Puppet Slam 4/16!

We are very excited to be hosting a puppet slam at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, MA on April 16th! 

Puppet slams are performances of short-form puppet pieces for an adult audience. They are a great chance to see lots of different styles of puppetry, and different puppeteers, all in one evening. More info about our slam will come soon, but here are the basics so you can save the date!

Paper City Puppet Slam
Saturday, April 16 at 8pm
Tickets $12
Gateway City Arts
92 Race Street
Holyoke MA, 01040

We are also taking applications for puppeteers to perform at the slam! If you have a 3-10 minute piece you are interested in performing, please email us at cactusheadpuppets@gmail.com, and include the following include the following information:

Name of your piece

Length of piece

Brief plot synopsis

Photos or video of the piece if available

Tech needs

Holyoke Canal District Winter Festival

The Holyoke Canal District Winter Festival is 2/12- 2/14, and there are lots of great activities for the whole family all through the weekend! Check out the full schedule of events here. 
We'll be at the Artisan Market on Sat. 2/13, and will perform a few short pop-up shows through out the day while we're there! Hope you are able to come out and see us, and enjoy this great community event!

Just So Stories on 1/2 and 1/3

We are performing Just So Stories at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art this coming weekend on 1/2 and 1/3. Here are the details, hope you are able to join us!

January 2, 2016
11:00am and 1:00pm 
January 3, 2016
1:00pm 
Tickets $5 ($4.50 Museum Members)

Call 413-658-1126 to purchase tickets.

Just So Stories

Enjoy these three tales of mischief and magic that tell how some of your favorite animals came to be. Join us for silly adaptations of How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Rhino Got His Skin, and The Beginning of the Armadillos.

Pied Piper is returning to the Puppet Showplace Theater!

We are excited to be heading back to the Puppet Showplace Theater in September to perform The Pied Piper of Hamelin! Shows will be 1pm & 3pm on Sept. 12th and 13th, you can get tickets and more info on the Showplace's website here.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The town of Hamelin has a rat problem, and there's only one person who can help! CactusHead Puppets brings the story of the Pied Piper to life with a cast of colorful characters in this comedic adaptation of the traditional folktale. Not only does the town find a musical solution to pest control, but the kids of Hamelin also teach the grownups a lesson about generosity. In the end, the townspeople all come together in celebration. This production features multiple puppetry styles, a silly hat contest, and plenty of dancing rats!

Little Red Riding Hood and Pied Piper Performances this Week!

We are excited to have several shows this week!

First, we will be performing Little Red Riding Hood on Weds. 7/29 at 11am at the Springfield Museums.  This performance is free with admission to the museum! Visit the museum's website for more info: http://www.springfieldmuseums.org/
- Note: There is an error on the museum website calendar that lists our performance as 7/30, but it is on 7/29. 

Little Red Riding Hood's anxious mother sends her off into the woods with some treats for her dear old grandmother, but to get home safely she and her grandmother will have to outsmart the Big Bad Wolf.  Are Little Red and Grandmother in trouble, or has the wolf bitten off more than he can chew? Join CactusHead Puppets for their modern adaptation of this classic story, told with hand puppets and shadow puppets. 

Then we will have performances of The Pied Piper of Hamelin at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on Sat. 8/1 and Sun. 8/2! Here are the showtimes and ticket info for those dates:

August 1, 2015
11:00am

August 2, 2015
1:00pm and 3:00pm

Tickets $5, call 413-658-1126 to purchase.

The town of Hamelin has a rat problem, and there's only one person who can help! CactusHead Puppets bring the story of the Pied Piper to life with a cast of colorful characters in this comedic adaptation of the traditional folktale. Not only does the town find a musical solution to pest control, but the kids of Hamelin also teach the grownups a lesson about generosity. In the end, the townspeople all come together in celebration. Join puppeteers John and Megan Regan as they present this classic tale, told with multiple puppetry styles, and plenty of dancing rats!

Little Red Riding Hood performances on 4/21

We have two  performances of Little Red Riding Hood at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art coming up during MA school vacation week on April 21st!

Show times are 11am and 2pm on the 21st. Tickets are $5 each, and can be purchased over the phone at 413-658-1126.


Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood's anxious mother sends her off into the woods with some treats for her dear old grandmother, but to get home safely she and her grandmother will have to outsmart the Big Bad Wolf.  Are Little Red and Grandmother in trouble, or has the wolf bitten off more than he can chew? Join CactusHead Puppets for their modern adaptation of this classic story, told with hand puppets and shadow puppets.

Hope you can join us for this fun show!

2015 Upcoming Public Performances

Want to come see a CactusHead Puppets show? Check out our list of public performance dates to see if there is a show near you!

2/20/2015- The Pied Piper of Hamelin, 11am & 2pm, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA (tickets $5, call 413-658-1126 to purchase)

3/14/2015- The Pied Piper of Hamelin, 11am & 3pm, Goat on A Boat Puppet Theater, Sag Harbor, NY (purchase tickets)

3/18/2015- The Bremen Town Musicians, 3:30pm, Winchester Public Library, Winchester, MA

7/29/2015- Little Red Riding Hood, 11am, Springfield Museums, Springfield, MA

Hope to see you at a show soon!

Interested in having us come perform at your location? Check out the list of touring shows we offer here, and email cactusheadpuppets@gmail.com for info about availability and pricing.

Last Weekend of Pied Piper at The Puppet Showplace Theater

This coming weekend, 1/24 - 1/25, is our last weekend of performances of our new Pied Piper show at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA! Its a great show, and we've had a lot of fun performing there. If you haven't gotten a chance to see it yet, we hope you can come this weekend. Here are the showtimes and ticket info:

The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Sat. 1/24
1pm & 3pm

Sun. 1/25
1pm & 3pm

Purchase tickets

The show is also now available for touring! We've got a few dates already lined up (more info on those soon), and you can contact us at cactusheadpuppets@gmail.com if you are interested in having us come do a show.

Tickets on Sale Now!

There are a several opportunities to see CactusHead shows coming up! 

First, we will be performing Bremen Town Musicians at The Carle in Amherst, MA 12/27 and 12/28. Here are the details:
The Bremen Town Musicians

December 27, 2014
11:00am and 1:00pm
December 28, 2014
1:00pm
$5 (Members $4.50); Museum Admission extra

CactusHead Puppets tells the classic tale of a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster who set off on a journey together to start new lives as musicians, and the exciting adventures they have along the way.

Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Museum Admissions Desk or by calling 413.658.1126.

Then in Jan. 2015 we will be premiering our brand new Pied Piper show at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA! Details for those performances and a link to purchase tickets are here:

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

by CactusHead Puppets

Saturday January 10 - Sunday January 25

The town of Hamelin has a rat problem, and there's only one person who can help! CactusHead Puppets bring the story of the Pied Piper to life with a cast of colorful characters in this comedic adaptation of the traditional folktale. Not only does the town find a musical solution to pest control, but the kids of Hamelin also teach the grownups a lesson about generosity. In the end, the townspeople all come together in celebration. Join puppeteers John and Megan Regan as they present this classic tale, told with multiple puppetry styles, and plenty of dancing rats!

Purchase Tickets

Hope you are able to join us for these shows!

Upcoming Shows and Booking for Fall!

It's hard to believe it's already September, but we have lots of exciting things coming up to look forward to!

Saturday, 9/13 we will be performing The Tale of Juan Bobo at the Springfield Museums as part of their LittleFest. Our shows will be at 11:30 and 1:45, and a schedule of all the great events that day can be found here. It looks like all the events are included in museum admission that day, and if you are Springfield resident, WGBY, or Springfield Museum member, its free!

We are also now booking for shows for the fall and winter! If you would like to have us come and perform at your location, please email cacusheadpuppets@gmail.com for info about pricing and availability.  You can choose from any of our touring shows, and we also offer puppet making workshops that can stand alone or be booked along with a show. You can learn more about all the shows we offer here.

The last bit of news is that for our next new show, we are actually remaking our first show, The Pied Piper of Hamelin! It will be a little longer, have more scenery, more puppets, and of course more RATS! The show will premiere in Jan. 2015 at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA and then be available to tour. Check back here soon for more info about how we are creating this new and improved show.

Juan Bobo Performances July 5th & 6th

Tickets are now available for our upcoming performances of The Tale of Juan Bobo at The Carle! Dates and time listed below:

The Tale of Juan Bobo

Meet Juan Bobo! He always tries to do the right thing, but often makes mistakes. For Juan even the smallest task can lead to the silliest of results. But can Juan Bobo's seemingly foolish actions end up saving the day? Join CactusHead Puppets as they bring this classic Puerto Rican folktale to life and decide for yourself.

7/5/2014- The Tale of Juan Bobo, 11am and 1pm, The Eric Carle Museum, Amherst MA- tickets $5


7/6/2014- The Tale of Juan Bobo, 1pm, The Eric Carle Museum, Amherst MA- tickets $5

You can order tickets by phone at (413) 658-1126.

Summer Show Dates

We are booking now for the summer! Our newest show, The Bremen Town Musicians, is available for touring along with all other titles. More info can be found here.

Contact us at cactusheadpuppets@gmail.com if you are interested in having us come do a show at your location this summer. We also offer puppet making workshops that are a great summer camp activity.

We have a few public performances already lined up, so keep these dates in mind if you'd like to come see a show this summer.

Upcoming Performances

Want to come to a CactusHead Puppets show? Here is a list of our upcoming public performances!

Some libraries request that you preregister, so it is best to contact the library for details.

7/5/2014- The Tale of Juan Bobo, 11am and 1pm, The Eric Carle Museum, Amherst MA- tickets $5

7/6/2014- The Tale of Juan Bobo, 1pm, The Eric Carle Museum, Amherst MA- tickets $5

7/23/2014- The Bremen Town Musicians, 6pm, Woodbridge Town Library, Woodbridge, CT

We will add more dates as shows are booked, so check back to see if there is a show near you soon.

Bremen Town Musicians Photos!

Our new show, The Bremen Town Musicians, opened today! We had two great audiences today, and we have six more performances this week if you'd like to come and see the show. Its a fun show that uses both shadow and rod puppets, and it's full of singing and dancing animals!

As a little preview, here are some pictures from the show.

The shadow animals

The rod puppet animals

The shadow robbers

The rod puppet robbers (or rod-bers as we like to call them)

Hope you enjoy the photos, and ticket info is below if you're interested in seeing the show:

Performances at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA
Wednesday, April 23 through Friday, April 25
11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Saturday, April 26, 2014
11:00 am and 1:00 pm
$5 (Members $4.50); Museum Admission extra

Order tickets by phone at 413-658-1126. 

Bremen Town Musicians Sneak Peek!

Our new show, The Bremen Town Musicians, opens next week. Its going to be a really fun show, and seeing some puppet theater is a great way to spend a day during spring break!
Tickets are on sale now, here is all the info:

The Bremen Town Musicians
CactusHead Puppets tells the classic tale of a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster who set off on a journey together to start new lives as musicians, and the exciting adventures they have along the way.

Performances at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA
Wednesday, April 23 through Friday, April 25
11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Saturday, April 26, 2014
11:00 am and 1:00 pm
$5 (Members $4.50); Museum Admission extra

Order tickets by phone at 413-658-1126.

We are using both shadow puppets and rod puppets in this show, and have some quick pictures of the rod puppets to share.

Check back for more pictures from the show soon, including the shadow puppets. Hope to see you at one of the shows!

2014 News and Announcements

Hope everyone is having a great 2014 so far! We had a wonderful time performing at The Carle in December (as we always do!), and are now gearing up for our upcoming events this year.

Our big news is that our new show this spring will be the Bremen Town Musicians! We are in the early stages of planning the show, but you can look forward updates and pictures of the building process over the next few months. For now, here is the info about the opening week performances:

The Bremen Town Musicians
CactusHead Puppets tells the classic tale of a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster who set off on a journey together to start new lives as musicians, and the exciting adventures they have along the way.

Performances at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Wednesday, April 23 through Friday, April 25
11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Saturday, April 26, 2014
11:00 am and 1:00 pm
$5 (Members $4.50); Museum Admission extra

After these performances, The Bremen Town Musicians will be available to book as a touring show.

Speaking of touring shows, we are now booking performances for winter/spring 2014. Please contact us at cactusheadpuppets@gmail.com if you are interested in scheduling a performance or workshop.

We also have a few dates already booked if you'd like to come out and see a show!

2/8/2014- The Tale of Juan Bobo
1pm at Holyoke Heritage State Park 221 Appleton St. Holyoke, MA
This performance is part of the Holyoke Winter Carnival, which we are very pleased to be part of. You can find out more about the carnival here: holyokewintercarnival.org

2/15/2014- The Pied Piper of Hamelin
11am at  Quinebaug Valley Council for the Arts and Humanities 111 Main St, Southbridge, MA

2/19/2014- The Tale of Juan Bobo, workshop to follow
2pm performance,workshop 3:00 – 3:45 pm at Avon Free Public Library 281 Country Club Rd., Avon,CT .

Tickets for Little Red Riding Hood On Sale!

Tickets are on sale now for our performances of Little Red Riding Hood at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on Dec. 27th and Dec 29th! Tickets are $5 each, and can be purchased over the phone at 413-658-1126.

Here is the performance schedule for both of those dates: 

12/27/2013- Little Red Riding Hood
11:00am & 1:00pm, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA (tickets $5)

12/29/2013- Little Red Riding Hood
1:00pm & 3:00pm, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA (tickets $5)

We hope lots of you get a chance to come out and see the show! 

Fall Schedule Update!

Hello!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful fall so far! We've just updated our Upcoming Performances Schedule with these new dates:

10/16/2013- The Tale of Juan Bobo
1:30pm, Newfield Branch Library in Bridgeport ,CT

10/16/2013- The Tale of Juan Bobo
6:00pm, Burroughs Saden Memorial Library in Bridgeport, CT

11/14/2013- Little Red Riding Hood
3:30pm, Winchester Public Library in Winchester, MA

11/20/2013- The Tale of Juan Bobo
10:30am, Mason Square Library in Springfield, MA

11/20/2013- The Tale of Juan Bobo
3:30pm and workshop to follow, Indian Orchard Library in Springfield, MA

12/27/2013- Little Red Riding Hood
11:00am & 1:00pm, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA (tickets $5)

12/29/2013- Little Red Riding Hood
1:00pm & 3:00pm, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA (tickets $5)

Come join us for one of these shows, or email cactusheadpuppets@gmail.com to book at show near you!

Little Red Riding Hood Shows Aug. 25th

We will be performing one of our favorite shows, Little Red Riding Hood, again this Sunday, July 25th, at 1pm & 3pm, at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. Tickets are $5 each, and you can purchase them at the door or over the phone at 413-658-1126. 

These are our last performances at The Carle until winter, so now is your chance to come see a great show and enjoy the summer!

Two Performances of The Tale of Juan Bobo Next Week

We had a wonderful time performing Just So Stories last weekend, and it was great to meet so many nice people after the shows!

This week we are getting ready for our performances of The Tale of Juan Bobo at two Connecticut libraries. Here is the info for those shows:

8/12/2013- The Tale of Juan Bobo, 6:30pm, Cheshire Public Library, Cheshire, CT
8/14/2013- The Tale of Juan Bobo, 6pm, workshop to follow, Woodbridge Town Library, Woodbridge, CT

Please contact the libraries to register if you are interested in attending the performances.

The Tale of Juan Bobo
Meet Juan Bobo! He always tries to do the right thing, but often makes mistakes. For Juan even the smallest task can lead to the silliest of results. But can Juan Bobo's seemingly foolish actions end up saving the day?

Aug 2-4 Performances of Just So Stories

This week, Friday Aug. 2 - Sunday Aug. 4, we will be performing Just So Stories at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA! On Friday and Saturday show times are 11am and 1pm,  and on Sunday they are 1pm and 3pm. Tickets are $5 each, and you can purchase them at the door or over the phone at 413-658-1126. 

Our show includes silly adaptations of three of the classic stories by Rudyard Kipling, How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Rhino Got His Skin, and The Beginning of the Armadillos. We also use three types of puppets, hand puppets, rod puppets, and shadow puppet, so you get to see a great mix of puppets in this show. Here are a few pictures to give you a little preview:

You can also check out this post from when we were building the show.


Looking forward to seeing you at the show!