The Mid Atlantic and Northeast Regions are teaming up to present a “Meet Up” at Sandglass theater’s Puppets in the Green Mountains International Puppet Festival September 17-20, 2026 in Brattleboro and Putney, Vermont.
Puppeteers of America members are eligible for a Festival Pass which allows entry for all of the performances, workshops, panel discussions and Festival Cabaret nights. Registration for the Meet Up is June 1 through July 15. After July 15, tickets will be released to the general public.
There are two Festival Passes, Group A & Group B. Please note that when you register, you will need to choose from the two. Please gather your friends and consider this when ordering your passes.
Carpooling is recommended as there is a 15-minute drive between Brattleboro and Putney.
If you are under the age of 30, please scroll to the bottom of this email to find information on the Carol Sterling Festival Scholarship for young adults. The deadline to apply is June 12, 2026.
Participants will be responsible for their own lodging. Please scroll down to find links to The Putney Inn & the Brattleboro Travelodge where we have reserved blocks of room under Puppeteers of America. Please call their phone numbers directly to book your rooms. The rooms will be held until August 1st when they will be released to the public. Autumn is a busy and beautiful time in Vermont. Hotel rates can be expensive so please book your lodging early!
Here are the links to book your Festival Passes:
PASS TICKET LINKS:
You must be a current member of Puppeteers of America to be eligible for a Festival Pass
Festival Pass A: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show_special=340521
Festival Pass B: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show_special=340619
PASS A Schedule
Wednesday 9/16
Iniskim Film 9/16 7:30pm
Thursday 9/17
Puppet procession 9/17 6:45pm
About Ram 9/17 7:30pm
Festival Cabaret 9/17 8:30pm - late
Friday 9/18
Puppeteers of America Workshops 9/18 9am - 4pm
Access Through the Arts Forum 9/17 4:30pm
Lunch With Sonia 7:30pm
Festival Cabaret 8:30pm - late
Saturday 9/19
Access Through the Arts 12:30pm
Tomte 2pm
Puppet Crimes 4pm
The House 7:30pm
Festival Cabaret 8:30pm - late
Sunday 9/20
Animalia 11am
Access Through the Arts 12:30pm
HUMAN 4:30pm
PASS B Schedule:
Wednesday 9/16
Iniskim Film Showing 7:30pm
Thursday 9/17
Puppet Procession 6:45pm
Puppet Crimes 7:30pm
Festival Cabaret 8:30pm - late
Friday 9/18
Puppeteers of America Workshops 9am - 4pm
Access Through the Arts Forum 4:30pm
About Ram 7:30pm
Festival Cabaret 8:30pm - late
Saturday 9/19
Tomte 11am
Access Through the Arts Forum 12:30pm
The House 4pm
Lunch with Sonia 7:30pm
Festival Cabaret 8:30pm - late
Sunday 9/20
Access Through the Arts Forum 12:30pm
Animalia 2pm
HUMAN 4:30pm
Click here to go to the Festival Website:
Below, you will find an overview of the Workshops.
We will send all Festival Pass holders a form to sign up for Workshops on June 15.
If you register later, we will send as registrations are received.
Hobey Ford Carved Foam Puppets
Nehrpii Amenii- TBD
Anurupa Roy- TBD
Tom Lee Introduction to Japanese Traditional Puppetry-sanninzukat
Tanglewood Marionettes -Marionette Manipulation
Chuck Nesci- ds, and Practical Applications of Mold Making and Casting in Puppetry
Electric City Puppets-Improv for Puppeteers
David Lane- Explore the Dark with Illuminated Puppets.
Madison J Cripps- An Exploration in Marionettes
Nicole Wander- Needle Felt a Finger Puppet Head
Cheryl Capezutti- One Piece of Paper Puppets
Matt Sorenson- Collaborative Giant Puppet Explorations
Sarah Frechette- Cut, Fold, Perform!
Lunch & Parking Lot Trunk Show
On Friday from 12:15-2:30, we will have a lunch gathering. There will be a collaborative workshop with Matt Sorenson that all are encouraged to join. There will be an opportunity to sell your merchandise/puppet related items from the back of your vehicle in the parking lot. Sandwich wraps will be available for purchase. You will need to pre-order your lunch option when you register for Workshops and pay cash when picking them up. You will also be able to let us know if you would like to sell your merch on the Workshop form. We will send you an email with more detailed instructions soon after if you plan on being a vendor.
Lodging
We have discounted rooms reserved for you at The Putney Inn and the Brattleboro Travelodge. These rooms will be available to book directly through the hotels until August 1 when they will be released to the public. Keep your expectations in check as the rooms are not fancy. Please note that you are with the Puppeteers of America and would like to book one of our reserved rooms. Airbnb might be an option as well. There is additional lodging information on the Festival Website.
The Putney Inn
(833) 320-5093
https://www.guestreservations.com/the-putney-inn/booking?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=16967391756&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=16967391756&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2_TQBhCnARIsAF3-Xhz224JFG07z2ZfkRTfwnsvtsqSl4Q26HiYtndftGC5Uw2RzXqBI7_IaAtDgEALw_wcB&ctTriggered=true
The Brattleboro Travelodge
https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/travelodge/brattleboro-vermont/travelodge-brattleboro-vt/overview
(802) 490-5384
Announcing the 2026 Carol Sterling Festival Scholarship for Young Adults
The Carol Sterling Festival Scholarship for Young Adults was established to assist young people interested in the puppetry arts in attending a Puppeteers of America (PofA) Regional Festival. The goal of this scholarship is to make attending a Regional Festival more accessible to those looking to broaden their knowledge of the puppetry world. Thank you to Carol Sterling for making the generous donation that made this scholarship possible!
The 2026 scholarship is open to applicants under the age of 30. The scholarship will cover the registration fee to attend one PofA Regional Festival. The dates and locations for the 2026 festivals are:
Great Plains Regional Puppet Festival
September 10-13, 2026
West Liberty, IA
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Festival
September 18-20, 2026
Brattleboro, VT
Southwest Regional Festival
October 2-3, 2026
Houston, TX
The deadline to apply is 11:59pm on Friday, June 12, 2026.
For complete information and to apply, follow this link to the scholarship application form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczWakSST2vawV74NWq7E6fVu2PMNGFhelT1uPuoJj7OT644Q/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117370134089423157849
https://puppetsinthegreenmountains.net/
Adelka Polak and Liz Joyce are your Meet Up coordinators.
Please email liz@goatonaboat.org or sovatheater@gmail.com with questions or concerns
We hope to see you in the Green Mountains!
