ONLINE
June 4 and 5, 2025

Ready to make a puppet show but not sure where to start? Experienced artist but still developing your creative process? This workshop provides tips, exercises and general info on how to generate new work and balance all the art forms that go into making a puppet show. From project management to creating your puppet world and story, we'll walk through a project timeline and exercises to fall back on when you're not sure what should come next.

ONLINE
June 8, 15, 22, 29

We will explore all aspects of puppet painting in this 4 part series/Virtual Workshop. Learn about material usage, Shading for faces, paint application & techniques, theatrical painting as well as color mixing & usage. Self guided projects with one on one instruction, all levels welcome!

IN PERSON: LOCATION TBD
July 13

We will work with being comfortable with our body through listening to subtle cues in quiet mind (butō), identification with elements (physical acting) and to serve masks in movement at the end of the session. 

IN PERSON: LOCATION TBD
July 20

This workshop will take the participant through a basic understanding of marionettes, into simple construction and finish with short group performances. We will begin with an explanation of the most basic principles behind marionettes. Each participant will construct and string a simple head/shoulder marionette using poster board and plastic. The possibilities of marionettes will be explored using marionette performance games in small groups.

ONLINE
August 3

Unlock the secrets behind PuppetKabob’s “The Snowflake Man,” based on the true story of Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley and features a cast of beautifully sculpted Czech-style marionettes Peek inside to learn about the design and creation process of creating a traveling Trunk Show fit for a plane, train or automobile. 

ONLINE
August 17 & 24

Joel Sass gives a crash course in basic scenic design, with a special emphasis on strategies and resources that inspire imaginative playgrounds for puppetry, shadow plays, and object theater. Participants will learn basic principles of measuring and drafting, and acquire a wide range of inspirational resources for sparking their creativity. The main hands-on activity for each participant will be converting a found object (e.g. a suitcase, a cupboard, a trunk) into a versatile “set” for miniature performance.

ONLINE
September 14

In this class we will discuss methods to approach mechanical challenges often faced in puppet design and how to approach common movements such as eye, leg, and arm mechanics through creating simple mock-ups. Through this same approach, you can discover not only the answer to your problem but potential uses and inspiration for future creations.

IN PERSON: Location TBD
October 4

This workshop will focus on learning how to manipulate and mix shadow puppets and sand drawings for live performance. Each participant will learn how to build shadow puppets with rotating and sliding joints and will design sand drawings through playing and exploring, creating a simple scene mixing both mediums to perform for the other participants at the end of the workshop.  All participants ranging from beginners to experts are welcome.

IN PERSON: Location TBD
October 25

Explore principles of puppet design while learning how to create puppets with felting needles and unspun wool. Making either a rod puppet or a head for a hand puppet, you will learn different techniques for using wool. Wool is wonderful! No waiting for glue or paint to dry! Beginner or advanced, there is always something more to explore with wool.