"Aanika's Elephants" - Annie Evans

Aanika’s Elephants is the story of a young African girl who meets a baby elephant (Little) at the orphanage where her father works. They grow together the way only two young girls can, even if one has a trunk. When Aanika’s father dies, she becomes the ward of an abusive uncle. She flees into the African Savannah making one final farewell to Little. Camping that night in the bush the way her father taught her, she is frightened by crashing branches and discovers Little has followed her. They become a herd of two, working together to survive and steer clear of humanity. Adopted by a small herd of elephants, Aanika learns their very beautiful, civil ways. She is finally tested when she must save her new family from poachers.

In a time when children are feeling so much division and stress, Aanika’s Elephants is play about compassion, love and conservation. It’s a story that shows how family can be anything — a beloved, widowed father or even a herd of elephants. The audience can use their imaginations to fill in the large rattan-framed elephants, adorable baby elephant and people represented by just hats and gloves. With music, a variety of puppets and humor, Aanika’s Elephants entertains and educates both adults and children on the plight of the elephant and our world.

View a Teaser Clip

About The Company

Annie Evans: (writer/producer) Has written children’s television for the past twenty-five years, most notably for Sesame Street (13 Emmy Awards) as well as for shows on Nickelodeon, PBS, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel and Animal Planet. She has taught writing for children around the world and story edited for Sesame Street co-productions in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. She is also a playwright having had plays produced at such theatres as New York Stage and Film Company, Manhattan Class Company and the Circle Repertory Lab. She is a graduate of Brown University.

Pam Arciero: (director) Pam Arciero performs for film, television and theater, notably as a puppeteer with Sesame Street (Grundgetta Grouch, Oscar's girlfriend, and assorted characters) and with the Muppets for over 35 years. Pam is a director of live theater, television, and film. She choreographs and directs live walkaround (the big versions of the puppets) shows for Sesame Workshop in such far-flung places as Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, Barcelona, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Sesame Place and Sea World, USA. She is the Artistic Director of the National Puppetry Conference at the O'Neill Theater Center. Pam holds a master’s degree in Puppetry Arts from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor's Degree in Dance and Dramatic Arts from the University of Hawaii.

Martin P. Robinson: (puppet designer/builder) Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors (designer/performer); The Frogs (designer). Off Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors (Drama Desk, L.A. Drama Critics, Villager Awards); Go, Diego Go! National Tour (puppet designer); Film: Muppets Take Manhattan, Follow That Bird, Elmo in Grouchland, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Producers.  TV: Sesame Street– 41 years playing Mr. Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster, Slimey, etc. Currently playing Mr. Primm on the new Sesame Street/Apple TV show “Helpsters.”

"The Charm City Puppet Cabaret" (Regional Showcase)

The Charm City Puppet Cabaret is a celebration of Baltimore's innovative puppetry scene featuring some of the city's most beloved artists. In this cabaret-style evening, a select group of puppeteers will be given a chance to share work that is longer than a slam but shorter than a full-length show, giving you the variety of short-form puppetry but with a deeper theatrical exploration. Featuring live music interspersed between every act, this lively evening will include works by Schroeder Cherry, Dirk Joseph, and the Jane Appleseed of crankies Katherine Fahey, among others. This showcase is supported by the generosity of The National Capitol Puppetry Guild.

Featured Shows:

"Between Monument and Montford" - Katherine Fahey and the Lantern Sisters

A shadow puppetry Crankie of Robin Reid's childhood memories of black horse cart vendors in Baltimore city and the effect they had on her neighborhood.

About Katherine Fahey 

Award winning multidisciplinary puppeteer, Katherine Fahey has toured and taught throughout the United States. She combines various crafts, combining indicate paper-cutting, ethereal shadow puppetry, crankies, and engaging storytelling. Her pieces are either based on stories or songs. They are usually shared as live table top performance, but sometimes as music videos or featured as segments in longer films. Some stories are folk tales as far reaching as the southern swamps of Louisiana and the northern reaches of Inuit Quebec, but can also be true stories from her childhood in Virginia and the streets of Baltimore. Katherine’s shadow puppetry is presented in the form of a tabletop performance. Facebook: @lanternsisters & Instagram: @katherine_fahey

"The Civil Rights Children's Crusade" - Schroeder Cherry

A young boy discovers that his strict grandfather went to jail as a child. What was that about? This story about children in the Civil Rights Movement is narrated by a rod puppet who uses wooden cutouts to tell what he learns. The puppeteer is in full view, dressed in black.

About Schroeder Cherry

A native of Washington, D.C., Schroeder Cherry is a Baltimore based artist and puppeteer. He played with puppets as a kid. In college he tried puppetry to see how he would respond to his childhood interest. He apprenticed to a puppetmaster in Chicago while in college, then joined a troupe before setting out on his own. Dr. Cherry has performed original shows with puppets in museums, libraries and cultural centers for adults and children across the U.S. Performances include "Can You Spell Harlem?," The Land of Primary Color;" “Underground Railroad, Not A Subway;" “Tuskegee Airmen;” “ How The Sun Came To The Sky,” and The Civil Rights Children’s Crusade.” Facebook: @schroeder.cherry

"Collab Story" - Dirk Joseph & Azaria Jean-Gilles Joseph of Dirk and Azaria

In Collab Story, two siblings feeling stuck at home without use of their devices must find other ways to entertain themselves. The result is a surreal trip into the world of their imagination.

About Dirk and Azaria

Baltimore based artists Dirk Joseph and his daughters Koi and Azaria have been performing puppetry together since 2016.

Also known as String Theory Theater, they use various puppetry formats to create shows for children and adults. First honing their skills at the seasonal Puppet Slamwich at Baltimore’s Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Dirk, Koi, and Azaria have performed on numerous stages across Baltimore and beyond.

They also create large-scale outdoor puppet performances, sometimes partnering with other puppeteers and community organizations to engage local communities in creative demonstrations and exhibits. Instagram: @stringtheorytheater

"Fox Fables" - Chad Williams of WonderSpark Puppets

What makes you - YOU? Fox Fables is a combination of several Aesop's Fables, inspired by the works of the 12th century storyteller Rabbi Berechiah ha-Nakdan. The story is about a fox who loses his precious tail and with it his identity. He tries to be several other animals instead - with hilarious results - before realizing the moral lesson of this ancient fable. Themes in this tale include self-worth, anti-bullying, test taking, and the five senses.

About WonderSpark Puppets

WonderSpark Puppets is a New York City based puppet theater company led by Chad Williams and Z Briggs. The company's mission is to spread joy, spark imagination and share laughter through high quality puppet performances. They have toured internationally, bringing original productions and puppetry workshops to festivals in Thailand and Taiwan. Their original solo puppet shows were official selections at the International Puppet Fringe Festival NYC, La MaMa Etc Puppet Festival, the Siam Paragon Asean Fascinating Puppets Festival in Thailand, and at the 1st Lize International Puppet Festival in Taiwan. Their works have been performed at the 14th Street Y Theater, Puppet Showplace Theater, Symphony Space, and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Facebook & Instagram: @wondersparkpuppets

Chad Williams (writer, director, performer) is Co-Artistic Director of WonderSpark Puppets and has toured and taught puppetry internationally. He has written, directed and performed over 15 solo puppet plays for family audiences with hundreds of performances every year.

In 2022, he released "50 Hand Puppet Techniques: Hidden Secrets and Tricks Revealed", a manual for traditional hand puppetry. He has trained new puppeteers, teachers, actors, special needs therapists and others using his unique Two-Finger Style.

He is a two-term board member of UNIMA-USA and a current Fulbright Specialist

"Very Engaging Puppetry #1"

Another Secret Show! Are You Excited Yet?! 

"MAROONED! A Space Comedy" - Alex and Olmsted

Internationally acclaimed and 2-time Jim Henson Foundation grant award winning puppet theater company Alex and Olmsted journey to outer space with the creation of their innovative new puppet show, “MAROONED! A Space Comedy.” Lauded as “Achingly beautiful…” (MD Theatre Guide) and “...amusing, charming, delightful and, at times, utterly and completely astonishing” (DC Theater Scene), “MAROONED!” follows the adventures of a lone astronaut who crashes unexpectedly on an uncharted planet. Featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, this handmade spectacle involves puppetry, illusion, innovative mechanical objects, and virtuosic physical expression. Will the astronaut survive strange creatures, anomalous atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in “MAROONED!”

About Alex and Olmsted

"Lupita’s Revenge" - Lupita's Revenge

Lupita’s Revenge is a self-titled puppet play that is slowly marching around the country, steadily picking up new fans with each all-acoustic performance. 

Join Lupita on her intense odyssey as she travels from Mexico City to right a wrong and confront her father's assailant.  The 50-minute vengeance play is our modern interpretation of the old-fashioned, small-theater experience. Featuring wrestlers, intense chases, enchanting music, and one mild decapitation.

Lupita’s Revenge is performed by a team of eight artists: A five-piece band playing a mesmerizing soundtrack of 80’s pop, Georgia tangos and traveller music arrangements; alongside three expert shadow puppeteers (using the world’s largest known “crankie,” which is a screen with two large scrolls of paper that create a ‘moving panorama’).

About Lupita's Revenge

Lupita's Revenge is an alliance of visual artists and musicians based out of Athens, GA. Not counting a 22-month pandemic intermission, our self-titled play has been touring for four years in small theaters, galleries, TV, and currently in museums and festivals. 

Writer/Director/Accordion: Abel Klainbaum; Lead Visual Artist/Puppeteer: Phil Jasen; Puppeteers: Laura Maria Ramirez and SJ Ursrey; Lead vocals: Megan Cole; Bass: Andrea DeMarcus; Violin: Keiko Ishibashi; Guitar: Jeremy Raj

"Quijote" - Ombres Folles (Montreal)

In a world - made of paper - that is both ruthless and fragile, Quijote and Sancho are looking for adventure. Stepping in are the vivid and larger-than-life imagination of the frail knight as well as shadow theatre! But the beliefs of Quijote are too powerful. Wherever he turns everyone thinks he is crazy and people make fun of him. Led by a clown duo of actor/puppeteers, the production recounts the unbelievable adventures of Don Quijote and his friendly squire Sancho Panza. Imagination, humor, friendship and the search for glory await in a world of extravagant shadows.

About Ombres Folles

Founded in 2005, the company Ombres Folles has created 8 shows and given nearly 450 performances in Canada, France, Serbia and Ukraine. The company now enjoys recognition in youth theater and puppet circles. Ombres Folles defends a world carried by the imagination by creating shows that awaken the whimsical spirit of young and old. Committed to the development of contemporary puppetry and theater for young audiences, the company explores the intersections of genre between puppet, shadow and object theatre, while probing our fears, our quirks and our taboos.

"5P1N0K10 (SPINOKIO)" - Tarish ‘Jeghetto’ Pipkins

This Hip Hopera created by Jeghetto and co-written by Pierce Freelon was awarded grants from the Henson Foundation two years in a row. This Afrofuturistic puppet show is set in a post apocalyptic future with an original score by Hip Hop producer Hir-O.

This show is suitable for audiences 10 and up, and is a full theater production.

About Tarish ‘Jeghetto’ Pipkins

Jeghetto is puppetry infused with Hip Hop culture. He has been building his puppets out of recycled and found materials for about 20 years now. He’s worked with Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Alec Baldwin and others in the industry. Jeghetto has received 2 grants from the Henson Foundation for his Hip Hopera titled 5P1N0K10 (Spinokio) the Android who wants to be a real B-Boy. He also received a grant from Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams to produce a short film of the same title that will be released on Amazon Prime.

Before the pandemic, Jeghetto traveled the country performing his unique style of puppet theater in venues and festivals. He also facilitated puppet workshops for all ages which he now does online. You can learn all about him at jeghetto.com. Facebook: @jeghettosentertainment Instagram: @jeghettos_puppets

"The Three Little Pigs" - Art Grueneberger of Puppet Art Theater Co.

Live rod and hand puppetry combined with projected sets and animations bring this irreverent telling of this classic tale. Three pigs strike out on their own looking to have fun and adventures. But first, they must build houses for themselves. Straw, sticks, bricks, and a huffing and puffing Big Bad Wolf add up to hilarity and mayhem in this adaptation of the classic story, “The Three Little Pigs.”

About Puppet Art Theater Co.

Art became fascinated by puppetry in the early 90’s while pursuing a degree in teaching. A puppetry course his last year of college took him off the teaching path and onto a successful career as a puppeteer. An early opportunity to study with Jim Henson’s Muppet Performers and hundreds of performances for a touring company helped hone his skills as a performer. An invitation to be one of the first participants in the Emerging Artist Program at the National Puppetry Conference, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center helped develop Grueneberger’s writing and production skills.  These skills combined with a bit of luck lead to the formation of Grueneberger’s Puppet Art Theater Co. in 1995. Today Puppet Art Theater Co. has eighteen productions that tour across California and beyond completing more than 600 live performances for family audiences every year. Grueneberger has become a master at developing marvelous puppet shows that delight audiences of all ages. Facebook: @PuppetArtTheaterCo Instagram: @puppetartg

"MIGRACIONES / MIGRATIONS" - Sofía Padilla and Davey T. Steinman of Paradox Teatro

MIGRACIONES / MIGRATIONS, by Paradox Teatro, is a poignant meditation on the global migration situation, which draws on the artists’ own surreal experiences in the U.S. immigration system while inspiring compassionate perspectives from the global refugee crisis. 

This original work highlights Paradox Teatro’s mesmerizing blend of hybrid puppets, sand drawings, and multimedia shadow puppetry projections to reveal each character’s journey across sand, water, and darkness in search of a new home. These visual mediums are scored by original live music and sparse poetry in English and Spanish so that MIGRACIONES / MIGRATIONS can push the boundaries of non-verbal storytelling, and further Paradox Teatro’s mission to communicate with audiences across cultures and language barriers. 

This production premiered at Open Eye Theater in Minneapolis, USA with the support of a 2019 Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant. Since then, it has been presented internationally with support from el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and el Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes in México.

About Paradox Teatro

Paradox Teatro is a multimedia puppetry arts company founded in 2017 by Artistic Co-Directors Sofía Padilla of Mexico & Davey T Steinman of the United States. The company has toured performances and taught residencies in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. The mission of Paradox Teatro is to use performing arts to connect communities across language barriers and cultures. Facebook: @ParadoxTeatro Instagram: @Paradox_Teatro

"Very Engaging Puppetry #2"

SHHHH... it's a secret! Who do you think it is?

"Secret Performance #2"

Another secret show! Seriously, dont miss it! (Yes, just for YOU!)

"Appeso ad un Filo (Hanging by a Thread)" - Di Filippo Marionette (Italy)

"Appeso ad Un Filo (Hanging By A Thread)" is the first, and award-winning show, of the Italian-Australian company "Di Filippo Marionette", based in Italy.  A show without words, it reaches all ages through the skilled string puppetry movements, the music, some live singing and the fun interactions with the actor-puppeteers on stage! Its cabaret style allows the audience to meet various characters who each have their own little story to share. Within the show there's a violinist who needs audience support to go on, a lady with a broom, some Hip-Hop brothers, a tap dancer inspired by Fred Astaire, and even a cyclist who surprises everyone with his moves! and more...  Remo Di Filippo and Rhoda Lopez build all their puppets, and are happy to have performed in 26 countries so far.

About Di Filippo Marionette

DI FILIPPO MARIONETTE: Remo Di Filippo, Co-director and Performer / Rhoda Lopez, Co-director and Performer 

The Italian-Australian puppet theatre company “Di Filippo Marionette” was created by Remo Di Filippo in 2010, and continues to grow since Rhoda Lopez joined in 2014.

They build their own marionette puppets in their small studio workshop based in Italy.

The company has performed in festivals, theatres, schools, hospitals, prisons, retirement homes and events in more than 25 countries, and the show “Hanging by a Thread” (Appeso ad un Filo) has received awards in Germany, Italy, Russia and Portugal.

Their work is aimed at an audience of all ages: “they enchant children and make adults dream”. Facebook: Di Filippo Marionette Instagram: @difilippomarionette 

"RENT PARTY" - Drama of Works

In the early 1900s African-Americans began to migrate north in large numbers. Harlem was where their community was, so many moved there, despite the high rents. Rent parties became a popular way for families to raise the rent money they needed. They would hire a musician or band, get cheap refreshments and charge a small entry fee.  

An innovative toy theater fills the stage, a replica of a Harlem block from the 1920s. Lights flicker on as people awake. We see toy theater puppets, shadows come to life in windows, and at a certain point the whole set transforms. All the while actors frolic in 20s costumes, original saxophone music plays through the speakers and a cat does back alley poetry. We’re transported in time to an era poignant and pivotal to the African-American experience in this country and people of all ages should know these stories, hear these words and listen to this music. Come follow Rose, Jenny and Ricky as they help their mammas throw a RENT PARTY to save their home. All they need to do is get the ice, hand out some cards, oh - and get a real live musician to play. Shouldn't be too hard…

About Drama of Works

Drama of Works (DOW)’s mission is to be a performing arts organization that furthers the art of theater incorporating puppets. Their main purpose is to promote, support and create unique, premiere theater experiences that push the boundaries of theatrical norms and conventions. To that end, DOW offers a wide variety of public performances, both classic and original works, throughout New York City and representing NYC elsewhere, for all ages. DOW aspires to be the leading theater company of cutting-edge stage performance in Brooklyn, New York. In the coming years expect expanded programming from DOW, including partnerships with national and international artists, producing of puppet slams, and more classes for the Brooklyn community.

DOW is known for their innovative works that cross the line between actors and puppeteers. Led by Artistic Director Gretchen Van Lente (former president of UNIMA-USA), they have performed locally and abroad: around New York City, the East Coast and at seven international festivals to date, with their unique brand of theatre: gaining members, fans and supporters along the way. Drama of Works prides themselves on including members from a variety of backgrounds, including puppetry, experimental theatre, clowning, classical theatre, folk dance and comedy. They are the recipients of seven Henson Foundation grants, two grants from the Rhode Island Foundation, a grant from the Fund for US Artists at International Festivals, a Chashama/NEA Performance Development Award and an Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan Project Commission, among others. Facebook & Instagram: @dramaofworks

"Very Engaging Puppetry #3"

A program of secret content to be announced closer to the festival.