Open Call for the 16th Edition of the INternational Theater Festival for Children and Youth in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

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The Teatro CÚCARA-MÁCARA Foundation, Inc., is honored to invite you to the celebration of the 16th edition of the International Theater Festival for Children and Youth (FITIJ-RD), an event that, over the years, has established itself as one of the most important and highly anticipated in the Dominican Republic, as well as throughout the Caribbean and Central America. This festival, which pays tribute to over four decades of history of the Teatro CÚCARA-MÁCARA Foundation —an institution with 44 years of experience on stage— continues to be a pillar in the cultural development of the community through a program that promotes the tradition of theater as a tool for personal growth, cultural exchange, wholesome entertainment, and the dissemination of knowledge. With this new edition, we invite professional theater groups and companies specializing in performances for children, youth, and family audiences to submit their proposals to be part of this very special festival, which will take place at the main theaters of the city of Santo Domingo, D.N., from November 4 to 16, 2025. This event promises to remain a key platform for enjoyment, reflection, and the development of creativity through the art of theater.

Terms and guidelines of the FITIJ-RD 2025 Call in PDF format: ACCESS HERE→ We ask companies to review them carefully, as by completing the registration form, they agree to the terms set forth in the document.

Announcing the newest podcast from UNIMA Puppeteers Trust - India

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UNIMA Puppeteers Trust - India is pleased to invite you to the ninth session of ANUBHAV, a signature podcast series presented by UNIMA Puppeteers Trust India, showcasing diverse voices from the world of puppetry.

 Anubhav #9 features Dr. Gouranga Charan Dash, a renowned researcher, pedagogue, and veteran puppeteer, celebrated for his lifelong contribution to the Raavan Chhaya shadow puppetry tradition of Odisha.

Join us for this special session to explore the history, philosophy, and nuances of this unique art form through the lens of a true master.

 Date: Sunday, 18th May 2025
 Time: 3:00 PM IST
 Venue: Online via Zoom (registration required)

 Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tP46ea1hT9qso5DbwDbanw


Team UNIMA Puppeteers Trust India
https://www.unimapuppeteerstrust.in/
Email: puppeteerstrust@gmail.com

UNIMA-USA is proud to launch the WINTER 2025 issue of Puppetry International Research!

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Song of the North. The shadow figures of war are cast on the screen. (Photo: Richard Termine)

Free, available to all, full of new thoughts and insights, Puppetry International Research, an open access scholarly journal, is another step in UNIMA-USA's goal to promote, educate, and support growth in the art of puppetry as well as to provide resources to people who find puppetry important to their lives.

Volume 2, No. 1 features a Focus Section on Puppets and War: Contemporary Perspectives from Ukraine, guest edited by Matt Smith and Nataliia Borodina, with contributions from Smith, Borodina, Tamara Rozova, Tetyana Ovcharenko, Tetiana Zinovieva, and Sofiia Rosa-Laverentii, providing first-hand views and analysis of the work of puppeteers in the context of war. Salma Mohseni Ardehali analyzes performing objects in Iranian Muharram processions; Deniz Başar investigates the exclusion of women in Karagöz puppetry in Turkey and their paths into the art. Seiko Shimura and Robin Ruizendaal report on their workshop, developed across Taiwan and Japan, using shadow puppetry to connect Japanese students to bunraku. Rahul Koonathara informs readers about the Wonderland Puppets Symposium at the University of Connecticut and the Wayang, Ecology and the Sacred Symposium at Yale. Fedelis Kyalo gives a comprehensive account of UNIMA Africa Commission’s workshops and Pro-Vocation: Roots and Wings conference. Reviews include Keith Byron Kirk on Paulette Richards’ Object Performance in the Black Atlantic: The United States, Lawrence Switzky on Claudia Orenstein’s Reading the Puppet Stage: Reflections on the Dramaturgy of Performing Objects, Cheyenne Bryant on Nehprii Amenii’s Human, and Marzieh Ashrafian on Hamid Rahmanian’s Song of the North.

Puppetry International Research (PIR) is a global, interdisciplinary, academic journal dedicated to puppetry and the allied areas of masks, performing objects, and material performance. Its mission is to foster scholarship on puppet theatre and related arts as practiced in the past and present around the world and deepen historical and theoretical understanding of the field. Its empirical, analytical, and theoretical peer-reviewed articles, as well as critical book, performance, and exhibition reviews, and field reports aim to strengthen puppetry studies as an academic discipline. The journal welcomes submissions from scholars and reflective practitioners from all related disciplines. A project of UNIMA-USA, growing out of the peer-review section of its acclaimed magazine, Puppetry International, PIR publishes twice a year on the CUNY Academic Commons.

Call for Presentations - Fishing Fresh: Fishing for Fresh Ideas

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Fishing Fresh: Fishing for Fresh Ideas

Part of the 24th UNIMA Congress & Chuncheon Puppet Festival

Do you have a puppet project you can’t wait to share? Are you seeking ideas or collaborators? Do you have innovations or creative breakthroughs that need to be told?


We want to hear from you!

We’re calling for short 3-minute presentations from UNIMA members and Korean puppetry practitioners to share fresh ideas, unique practices, and inspiring stories from the world of puppetry.

Whether you’re an artist, educator, researcher, or part of a theatre group, this is your chance to contribute to a global exchange of creativity.

 

What can you present?

Your 3-minute talk could include:

 

  • A unique performance or puppetry technique (including a work in progress coming close to launch)

  • The use of new technologies (including AI)

  • A puppetry project with positive social impact

  • A social or educational puppetry initiative

 

Deadline to apply: May 9th

Date: May 29th 

 

Who can apply?

  • UNIMA members (individuals, institutional or independent theatre groups)

  • Korean theatre makers, researchers, and institutions – whether or not you are a UNIMA member

 

Language & Presentation Guidelines

Presentations can be given in English, French, Spanish or Korean.

 

Speakers will be asked to:

  • Provide a summary of their presentation in all three languages

  • Submit their presentation slides in advance

 

Format:

There will be both in-person and online sessions, so members worldwide can participate.

 

Why join?

  • Share your work and ideas with an international audience

  • Celebrate innovation and creativity in puppetry

  • Connect with fellow artists, thinkers, and makers

  • Get inspired and inspire others!

This session will be held in a relaxed, fun, and creative atmosphere — a space to celebrate fresh thinking in puppetry together.

Application form: https://forms.gle/wSSZsNQEuBZ9CdKt7

Contact: youth@unima.org

 

@24th UNIMA Congress - Chuncheon 2025

Secrétariat Général de l’UNIMA | 10, Cours Aristide Briand – BP 402 | 08107 Charleville-Mézières – France | +33 (0)3 24 32 85 63

Hand-Crafted Dragon Puppet Takes Flight in Forked Web Series Premiering at New York CineFest

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New York, NY — Puppet artistry plays a pivotal role in the new indie web series Forked, making its world premiere at New York CineFest (April 26th at 4:30pm ET) with a three-episode screening that includes a standout fantasy sequence featuring a custom-built dragon puppet, brought to life by two acclaimed artists in the puppetry world: designer/builder Chris Palmieri and puppeteer Nick Lehane.

The series, created by and starring Sarah Goeke and directed by Julia Sears, is an intimate and irreverent story about sobriety, shame, and self-discovery—told through the lens of a woman narrating fantasy erotica from her childhood bedroom. But in one surreal sequence, the story escapes the confines of that room and soars into full fantasy, thanks to the presence of a mesmerizing dragon puppet.

Palmieri, known for his work on Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, Field Station: Dinosaurs, and Snug’s House (NBCUniversal), designed and built the puppet specifically for the Forked sequence. With a career spanning high-profile theatrical productions, national tours, and commercial puppetry design, Palmieri crafted a creature that captures both whimsy and emotional weight.

“We wanted the dragon to feel grounded in the world of fantasy erotica but still emotionally connected to our main character’s inner journey,” said Palmieri. “It had to be sexy, but also sincere.”

To bring the creature to life, the team brought in Nick Lehane, a world-renowned puppeteer celebrated for his original solo puppet piece Chimpanzee, as well as his work with War Horse and Avenue Q. Lehane’s ability to imbue breath and emotion into all his characters made him the ideal performer to embody the symbolic, dreamlike episode in Forked.

“The dragon represents what is underneath the surface,” said director Julia Sears.  “She is enticing, playful, and a little over the top. Nick immediately brought Chris’s creation to life which actualized a magical moment of self acceptance in the series.”

The sequence exemplifies what Forked does best: blending grounded emotional storytelling with surprising, theatrical visuals. The dragon becomes a symbol of desire, escape, and fantasy—an embodiment of the show's central tension between repression and freedom.

Shot over six days in Pittsburgh with a 16-person crew, Forked exemplifies the artistry and inventiveness of independent filmmaking. While three episodes will screen at CineFest—including the fantasy dragon sequence—the full seven-episode season is currently beginning its film festival run.

For puppet enthusiasts, practical effects lovers, and fans of character-driven fantasy, this is a rare chance to see expert hand puppetry featured in a deeply human story.

🎬 World Premiere of Forked
📍 New York CineFest
🗓️ April 26, 2025 @ 4:30pm Block 17 - Shorts
🎟️ Tickets & Info: www.newyorkcinefest.com/tickets

📲 Follow @ForkedWebSeries on Instagram for release updates, festival news, and behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the series.

 

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Announcing the Garland Distinguished Fellowship for Puppetry

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The Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, Georgia has announced a special Distinguished Fellowship opportunity specifically for a puppeteer! The Garland Distinguished Fellowship for Puppetry is an award given to an outstanding applicant in the field of puppetry. It is a a merit-based award that removes the fees for a two-week residency and provides a $700 stipend as well.

The oldest residency program in the Southeast, Hambidge provides a self-directed program that honors the creative process and trusts individuals to know what they need to cultivate their talent, whether it’s to work and produce, to think, to experiment or to rejuvenate. Residents’ time is their own; there are no workshops, critiques, nor required activities.

Each resident is given their own private studio which provides work and living space with a bathroom and full kitchen. The studios are designed to protect residents’ time, space and solitude.

Deadline for the FALL SESSION (September through December) is April 15, 2025.

For more information and/or to apply, visit the Hambidge Center's website: https://www.hambidge.org/guidelines-apply

Wishing the best of luck to all who apply! 

New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations

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The first presentation of its kind, New African Masquerades offers a rare look into contemporary West African masquerade by contextualizing the works of individual artists within a range of social, economic, and religious practices and examining their networks of viewership and exchange.

April 4th - August 10th, 2025 • NOMA (New Orleans Museum of Art)

Apply for the 2025 National Puppetry Conference

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Calling all puppet artists: Our friends at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT, are now accepting applications for the 2025 National Puppetry Conference! Apply now to grow your skills and develop exciting new works of puppet theater. This year’s renowned instructors include Alice Laloy, Noel MacNeal, Maiko Kikuchi, Chamindika Wanduragala, Liz Hara, Jim Kroupa, Kurt Hunter, Alice Gottschalk and more! Applications will be accepted until February 6, 2025, at 11:59pm PST.

Learn More: https://www.theoneill.org/pup

Apply Now: https://theoneill.submittable.com/submit.

Call for Papers - Theatralia: Journal of Theatre Studies

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Theatralia: Journal of Theatre Studies is inviting you to submit your proposals for the upcoming spring issue of 2026. 

Issue topic: Puppetry with(out) Classics

Issue Editors: Kateřina Dolenská (DAMU, Prague, Czech Republic, Editor-in-chief of Loutkář [Puppeteer]) and Gabriella Reuss (PPCU Budapest, Hungary, and KU Ružomberok, Slovakia)

We invite research articles (4,000‒7,000 words) that explore the tradition, theory, practice, and even the avoidance of adapting classical works to the puppet stage. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

  • the simplified classics – the repertoire and dramaturgy of the travelling puppeteers and their role in popularizing and disseminating classical plots and narratives

  • performances of classical drama that aim to elevate, emancipate and/or legitimize puppetry as a theatrical form equal in artistic power to actors’ theatre

  • the performance of classical texts with the meaningful co-presence and interplay between the puppet and the visible puppeteer, adding layers to the interpretation

  • references/allusions/traces of classical texts in puppet productions that play with the distance, the emergence of visuality, and give room for an increased role of object theatre and technology

  • reasons, examples and tendencies of avoiding performing classical /canonized dramatic texts

For the Events, Archive, and Review sections, we welcome contributions (1,000‒1,500 words) that highlight recent puppetry-related publications, festivals, conferences, performances, or report on projects/workshops/trainings or materials and techniques that should be preserved, or brought to focus, within the context of contemporary theatre studies.

Important dates

 Proposal/abstract submission deadline: 15 April 2025 – Decision: 25 April 2025

Manuscript submission deadline for peer-reviewed sections (Yorick, Spectrum): 25 July, 2025

Manuscript submission deadline for non-reviewed sections (Reviews, Archive, Events): 30 November 2025

Issue publication: Spring 2026

 

All issue-related enquiries as well as submissions should be sent to the issue editors: theatralia@phil.muni.cz.

General guidelines for submission, formal requirements, article template and citation style are available at the section for authors on the Theatralia website. 

Theatralia is a peer reviewed journal of theatre and performance history and theory, issued by Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, and indexed in SCOPUS, EBSCO and ERIH Plus and listed in the Ulrich’s web Global Serials Directory.

Resources for LA Theater Artists in Need from the NEA

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News for the Field from the National Endowment for the Arts

Our thoughts are with our colleagues affected by the devastating wildfires in the southern California region. I’ve been in touch personally with many of you, and one thing that has resonated with me is that your first thoughts were not for your organizations, or your current productions, but for your immediate communities. It says something powerful about who we are as theater people that in moments like these, we turn first to those around us who need help, before focusing on our own needs. In that spirit, we at the NEA are focused on how we can help YOU; your theaters, your community of artists, and you as individuals weathering a crisis. We also know that the arts are a vital piece of the recovery, and a much needed resource for communities in the healing process of any mass tragic event, so the health of your organizations will be vital to these efforts. As a starting point, we’ve compiled a list of resources that we hope will prove helpful to you in this moment. Please let us know what else we can do to help, and know that we are here for you.

- Greg
Greg Reiner
Theater & Musical Theater Director

NEA award recipients in the affected areas of LA County: if you have questions about your award, including potential changes to your approved project, please contact the Grants Office by email at grants@arts.gov or phone at 202-682-5403.

Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Resources

Arts Grants and Financial Assistance

The following grants and financial assistance resources may be helpful to theater artists and organizations in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. 

Arts Emergency Disaster Response Lists

The following complied emergency disaster response resource lists may be helpful to theater artists and organizations in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. 

Please contact the organizations/ agencies listed directly for additional assistance or questions. The National Endowment for the Arts does not endorse one specific organization/ agency. The resources for artists in LA County is expanding, so the lists shared may not be comprehensive. 

NEA Arts & Disaster Resource Page 

The NEA recently launched a resource page on disaster readiness, response, and recovery for the arts and culture sector. Resources include case studies, state-specific networks, and preparedness tools. Please consider this as a resource and guide should it be needed.

View More

Gratitude

Thank you to the arts service organizations and performing arts unions who compiled and shared resources for this newsletter.

  • Actor’s Equity Association

  • Grantmakers in the Arts

  • International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)

  • Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA)

  • New York Foundation for the Arts

  • Opera America

  • Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and Foundation

  • Theater for Young Audiences / USA / ASSITEJ

  • Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA)

  • United States Institute for Theater Technology (USITT)

Contact Us

Theater & Musical Theater Director
Greg Reiner: reinerg@arts.gov

Assistant Grants Management Specialist
Natalie Donovan: donovann@arts.gov

General Inquiries
theaterandmusicaltheater@arts.gov

Theater & Musical Theater Specialist
Ouida Maedel: maedelo@arts.gov
(organizations A-L)

Theater & Musical Theater Specialist
Ian-Julian Williams: williamsi@arts.gov
(organizations M-Z)

Grants Management Program Specialist
Tracey Alperstein: alpersteint@arts.gov
(Musical Theater)

Don't miss the Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival!

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As part of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium brings together practicing Festival artists with scholars to consider the intersection of puppetry with other disciplines and ideas.

The Symposium is free and will be available to stream through Howlround!

Location: Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, United States

Full Lineup:

January 18 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium Panel 1 – The Puppet that Brings Us Together: Thoughts on Intercultural Puppetry Arts

This event centers on the experiences of the following artists: Peter Balkwill (Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Canadian Academy of Masks and Puppetry, University of Calgary, Canada), Ty Defoe (writer, actor, interdisciplinary artist, Ojibwe + Oneida Nations), Teng Teng Lam + Kevin Chio (Rolling Puppet Alternative Theater, Macau), and Dr. Paulette Richards. Moderated by Gabrielle Houle (University of Lethbridge, Canada).

January 19 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium Panel 2 – Humans and Objects

In this panel Pam Arciero (Aanika’s Elephants), Julian Crouch (Birdheart), Choiti Ghosh (Maati Katha), and Gildwen Peronno (I Killed the Monster) extend this reflection by commenting on how their shows interrogate humans’ roles in a variety of ecosystems. Moderated by Dr. Paulette Richards.

January 25 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium Panel 3 – Notes on Sounds and Words

In this panel Craig Leo (Life and Times of Michael K), Yael Rasooly (The House by the Lake, Edith and Me), Paula Riquelme (Organismo), and Anthony Michael Stokes (The Scarecrow), respond to the question: What do sounds and words contribute to the emotional journey of each story? Moderated by Dr. Paulette Richards.

January 26 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium Panel 4 – The Image Aspect of the Puppet

In this panel Alex Bird (Concerned Others), Giulia De Canio (Untold), Plexus Polaire (Dracula), and Josh Rice (Kayfabe) will address the question of how the puppet as kinetic object and the puppet as visual image work together. Moderated by Dassia N. Posner.

2022 Scholarship Recipient Maïté Agopian reflects on her experience

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thanks to Bernd Academy, I am learning to make and tune my instruments to sparkle some joy around. 

For all the hardship Covid brought, while it isolated many, it did open some of my world, giving me the sudden opportunities to learn from many puppeteers, and “meet” a worldwide online community from the comfort of my little alaskan cabin. Bernd Ogrodnick first Academy Class was such an opportunity. I could take the time to learn from a master puppeteer in Iceland how to transform my little workshop into a partial woodshop, how to make wooden puppets from scratch, how to use some tools I was so afraid to touch before, and how to get over performance fear, all on my own good time. Over a year and a half, I started to truly understand how to make various kinds of wooden puppets through repetition, time, well documented lessons, and our monthly facebook Q&A, gaining not only craftmanships but also confidence. 


With Bernd’s new Mastermind Program (AMP), I can continue to learn in this rhythm that works so well for me, as classes are intertwine with my regular life and projects. This year I'll focus on tuning my instrument and steadily grow into a more "rounded" puppeteer. I continue to learn from a community of engaged puppeteers who are willing to share their doubts and concerns as much as their accomplishments. This program as a whole helps to feel connected and spark joy, while being very professional, which is what for me puppetry is all about.

Nancy Staub Publications Award-winning book now in paperback!

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The Nancy Staub Publications Award-winning book The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884-1947): The Paladins of France in America by Jo Ann Cavallo has just been released in paperback edition.

This study reconstructs the history of the Manteo family marionette theater in New York City, provides translations of eight selected plays and 270 extant summaries, and offers comparative analyses uncovering how Agrippino Manteo’s scripts creatively adapt Italian Renaissance chivalric poems and nineteenth-century prose compilations.

Praise
We are fortunate indeed that the Manteo family has preserved written scripts of Italian puppet theater in America and that Jo Ann Cavallo is able to provide a context in the history of literature for what was performed daily for the Italian community on the streets of New York in the 1920s and 1930s.

—Professor Charles Ross, Purdue University, USA

This work will be of interest to students of Sicilian culture and of the art of puppetry, as well as to scholars of narratology, intrigued by the appeal of storytelling as such.

—Arthuriana

About the Author
Jo Ann Cavallo (Ph.D., Yale, 1987), Professor of Italian at Columbia University, has published widely on Italian chivalric epic, including The World beyond Europe in the Romance Epics of Boiardo and Ariosto and The Romance Epics of Boiardo, Ariosto, and Tasso: From Public Duty to Private Pleasure.

About Anthem Press
Anthem Press is a leading medium-sized independent academic, professional and trade publisher in established and emerging social sciences, business/law and humanities fields of study with a strong international and interdisciplinary focus.