2023 La MaMa Puppet Festival
Denise Greber, Director and Curator of La MaMa Puppet Festival
Federico Restrepo, Producing Director of La MaMa Puppet Festival
Puppetry has been an integral part of La MaMa’s programming since 1962, when our founder Ellen Stewart invited puppet artists from Korea to perform their production of Head Hunting by Pagoon Kang Wouk. Ellen recognized puppetry as an art form that exists across world cultures in many different forms. Despite the cultural specificity and variety of these forms, she saw a universal magic in bringing inanimate objects to life. By setting objects in motion, puppet artists can penetrate linguistic and cultural barriers to tell stories that are accessible to audiences around the world. Bringing international puppet artists together leads to innovation, experimentation, and increased awareness of puppetry as a sophisticated art form.
Throughout our history, La MaMa has presented many notable puppet artists, including: Ping Chong, Vit Horejs, Ralph Lee, Tom Lee, Mabou Mines,Federico Restrepo, Jane Catherine Shaw, Theodora Skipitares, and Julie Taymor. In 1996, 1998 and 2000, La MaMa hosted the Henson International Festivals of Puppet Theater, created by the Jim Henson Foundation, which have been instrumental in supporting puppet artists everywhere. In 2004, we introduced the La MaMa Puppet Series, a biannual festival showcasing new contemporary puppet theatre. Since then, La MaMa has produced ten puppet festivals, curated by Denise Greber.
November 2 – 12, 2023 | La MaMa Galleria
Motel
By Dan Hurlin
Thursday – Sunday from 1–7PM
Opening: Thursday, November 2 at 6PM
Thursday, November 2 at 8:30PM
Friday, November 3 at 7PM
Saturday, November 4 at 5PM
Sunday, November 5 at 2PM
November 3 – 5, 2023 | The Downstairs
The Healing Shipment
By Maria Camia
Friday, November 3 at 8:30PM
Saturday, November 4 at 3PM and 7PM
Sunday, November 5 at 4PM
November 3 – 11, 2023 | The Club at La MaMa
Jump Start
A Presentation of Works in Progress
November 3 – 5, 2023: Charlotte Lily Gaspard
Friday, November 3 at 9PM
Saturday, November 4 at 8:30PM
Sunday, November 5 at 6PM
November 9 – 11, 2023: Tristan Allen, Evolve Puppets (Tanya Khordoc & Barry Weil), and Marcella Murray
Thursday, November 9 at 8:30PM
Friday, November 10 at 9PM
Saturday, November 11 at 8:30PM
November 7 – 8, 2023 | The Club at La MaMa
Puppet Slam
Curated by Jane Catherine Shaw
Tuesday, November 7 at 7PM and 8:30PM
Wednesday, November 8 at 7PM and 8:30PM
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November 9 – 12, 2023 | The Downstairs
Daydream Tutorial
By Maiko Kikuchi
Thursday, November 9 at 7PM
Friday, November 10 at 8:30PM
Saturday, November 11 at 7PM
Sunday, November 12 at 4PM
November 10 – 12, 2023 | Ellen Stewart Theatre
Tricyckle
By Les Sages Fous
Friday, November 10 at 7PM
Saturday, November 11 at 5PM
Sunday, November 12 at 2PM
November 16 – 18, 2023 | Ellen Stewart Theatre
The Pact
By Aaron Haskell
Thursday, November 16 at 7PM
Friday, November 17 at 7PM
Saturday, November 18 at 3PM and 7PM
FAMILY EVENT
November 4 – 5, 2023 | Community Arts Space
La MaMa Kids: Go Home Tiny Monster
By The Gottabees
Saturday, November 4 at 2PM
Sunday, November 5 at 12PM
FAMILY EVENT
November 11 – 12, 2023 | Community Arts Space
La MaMa Kids: Woods
By Puzzle Theatre
Saturday, November 11 at 2PM
Sunday, November 12 at 12PM
The 10th La MaMa Puppet Festival Fall 2023 is made possible by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Jim Henson Foundation, the Québec Government Office in New York, Puppet Slam Network, the Mellon Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation. Additional support from Cheryl Henson is gratefully acknowledged.
La MaMa Puppet Festival
The La MaMa Puppet Festival showcases new contemporary puppet theatre by artists from around the world. Curated by Denise Greber, focusing on diversifying the voices, stories, and perspectives shared onstage, with the goal of uplifting marginalized identities within the puppet community.