The 2025 Chicago Puppet Fest will span 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, presenting  an international pageant of puppet artists sharing more than 100 puppetry activities. Get set for all-ages spectacle shows in landmark theaters, intimate works on smaller stages, and the always popular, adults-only, late night puppet cabarets.

Schedule of Events:

10:00 pm: Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium Panel 1 - The Puppet that Brings Us Together: Thoughts on Intercultural Puppetry Arts

This roundtable proposes to explore the challenges, the joys, and the practical and philosophical implications of making intercultural puppetry arts. How do we best engage with people in an intercultural project? What is our relationship to the space where the work is created? How can we engage with objects, materials, and puppets in an intercultural setting? 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).

2:00 pm: Plexus Polaire: Dracula: Lucy's Dream

In her visual adaptation of the famous myth of Dracula, Yngvild Aspeli freely draws inspiration from Bram Stoker's story to tell the story of Lucy. As the character fights against her inner "Dracula-esque" demon she surfaces and reveals an inclination toward domination, dependence, addiction and destructive force. A metaphor of control, both forced and desired, seductive and deceptive. From the makers of Moby Dick and Chambre Noire, Plexus Polaire returns flaunting its mastery of the form and serving up large-scale spectacle, human size bunraku puppets, hypnotic video projection and their signature style of imbuing the puppet with storytelling power.

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10:00 pm - 7:30 pm: The Puppet Hub

In addition to the incredible pageant of international and U.S. puppetry artists, the Puppet Hub is back and open throughout the festival. It's the perfect place to relax between shows, get a bite to eat, meet up with friends, make new ones, and learn more about contemporary puppetry. Attractions include:           

Lessons in Puppetry by Myra Su
In this exhibit, Myra Su shares her various puppetry experiments (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and lessons she's learned along the way.

Puppetry Under the Sea
Inspired by coastal parades and spectacles, over 20 puppets that were designed and built by the Chicago Puppet Studio, for Drury Lane Theatre's production of "The Little Mermaid", will be on display.

Pop-Up Puppet Shop
The perfect spot to stock up on your newest Chicago Puppet Fest swag.

The Spoke and Bird Pop-Up Cafe
Stop by The Spoke and Bird Pop-Up Cafe if you're coming to a show at the Studebaker Theater, workshops, readings and special events in the Fine Arts Building, or any Puppet Fest show downtown. Enjoy coffee, tea, winter soups and baked treats in a cozy, puppet-inspired setting, and check out the surrounding exhibits.

1:00 pm: Feisty Elephant, Pam Arciero Productions, and Little Shadow Productions: Aanika's Elephants

From Sesame Street staff writer and children's book author Annie Evans, comes a delightful story of compassion and courage. Aanika, a young African girl meets Little, an orphaned baby elephant living at the sanctuary where her father works. The two grow up together surviving some of the pitfalls of humanity, the loss of family and the threat of poachers. Charming and innovative visuals illustrate perfectly the real possibility of adopting new family and finding beautiful peace in the most unexpected of ways.

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3:00 pm: Tortoise in a Nutshell: Concerned Others

Tortoise in a Nutshell, a Scottish puppetry company, creates visually engaging theater that tackles contemporary social issues. Known for its multimedia approach, the company blends puppetry with reflective storytelling. Their festival piece, Concerned Others, encourages audiences to reflect on the dynamics of modern human relationships and society.

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5:00 pm: Rolling Puppet Alternative Theatre: Made in Macau

Rolling Puppet Alternative Theater from Macau celebrates Chinese culture through both traditional and modern puppetry styles. Known for visually vibrant storytelling, they combine classic puppetry styles with contemporary narratives. At the festival, Made in Macau offers a glimpse into Macau's rich heritage and diverse artistic influences.

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7:00 pm: RoiZIZO theatre: I Killed the Monster

In a small village in France's Ardennes Forest, peace reigns, and yet, Daniel is a little agitated. Now that he has a new medicine though, some blue pills made by an American pharmaceutical laboratory, everything should be fine…right? A pitch perfect show packed with humor and farcical discoveries, on a simple table using everyday objects. Small-scale grandiose art in a clever, tabletop fable dedicated to the right to be different.

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7:30 pm: Theatre de l'Entrouvert and Chicago Puppet Fest: Anywhere

Theatre de l'Entrouvert and the Chicago Puppet Festival collaborate to create minimalist puppet theater with a philosophical edge. Through performances that explore human connection and solitude, they bring subtle narratives that resonate deeply. At this year's festival, Anywhere invites audiences into a quiet, reflective space of universal themes.

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8:00 pm: Yael Rasooly: The House by the Lake

Yael Rasooly, an acclaimed puppeteer from Israel, creates intimate and poetic performances that blend puppetry with visual storytelling. Her work is known for exploring personal and historical narratives, drawing audiences into detailed, emotionally rich worlds. At this year's festival, Edith and Me tells a story of memory and identity, inviting audiences on a deeply personal journey. Furthermore, in The House by the Lake, Yael Rasooly continues her exploration of memory and mystery through her signature intricate puppetry style. Known for crafting unique, detail-rich settings, Rasooly's work pulls audiences into a world where the past surfaces through layered storytelling. These festival performances offer a suspenseful and nostalgic experience that resonates with audiences on multiple levels.

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9:00 pm: Cabinet of Curiosity: The Cabinet

It has been 15 years since Chicago audiences last saw critically-acclaimed, The Cabinet. This story of the murderous Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist slave Cesare is set in an off-kilter world of puppetry and intricate machinery. Evoking the 1919 German Expressionist silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and created by Frank Maugeri, it was Redmoon Theater's longest running show, now reinvented for the larger stage. Cabinet of Curiosity revives it with another distinctive "cabinet of curiosities" in which puppeteers manipulate the characters and objects, just as Caligari controlled Cesare's plight.

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10:30 pm: Nasty, Brutish and Short - Week 1

Don't let the evening end! Come join the fun at this fan-favorite late show where eyebrows meet lowbrows. Enjoy Chicago's long-standing puppet cabaret with your hirsute host Jameson and somewhat furry friends for a naughty night of raucous, dark, sassy, sad and highly unusual puppet theater. Out-of-towner puppeteers are invited to join local legends for friendly unwinding. All shows are at Links Hall this year for the Nasty, Brutish and Short puppet cabaret.

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