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.

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!

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.

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. 

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!

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?

July 21st Performances of Little Red Riding Hood

We will be performing one of our favorite shows, Little Red Riding Hood, this Sunday, July 21st, 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. 

Here are a few pictures from the show. We do our own silly adaptation of the story using hand and shadow puppets.

Hope you are able to come! A puppet show and visit to the museum is are great ways to spend your day when its too hot to be out.

Photos by Kristin Angel

The Tale of Juan Bobo Sneak Peek!

Our new show, The Tale of Juan Bobo, opens April 17th! Here is a quick peek at the hand puppets of  main characters.

Juan Bobo, his mom, and their grumpy neighbor

We'll be sharing more pictures in the run up to the show, and tickets are still available- info below!

The Tale of Juan Bobo
April 17 - April 20, 2013
11:00 am and 2:00 pm 
At the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA
Tickets $5- tickets can be purchased over the phone at 413-658-1126

Tickets for The Tale of Juan Bobo

Tickets for our upcoming show,The Tale of Juan Bobo, are now available! Here are the details:


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.
April 17 - April 20, 2013
11:00 am and 2:00 pm 
At the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA
Tickets $5- tickets can be purchased over the phone at 413-658-1126

Hope to see you at the show, and check back next week for a sneak peek at some of the puppets for the show!

Our Next New Show!

We are excited to announce that our next new show will be a collection of Latino Folktales! We will have our first performances in April, and the show will start touring in May 2013. Right now we are researching  and selecting the folktales, and over the next several months we will share our design and building process here.

If you are interested in booking the show you can contact us by email, and our four other great shows are all available for touring too.

Looking forward to sharing more news about the show with you here soon!

One More Day of Pied Piper Shows

Tomorrow, Fri. Aug. 10th,  is our last day of Pied Piper performances at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA. The shows are at 11:30am and 2 pm. Tickets are still available for both show times, so if you are looking for something fun to do tomorrow, come on by!

We have had a lovely time performing there this week, and a fantastic time touring this summer. In the next few weeks we will be adding fall touring dates to our schedule, announcing our next new show, and sharing another thing or two that we are working on, so check back soon!

More Pied Piper Show Times!

We have added a few more show times to our upcoming week of Pied Piper performances at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art! Our schedule is now:

1pm on Sunday 8/5
11:30 am & 2pm on Monday 8/6
2pm on Tuesday 8/7
2pm on Wednesday 8/8
2pm on Thursday 8/9
11:30 am & 2pm on Friday 8/10

 Tickets are $5, and you can buy them at 413-658-1126. Hope these added times allows more people to see the show!

CactusHead Puppets Summer Schedule

Hope everyone's summer has started off great! We have several performances lined up this summer, and and we are excited to be going to several new places.

We will be performing Little Red Riding Hood on Sunday July 8th and Sunday July 22nd at 1pm each day at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. Tickets are $5, and you can pre-order them at 413-658-1126. 

Then we are back at the Eric Carle Museum August 6-10 performing The Pied Piper at 2pm each day. Tickets are $5 for these shows too, and they can be purchased at 413-658-1126.

We also have several performances at libraries coming up. Check the list to see if we are going to be near you, and then contact the library to find out how to register to attend.
7/11/2012 - The Emperor's New Clothes, 6:30 pm, Woodbridge Town Library, Woodbridge, CT
7/13/2012- The Pied Piper, 10am Norwalk Public Library in Norwalk, CT
7/25/2012- The Emperor's New Clothes, 10:30am, Enfield Public Library, Enfield, CT
7/25/2012- The Pied Piper, 6:30 pm, Goshen Public Library, Goshen, CT
7/26/2012- Little Red Ridding Hood, 10 am Southington Public Library & Museum, Southington,CT

Hope to see you at our shows!

Emperor's New Clothes Sneak Peek

We are in the midst of our run of The Emperor's New Clothes this week, and we have several pictures of the show to share! There are still plenty of performances too if you would like to come see the show. Hope you enjoy the pictures!




The Emperor

Showing off the "new clothes"


Working at the loom


and a couple of pictures from backstage


The show runs April 16th- 21st at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA, at 2 pm and 3pm each day. The tickets are $5, and you can order them by calling 413-658-1125.

Have a great vacation week!