The following members of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry provide puppetry services. Before hiring any puppeteer, it is always good to check their work and/or references to make sure they suit your needs. For more information about this directory, contact John Lechner – JMLechner (at) aol.com.
Blue Moon Puppets
Blue Moon Puppets
Contact: Ann Davidson
Phone: (598) 359-1826
Puppeteer Ann Davidson performs lively stories and fables, like The Tortoise & The Hare, for ages 3 to 8.
Blue String Marionettes
Contact: Teresa Moler
Location: Nashua, NH
Email: teresamoler@aol.com
Marionette and puppet shows for all occasions and events. Live character voices. Most shows have content that is original.
Eric Bornstein
Masks • Residencies • Events
Behind the Mask Studio
Somerville, MA
Contact person: Eric Bornstein
Phone: 617-417-4961
Email: behindthemask1@gmail.com
Website: www.behindthemask.org
twitter.com/BTMstudio
facebook.com/behindthemask1
facebook.com/pages/Behind-The-Mask-Studio-Theatre/11651751839025
Our performances are based on folklore, fairy tales, and mythology from around the world.
We combine masks, music, storytelling, dance, puppetry, martial arts, and other art forms to create dazzling theatrical productions and workshops that come to you! We have set programs, and can also create a custom program for your special event!
We create beautiful masks for our original performances, and we teach others how to do the same! Our classes and workshops and residencies bring mask and puppet making, collage mural projects, portrait drawing and lecture presentations to children, teens, and adults.
Deborah Costine, Puppeteer!
Contact person: Deborah Costine
Address: 6 Wood Street; Southborough MA 01772
Phone: 508-481-6837
Email: deborahcostine@verizon.net
Website: www.deborahcostinenaturepuppets.com
Deborah Costine has been a professional puppeteer for over thirty years, performing for schools, libraries and museums, throughout New England. She is a favorite at The Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA. In 2009 She won the UNIMA USA Citation for Excellence for “A Woodland Cinderella.” Other shows are “Three Pigs and Other Tales” and “The Twig Family in the Oak Tree.” In 2010 she received a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation for her newest production; “Turtle’s New Home,” a story about the endangered “Blanding’s Turtle” and it’s friends, Beaver and Salamander.
Dream Tale Puppets
Contact: Jacek Zuzanski
Phone: (508) 495-1251
Email: info@dreamtalepuppets.org
Website: www.dreamtalepuppets.org
Dream Tale Puppets offers charming interpretations of classic and loved tales: Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rumpelstilskin. Shows explore variety of puppetry styles from rod puppets through table top and hand puppets to masks. Founder and director Jacek Zuzanski is professionally educated puppeteer and stage director from Poland with extensive experience in performing, designing, directing and teaching.
Freeman Friends Puppet Theatre
Contact: Liz Freeman
Phone: 781-246-2836
Email: LindenTree85@comcast.net
*Interactive Puppet Making Parties for ages 6 to 12+
*Birthdays, Libraries, Scouts, Youth Groups
*Puppetry in the Classroom, workshops for Teachers.
Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals
Contact: Lindsay Bezich
Phone: 603-393-5565
Email: LindsaysPuppetPals@gmail.com
Website: www.LindsaysPuppetPals.com
Lindsay and her collection of life sized, handcrafted puppets delight families and audiences 3-8 across New England! Charming original stories and adapted folk tales are filled with audience participation and humor, and focus is on positive, child relevant themes. Popular
with schools and child care centers. Public performances include libraries, the NH Children’s Museum, and First Night Portsmouth.
Magpie Puppets
Email: maggiewhalen9@gmail.com
Website: www.magpiepuppets.com
Phone: (781) 438-0302 or (617) 417-3195
Categories: Performer, Birthday Party Performer, Puppet or Mask Maker, Teaching Artist
Join Mama Bear for her morning aerobics! Or grill the Emperor about his latest misdeeds at his Royal Press Conference! Children don’t just watch Magpie Puppets—they get involved. Each show begins with a guitar sing-along or a lively demonstration about how puppets are made. Performances run 45-50 minutes and are appropriate for both large assemblies and small groups. Birthday party puppet shows take place in your home and make your child’s party memorable — and manageable!
Margaret Moody Puppets
Contact: Margaret Moody
Email: margaretmoodypuppets@gmail.com
Website: http://www.margaretmoodypuppets.com
Come soar with the Monkey King, fly with fairies, journey into different worlds with the flip of a hand. Margaret Moody performs hand puppet shows for groups of people ages 3 and up in schools, arts centers and in homes. She studied traditional puppetry in Taiwan and loves to include its lively puppet acrobatics in every show.
Mr. Marlon’s Puppets
Contact: Marlon Fernandes
Location: Fall River, Massachusetts
Email: mrmarlonspuppets@gmail.com
Website: www.mrmarlonspuppets.com
My services include custom hand built puppets ideal for puppet shows, television and film, puppet building and performing workshop, and puppet shows for special events.
New England Puppet Arts/David Lane
North Adams, MA
Phone: 413-662-2769
Email: dave@theoldtrouts.org
Website: www.NewEnglandPuppet.org
David is co-director of the New England Puppet Intensive, a 15 day workshop in the art of puppetry and animated object performance taught by members of the Old Trout Puppet Workshop each August. His current theatrical project, The Chronicles of Rose, can be seen as part of the MCLA Presents! 2014 season and is supported in part by a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation. David teaches workshops in puppetry/mask performance and design across New England and Canada. Photo: Jonathan Davis.
Poobley Greegy Puppet Theater
Contacts: Janice & Stephen Babcock
Address: 106 Kittredge Street, Roslindale, MA 02131
Phone: (617) 325-5620
Email: poobleygreegy@aol.com
The Poobley Greegy Puppet Theater tours New England’s elementary schools and libraries performing for 30,000 people a year, using hand, rod, shadow and string puppets in a unique multi-opening stage.
Their carefully researched, creative shows feature dinosaurs, whales, elephants, Egypt, “Gulliver’s Travels,” and “The Shoemaker and the Elves.”
PUPPET DIVAS / Puppet Opera-Tunity / LISTENINGspeaking UNLIMITED
Contact Person: Suzanne Pemsler
Address: 6 Castle Road; Lexington, MA. 02420-3527
Phone: 781-861-1274 • FAX: 781-861-0054
Email: puppetdivas@verizon.net
Suzanne Pemsler sings Opera and Art Songs live while manipulating people-sized puppets in her popular PUPPET DIVAS shows for children, adults and multi-generational audiences. These one-woman shows, plus artist-residencies in Puppet Opera-tunity , (developing comic puppet operas with children,) and workshops in puppetry and music have been featured nationally and internationally. She also presents THIS IS YOUR LIFE: Memoir Writing lectures for adults, featuring song and puppets
Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station Street
Brookline, Massachusetts 02445
(617) 731-6400
Puppet Showplace Theater is New England’s center for puppetry arts. Each year, we present over 300 performances by professional puppet companies to audiences of all ages at our intimate Brookline Village theater. Our touring productions reach thousands more at schools, libraries, theaters, and cultural centers throughout the Northeast region and beyond.
We offer workshops, classes, summer programs, and training opportunities to both children and adults, and we partner with local and emerging artists to develop new and innovative puppetry productions.
Website: http://www.puppetshowplace.org
Rosalita’s Puppets
Contact: Charlotte Dore
Phone: 617-633-2832
Email: rosalitaspuppets@aol.com
Website: www.Rosalitaspuppets.com
Enjoy, interactive, marionette tales of Dragons, Kings and Princesses who sing, dance and delight the child in everyone. Puppeteer Charlotte Dore has performed for Somerville Arts council, medieval fairs, libraries, daycare centers and birthday parties. To find out more info,request a brochure or book, call 617-633-2832 or 617-666-1026.
Somersault Puppets
Contact: Kurt Staven
Address: 87 Church Street, Ware, MA 02082
Phone: 978-772-4221
Email: kurtstaven@gmail.com
Website: http://somersaultpuppets.com/
Categories: Performer, Puppet Maker, Teaching Artist, Musician/Composer
I have a Master of Theater Education degree from Emerson College and build parade puppets and shadow puppets.
Talking Hands Theatre
Contact: Anna Sobel
Phone: 413-367-9134
Email: anna@talkinghandstheatre.com
Website: www.talkinghandstheatre.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Talking-Hands-Theatre-162801537086278/
Talking Hands Theatre is a one-woman puppet company specializing in educational shows for young children. Anna Sobel has been a professional puppeteer since 1998, and performs all over New England in homes, schools, libraries, and theaters. Show choices include “Fairies of the Seasons,” about the seasons of the year, “Bugaboo Revue,” about bugs and how they help gardens, “Whale Tales,” about marine life, “Two Dinosaurs Are Better Than One,” about how to get along with others, and many more. Anna is also an experienced Jewish educator and offers ever-popular shows for every Jewish holiday. Her birthday party shows continue to delight children of all ages, and can even be tailored for babies and toddlers. All shows are interactive as well as musical.
Tanglewood Marionettes
Contacts: Peter and Anne Schaefer
Address: 108 Church St., Ware, MA 01082
Phone: 1-866-6PUPPET
E-mail: info@tanglewoodmarionettes.com
Website: www.tanglewoodmarionettes.com
Founded in 1993, Tanglewood Marionettes is a nationally touring marionette theater based in New England. Our repertoire consists primarily of classic tales performed by skilled puppeteers who have spent many years perfecting their art.
Through Me To You Puppetry
Contacts: Leigh Baltzer & Carlotta Hayes
Location: South Shore & Boston, MA
Phone: 781-267-8829
E-mail: Leigh@ThroughMeToYou.com
Website: ThroughMeToYou.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/throughmetoyoupuppetry
I perform puppet shows and Puppet Storytime activities at libraries, schools, and birthday parties – for all ages. (Don’t limit yourself to thinking puppets are just for kids!) We perform in person* (inside and outside, both) as well as live online (Zoom, GoogleMeet, etc). We also perform original stories, which focus on themes of courage, speaking up, perserverence, friendship, and bullying. Please call for more info — we would love to meet you!
* I am fully vaccinated and am also happy to mask up.
The Wayne Martin Puppets
Contact person: Wayne Martin
Address: 134 Beach Street; Boston, MA 02111
Phone: (617) 733-9418
Website: www.WayneMartinPuppets.com
Email: wayne.martin@WayneMartinPuppets.com
Categories: Performer, Birthday Parties, Puppet or Mask Maker
Presenting sophisticated variety marionette and hand puppet vignettes of human emotion and fantasy, full of comedy and pathos. Set against a background of lively music and special theatrical effects, productions have no age or language barriers! Ideal for theatres, symphonies, schools, television, trade shows, private parties, and malls. Call for rates and availability.
You and Me Puppets/Judith O’Hare
Education Consultant for the Puppeteers of America
Address: 74 Hillcrest Road; Reading, MA 01867
Phone: 781-944-0965
Email: jaohare@gmail.com
Website: www.youandmepuppets.com
Judith O’Hare is a puppeteer and educator; her work includes PERFORMANCES for children and families, WORKSHOPS for children and educators and GRADUATE COURSES for educators. She has won awards from the Puppeteers of America for her work in puppetry in education, and is the author/editor of Puppetry in Education and Therapy: Unlocking Door to the Mind and Heart.
Her current educational work includes teaching graduate courses for teachers through the Northeast Consortium, Salem State, and Merrimack Consortium, Fitchburg State, and planning and implementing conferences on Puppetry in Education and Therapy.
Her performance work includes: Toy Theater, “Petit Puppet Plays ” perfect for schools, libraries and special events. She collaborates with Dr. Robin D’Antona to present a program on Bullying Prevention through Puppetry Arts. She also performs larger participatory productions.