Photo courtesy of Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
Dive into the fanciful world of puppetry at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, which presents master puppeteers from around the world in an array of performances throughout the city. Performance tickets range from $15-$45 but the festival also supplies a selection of free events during the festival on January 15-26, 2025.
Puppet Hub
When: January 16-26, 2025
Where: The Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., 4th Fl.
Times: Tuesday-Friday, 10 am-9:30 pm, Saturday 9 am- 9:30 pm, Sunday noon- 6 pm
Check out the free exhibits, ” Puppetry Under the Sea”, displaying designs inspired by coastal parades and Drury Lane’s “Little Mermaid”. and “Lessons in Puppetry” which showcases experiments in puppetry as well as a pop-up puppet shop. Relax at the Spoke & Bird Pop-Up cafe and enjoy soups, baked goods and drinks.
Potential Energy: Chicago Puppets Up Close
When: Through April 6, 2025
Where: Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington
A showcase of local puppet artistry that gives visitors up-close views of sculptural works and collaborative designs usually only seen at a distance,
Free Neighborhood Tour With Sandglass Theater Co. and Doppelskope: The Amazing Story Machine
When: January 16-26, 2025
Where: Austin Town Hall Cultural Center, Marshall Field Garden Apartments/Arts on Sedgewick, 345 Gallery, Center on Halsted, eta Creative Arts Foundation, Experimental Station, Berger Park Cultural Center, South Shore Cultural Center
Time: Varies
With the help of the audience and a cast of puppet characters, fairytales like “Hansel & Gretel” and “The Hare & the Hedgehog” spring to life with a variety of puppet styles and live music. The free performance runs for 45 minutes.
Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium: The Image Aspect of the Puppet
When: January 26, 2025
Where: Studebaker Theater at the Fine Asrt Building, 410 S. Michigan
Time: 10 am
The question of how the puppet as a kinetic object and a visual image work together is the topic for this panel discussion featuring four puppeteers.
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
January 15-26, 2025
Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan, plus various venues across the city
