Puppet Slam.

"The Bread Death" by Gavin Cummins

In "The Bread Death," black light puppets help to bring to life a spooky story told by a 5 year old boy.  Narrator and storyteller Chanz is a young friend of Gavin's who in September asked him "What are you doing?" and when Gavin replied, "Trying to think of a Halloween story" he answered with "I have a Halloween story…" The recording used in "The Bread Death" is verbatim and unedited.

"Stealium" by Matt Witham and Christine Dempsey

"Stealium" by Matt Witham and Christine Dempsey is a humorous toy theater piece about helium shortage. It was developed and created at the 2013 O'Neil Pre Conference in the Toy Theater track taught by John Bell. The piece was conceived, written, and built, in three days.

"Stealium" by Matt Witham and Christine Dempsey

Matt Witham is an animator, designer, and puppet builder based out of Astoria, New York. He has animated on the hit children’s television show, Nick Jr.’s “The Wonder Pets!” and various stop motion music videos for LEGO. He is currently the lead designer and animator on the children’s app, “Addimal Adventure.” You can hear his voice in the app as the constantly annoyed character, “Junior Possum.”

December Vacation Week is ALMOST HERE!

Puppet Showplace Theatre's Snowy Stories series continues with...

"Hansel and Gretel" 

by Tanglewood Marionettes
Thurs & Fri, Dec 19 & 20 at 10:30am
Sat & Sun, Dec 21 & 22 at 1pm & 3pm

BUY TICKETS

It's the last week of school before winter break, and we have quite a line-up of holiday fun in store for you! Follow Hansel and Gretel into the forrest for an exciting gingerbread adventure performed by Tanglewood Marionettes this Thursday, Dec 19 through Sunday, Dec 22.

Take a look at all of our upcoming school vacation week performances: VIEW CALENDAR

About the show: In this original adaptation of the classic fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel need to work together, using both brains and bravery, to find their way out of the woods. This beautifully hand-crafted production by Tanglewood Marionettes begins with an interactive puppet demonstration and features enchanting music from Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" opera.



About the performer: Founded in 1993 by Peter and Anne Schaefer, Tanglewood Marionettes is a nationally touring marionette company whose unique productions have been seen by hundreds of thousands of children and families across the country. With seven shows currently in their repertoire, the company performs year-round at venues ranging from school assemblies to renowned cultural institutions.

Performer Peter Schaefer was born into a Boston-area family of puppeteers and has visited Puppet Showplace since he was a child. After apprenticing with the Bennington Puppets, Peter launched his own company, “Mountain Marionettes,” before joining with Anne Schaefer and fellow Bennington puppeteer Stephen Hancock to form Tanglewood Marionettes.

Performers Jennifer Tebo and Peter Schaefer

Performer Jennifer Tebo discovered her love of puppetry while pursuing a degree in Theater and Classical Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She has been touring with Tanglewood Marionettes since 2004 and plans to spend a lifetime in puppetry.

The company has received two UNIMA awards, puppetry's highest honor, for their productions An Arabian Adventure and The Dragon King.

Tanglewood Marionettes believes above all that a performance is a communal experience, with connections established not only with the performers, but also between members of the audience themselves as they laugh together, gasp together, and cheer together when the good guys prevail! More info: http://tanglewoodmarionettes.com/

Here Come the Clowns!

CIRCUS SPECTACULAR!

Nov 7-24: VIEW FULL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

UP NEXT: "Clown Circus"

by Paul Vincent Davis, 
performed by Brad Shur, artist in residence 

Sat & Sun, November 16-17 @ 1 & 3 pm

BUY TICKETS

From silly characters to not-so-ferocious lions, "Clown Circus" features a high energy cast of clowns in hilarious vaudeville bits that will have audiences in stitches! The show was created by award-winning puppeteer, Paul Vincent Davis, Puppet Showplace Theatre's artist in residence emeritus.

Our current artist in residence, Brad Shur performs "Clown Circus," passing on the traditions from the artist in residence before him. As protégé of master puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis, Shur trained extensively in glove puppetry and currently performs many of Paul's classic shows at venues across New England.

About the show: Clowns come in all shapes and sizes, but everything about them is larger-than-life. Join Dusty and his friends Pierrot, Zany and Guffaw for this fun, interactive variety show that features circus-inspired singing, dancing, storytelling, lion-taming, and more.

This colorful performance, originally created by master puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis, is a favorite for young audiences (and their grown-ups).

About the show's creator: Master Puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis is widely recognized as one of America's foremost glove puppeteers. For over 30 years he served as Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace Theatre where he and founder Mary Churchill worked tirelessly to establish a home for puppetry in New England. Throughout his career, Paul was a dedicated member of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry.

Davis created over a dozen full-length puppetry productions and received four prestigious UNIMA Citations of Excellence for his work. He was honored with the President's Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Puppeteers of America. Now retired from performing, Davis remains active as a teacher and mentor in the New England puppetry community. He is the subject of the bookPuppeteer by Kathryn Lasky and is currently writing his own book about the art and philosophy of glove puppetry.

About the performer: Brad Shur is a versatile puppeteer who has created and performed characters made of everything from pixels to papier mache. As the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace Theatre he performs regularly and teaches puppetry classes to students of all ages, Pre-K to adult.

Brad with a character from "Clown Circus"

Shur’s original works include "The Carrot Salesman," "Dr. Doohickey and the Monster Machine," "The Yankee Peddler: Stories and Songs from Old New England" and "The Magic Soup and Other Stories," recently featured at the Puppeteers of America National Festival 2013.

Brad with a character from "Clown Circus"

Shur is currently working on a new adaptation of "Robin Hood," set to open in January 2014. Prior to becoming the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace, Shur toured the country as a performer with Big Nazo (Rhode Island), Wood & Strings Theatre (Tennessee) and The PuppeTree (Vermont). As a builder Shur has designed and fabricated puppets for American Idol, Dollywood, Avenue Q, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. Shur is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.

For more shows by Brad Shur, CLICK HERE

The Circus comes to BROOKLINE!

CIRCUS SPECTACULAR
Nov 7-24: VIEW FULL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Swing on the trapeze and dance down the high-wire at Puppet Showplace this November! This week, we unfurl our first “Circus Spectacular” series with four circus-themed puppet shows for audiences of all ages, and new puppetry classes/workshops for adults and teens.

UP NEXT: TICK-MARIONETTES!

"The Fairy Circus" by Tanglewood Marionettes

VETERAN'S DAY WEEKEND!
Thurs & Fri, Nov 7 & 8 at 10:30 am
Saturday & Sunday, Nov 9 & 10 at 1 pm & 3pm
Mon, Nov 11 at 10:30 am & 1pm

BUY TICKETS

About the show: Tanglewood Marionettes invites you to be a spectator at this dazzling display of circus acts performed in an enchanted garden. "The Fairy Circus" is a showcase for turn-of-the-century style trick puppetry, performed by over 20 beautifully handcrafted marionettes. Fairies, field mice, and other small critters dance, play instruments, juggle, contort, transform, and fly through the air with the greatest of ease, all to the music of favorite classical composers. Each performance includes an interactive puppetry demonstration before and after the show!

About the artist: Founded in 1993 by Peter and Anne Schaefer, Tanglewood Marionettes is a nationally touring marionette company whose unique productions have been seen by hundreds of thousands of children and families across the country. With seven shows currently in their repertoire, the company performs year-round at venues ranging from school assemblies to renowned cultural institutions.

Peter and Anne Schaefer, Tanglewood Marionettes

Performer Peter Schaefer was born into a Boston-area family of puppeteers and has visited Puppet Showplace since he was a child. After apprenticing with the Bennington Puppets, Peter launched his own company, “Mountain Marionettes,” before joining with Anne Schaefer and fellow Bennington puppeteer Stephen Hancock to form Tanglewood Marionettes.

The company has received two UNIMA awards, puppetry's highest honor, for their productions An Arabian Adventure and The Dragon King. 

Tanglewood Marionettes believes above all that a performance is a communal experience, with connections established not only with the performers, but also between members of the audience themselves as they laugh together, gasp together, and cheer together when the good guys prevail! More info: www.tanglewoodmarionettes.com

The Magical Month of May at PST!

Happy Spring, Puppet Fans!


A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
by Spring Valley Puppet Theater
Thurs & Fri, May 2 & 3 at 10:30am
Sat & Sun, May 4 & 5 at 1 & 3pm

BUY TICKETS

With fond memories of ANIMAL APRIL at PST, we wave farewell to to our fabulous furry friends from Aesops's Fables, and cute critters that graced our puppet stage like Anansi the spider, and Mr. Bunni from the Carrot Salesman. Up next this spring at PST is MAGICAL MAY: a series of magic-filled tales that is sure to enchant audiences! To kick-off the month, PST presents, "A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" by Spring Valley Puppets which is paired with the classic tale of "The Three Wishes", a story about a wood cutter who meets a magical elf in the forest!  Join us this week for two delightful stories performed by the award-winning PST long-time favorite, Spring Valley Puppet Theater of New Haven Connecticut!

"The Three Wishes"

About the show: A hungry Wolf tries to outwit a savvy Shepherd and make a meal of the helpless, little Lamb. Helpless? Maybe not! Adapted from the Aesop fable, this popular story is enlivened with a colorful Mexican setting, a humorous communication gap and a surprise ending! This presentation also includes "The Three Wishes," a spring valley favorite! Hand Puppets. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Puppeteer, Michael Graham

About the performer: Michael Graham, puppeteer and director of Spring Valley Puppet Theater, has been performing since 1966 throughout New England, primarily for schools and libraries. He has performed at regional and national festivals of the Puppeteers of America. He designs and makes his puppets, writes his own scripts, creates the scenery, and does a number of the voices.

He graduated from Western Connecticut State College, and studied with the renowned puppeteer Albrecht Roser from Stuttgart, Germany, at the University of Connecticut.

For more info about Michael Graham and Spring Valley Puppet Theater:
Visit www.springvalleypuppets.com