UNIMA-USA

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

Meet Expansion residency artist Steven Widerman, aka the artistic director of The Puppet Company, a performing company that produces puppet theater for children and their families.

His project “Merkaba’s Projeny” is an ensemble piece with its origin in a solo piece based on “Steven Widerman’s Tetrahedron Marionette”. The intent is to illustrate the origin of life based upon this universal geometric building block. Marionettes, rod puppets, shadow puppets and mapped projection will be utilized to create the imagery.

With a long history in puppet work, including commercials and films, Steven has been involved in the application of Puppetry to entertainment, education, industry and advertising. With the assistance of artists, woodcarvers, painters and costumers, he has designed and built hundreds of puppets. He studied his craft with Master Puppeteer Bil Baird. In 1977 he founded The Puppet Company. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of UNIMA-USA, the international organization of puppeteers, is a past President of The Puppetry Guild of Greater New York, and is the founding Editor of the Guild’s acclaimed newsletter, PuppetMaster.
Steven is currently pioneering and advocating the filming of puppets with 3-D video equipment for which he has developed techniques he has named and trademarked as PuppetVid3D.

06/05/2026

Step right up for Doctor Bigelow’s Wild West Puppet Show, a rollicking traveling medicine show bursting with music, marvels, and mighty American legends!

Meet Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox as they fell forests with a single swing. Watch Pecos Bill ride a tornado across the prairie. And cheer on John Henry as he races the steam drill in a test of strength and spirit.

💙 Thank you to Kaiser Permanente for making it possible to bring this show back to our stage!
📅 July 1-August 2 | Ages 4+
🎟️ Tickets at puppet.org/programs/american-tall-tales

06/03/2026

Since arriving in Atlanta, conservators at Center for Puppetry Arts have been closely examining the nearly 900-pound figure to determine what restoration work may be needed before Kermit returns to public display.

06/03/2026

06/02/2026

Step into the world of shadow puppetry!

Next week, we kick off our second evening workshop series for adults: Intro to Shadow Puppetry!

Join puppeteer Tom Tuke every Wednesday from 7:00–9:00 p.m., June 10–24, and learn techniques for designing, building, and performing with shadow puppets inspired by puppets from the Ballard Institute’s collection.

These workshops are designed for adults (participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult), and all materials are provided.

Seats are limited, so reserve your spot today: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/bimp-0/shadow-puppet-workshop

Photo by Richard Termine.

06/02/2026

Pre-Conference is underway! Meet the Guest Artists who are here leading participants in developing their craft through these exciting strands.

Lisa Buckley - Puppets, Storytelling, Healing in a Humanitarian Context: The Power of Puppetry
We will discuss the psychological and social benefits of puppetry as a powerful tool in delivering life-saving messaging. Participants will will use their puppet characters to write stories and create skits, focusing on sensitive subject matter, such as peacebuilding, nutrition, menstrual health, open defecation, and more!

Alice Gottschalk - The Language of Material and Objects: Movement and Experimental Puppetry
Participants will discover the movement and stories of different materials and objects. They will gain the tools to animate persuasively in both direct and indirect ways, serving as a basis for all kinds of puppet animation, manipulation and storytelling.

Liz Hara - Writing for Puppets: A Workshop in Three Acts
We’re going to run this workshop like a television writers room! Using three act structure, we will develop your ideas from concept to outline. We’ll learn story structure, character development, and why there’s no such thing as a good idea.

Jim Kroupa - Everything You Wanted to Learn About Mechs and Then Some!
Mechanism class participants will learn all of Jim's secrets. (Both of them!) From hands-on examples of various mechanisms to materials and where to get them, all participants will experience the road to mechanical bliss, using Jim’s “keep it simple” approach.

Tim Lagasse & Martin P. Robinson - Puppet Video Bootcamp: A Short-Form Filmed Puppet Content Creation Course
​Martin P. Robinson and Tim Lagasse, two masters of filmed puppetry, will give you the tools you need to make your online puppetry content better. You’ll work on creating that content—including story, technique, puppet creation, and all the fussy technical stuff—all the way from start to finish.

06/01/2026

Kom og oplev disse eventyrlige Enhjørninger med NORDLYS på Utterslev Torv torsdag 11. juni kl. 9.30 og igen kl. 11.30. 🦄Det er gratis og uden tilmelding.
Vandreforestillingen Enhjørninger er en del af vores udendørs dukketeaterfestival Puppet Junior - se hele programmet for 11- 14 juni her:
https://brugbyen.kk.dk/for-boern/puppet-junior.

06/01/2026

See what’s the Buzz at UNIMA-USA!
UNIMA-USA’s Best Deal of the Year is here!

Don’t let this offer fly away! Join or renew your membership by July 1st and enjoy benefits through December 2027.

Your Membership Includes:
• Three new issues of Puppetry International magazine
• Six newsletters
• Two opportunities to apply for the study abroad scholarship
• Access to our virtual membership directory to connect with fellow puppeteers
• And more from UNIMA and UNIMA-USA!

Plus, your membership supports UNIMA-USA’s mission to promote international friendship and understanding through the art of puppetry.

No Code Needed! Renew online by July 1st to get this exclusive deal. Gift memberships are included!

Join now:

06/01/2026

Let’s give a hand to this week’s Member Monday feature: Black Cherry Puppet Theater! Since 1980, Baltimore’s Black Cherry Puppet Theater, a nonprofit association of artists and performers, has presented thousands of performances and workshops for children and adults throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Black Cherry is also home to the Puppet Slamwich series, an evening event for adult audiences featuring puppetry shorts and performance acts by artists from near and far, along with live musical guests. Hosted four or five times each year since 2010, the Puppet Slamwich series gives both new and experienced puppeteers a space to share their work with enthusiastic audiences. We thank Black Cherry Puppet Theater for their dedication to puppet arts and for being a valued member of UNIMA-USA!