Muppet Madness Tournament

Do you like Muppets? Do you watch college basketball? If you answered Yes to either of these questions (okay, it would be helpful if you at least answered Yes to the first question) then you are guaranteed to love the all-new, never-before-attempted Muppet Madness Tournament!

Designed after the NCAA basketball tourney, the brave and daring proprietors of MuppetCast.com and ToughPigs.com have joined forces to present what will surely be a spectacular Muppet online fan event! Your favorite characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and Jim Henson’s other productions will face off each week as YOU vote the winners!

Follow the tournament here and on ToughPigs.com, and listen to The MuppetCast each week as Steve, Ryan, and Joe run down the winners and losers, and review the matchups in the week ahead. Let the games begin!

3/20 PuppetSLAM & Three Billy Goats Gruff

It's a busy weekend at the Puppet Showplace Theatre.

Pumpernickel Puppets performs the classic folk tale, "Three Billy Goats Gruff." This is the type of silly that everyone can enjoy. Shows are at 1pm and 3pm, Saturday and Sunday. I personally guarantee that you will love it.

And if you're planning on attending the PuppetSLAM Saturday evening, make your reservations now! The SLAM will sell out, so buy your tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased here, or by calling our Box Office between 10am and 4pm at 617-731-6400. The SLAM begins at 8:00pm (so find a sitter for the kids).

Puppet Showplace Theatre on "The Sunny Side of the Street"

Artistic Director Roxanna Myhrum and Executive Director Kris Higgins join host Tod Gross on "The Sunny Side of the Street," which can be seen on NewTV, Newton Cable Access at the following times: Mondays at 2:30PM; Tuesdays at 9AM & 6:30PM; Wednesdays at 12:30AM & 9:30AM; Fridays at 5AM; and Saturdays at 9:30AM & 2:30PM.

PuppetSLAM is March 20th!

Hi all. We're getting excited for our next PuppetSLAM, coming this Saturday at 8pm. If you've never been or are unsure just what we're talking about when we say "PuppetSLAM", check out this article from this week's Brookline Tab.

We've got a great lineup of performers scheduled, including Brad Shur, Mike Cohen, Bonnie Duncan, Little's Creatures, Lorraine Gilman, Kyle Mackesey, Diane Kordas, and Dagen Julty. And Jon Little is revving up to host once again!

Tickets are $15 general admission and $13 for members and students. Call 617-731-6400 or click here to get yours today. PuppetSLAMs tend to sell out days in advance, so make sure you get yours soon.

We can't wait to see you at the show!

PST awarded $10k NEA Grant

The Puppet Showplace Theatre’s Mary Churchill Memorial Fund for Underserved Children has been awarded a $10,000 Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Puppet Showplace Theatre (PST) will match the NEA’s grant to fund this vital program for the children of Boston’s low-income families.

Since the Mary Churchill Memorial Fund began in 2007, thousands of young children of Boston’s low-income families have enjoyed live puppetry performances at the Puppet Showplace Theatre. Though PST has received NEA funds in the past, the awarding of this grant marks the first year the National Endowment of the Arts will help fund this program. The grant will help in providing free performances for 1,000 kids spread throughout the 2010 calendar year.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

The Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants offer support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations – those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

Named to commemorate the passing of the theatre’s founder, the Mary Churchill Memorial Fund for Underserved Children is a subsidy program providing Boston’s low-income children with puppetry performances at little or no cost. At least 1,000 young children will be introduced to live performance by guest artists at New England’s first and only year-round non-profit theatre dedicated to the art of puppetry.

To contribute to the match for this grant please make a contribution here, or contact our Executive Director for more information at executive@puppetshowplace.org.