Photo by Sarah Nolen courtesy of Chicago International Puppet Theater
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 $20-$30 but the festival also supplies a selection of free events during the festival on January 18-29, 2023.
Pop-Up Puppet Hub
When: January 18-29, 2021
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 exhibit, “Motel”, a puppet show display that doesn’t move, and the photo exhibits, “Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine” and “The Art of Basil Twist.” Explore a puppet-inspired cafe as well as “Vancouver,” a display of puppet storyboards, props and puppets.
My Night in the Planetarium
When: January 19-22, 2023
Where: Segundo Ruiz Cultural Center 4048 W. Armitage on January 19 at 4:30 pm, Marshall Field’s Garden Apartments, 1408 N. Sedgewick, on January 20 at 4:30 pm, Navy Pier, 700 E.. Grand on January 21 at noon and 2 pm, ETA Creative Arts Foundation on January 22 at 11 am.
Based on the award-winning book by Innosanto Nagara, the performance follows his true story of facing a dictatorship as a child in Indonesia.
Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppet Symposium: Boundless Bodies
When: January 21, 2023
Where: Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan and streaming
Time: 10 am
A panel discussion based on the Hindu cosmology of Shiva and how human consciousness might transcend bodies and how puppets act as an extension of puppeteers’ bodies.
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