Puppets in Paradise
About the Event
Sandglass Theater is pleased to announce the return of our most beloved community event with an expanded program. Puppets in Paradise brings together artists and audiences for a two-day celebration of puppetry and theater arts set in the beautiful agrarian landscape of Southern Vermont. This edition of Puppets in Paradise will be during peak foliage celebrating Vermont’s most famous and colorful season. This premier biennial family event is produced in collaboration with Retreat Farm, a prominent feature of the Brattleboro landscape for 180 years. At Puppets in Paradise audiences will walk around the farm and encounter short-form puppet performances, theater artists and musicians amidst the fields, historic barns and animals. Food and refreshments from local vendors add to the delight of a beautiful day. This year’s program will also feature a special community Giant Lantern Puppetry Workshop with Master Puppet Builder, Andrew Kim (more info here), and an evening of outdoor shadow puppetry by Rahul Koonathara in the ancient Indian tradition of deerskin puppets lit by coconut oil lamps. This year’s weekend festival welcomes an exciting roster of first-time and returning performers including Heather Henson, Puppet Motion, Andrew Kim, recent graduates of UConn’s Masters in Puppetry Arts Program, and Sandglass Theater, among others.
Puppets in Paradise will take place 10am-4pm, October 11th & 12th at Retreat Farm.
This year Sandglass will welcome an exciting roster of first-time and returning performers:
Party Animals, Sarah Nolen (Puppet Motion)
Tales of Kimi: The New Death, Tom Tuke and Mel Carter
Mermaid Life Story, Charlotte Lily Gaspard (Midnight Radio Show)
Sharing Update, Stoph Scheer (Doppelskope)
Along the Way, Andrew Kim (Thingumajig Theatre)
Madame Manouche, Kim Cotter Lemus
The Loose Caboose, Harry LaCoste (Good News Gus)
Hugo and Claude, Kirk Murphy and Shoshana Bass (Sandglass Theater)
Flows of Turtle Island: Craft, Story and Dance Experience, Heather Henson / Green Feather Foundation
The Cabbage Leaf Summit, Ines Zeller Bass and Eric Bass (with Matt Sharff)
Tickets and Workshop Registration Coming Soon!
Thank you to our previous event funders
Puppets in Paradise is sponsored by Landmark College, Oak Meadow and M&T Bank, with additional funding from the Windham Foundation, The Thomas Thompson Trust, Brattleboro Savings and Loan, The Two West Foundation, The Vermont Arts Council with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
