New York Puppet Show Series

Join us at the Museum this fall for a special series of outdoor performances featuring local puppeteers, educators and performing groups.

All the shows and workshops will take place in person on the magnificent outdoor terrace of the Museum. Families can enjoy the shows and then visit the New York Puppets exhibition to explore the extraordinary creative and diverse stories of puppetry in New York City.

Family programs are for families with children between the ages of 7 and 12 and are intergenerational for adults to attend with their children.

Places will be limited! Be the first to experience this exciting series of live puppet shows by signing up to be on our mailing list. Visit this link to register and be sure to click on the “Family Programs” box. An e-mail will be sent as soon as registration opens.

See workshop dates and times below. Then keep scrolling to read the full descriptions for each workshop.

Back to School Puppet Workshop with the NYC Kids Project
Thursday, September 9 at 10 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. ET
(Date of rain: Sunday September 26 at the same times)
FREE. Registration required.
Location: IN-PERSON event at the Museum of the City of New York

“HAO BANG-AH! »Hand Puppet Program with Chinese Drama
Sunday, September 19 at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. ET
(Date of rain: Saturday September 25 at the same times)
FREE. Registration required.
Location: IN-PERSON event at the Museum of the City of New York

“The Pura Belpré / El Proyecto Pura Belpré project” with Teatro SEA
Saturday, October 2 at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. ET
(Date of rain: Sunday October 3 at the same times)
FREE. Registration required.
Location: IN-PERSON event at the Museum of the City of New York

“Native New Yorkers are still here! with the Children’s Cultural Center of Native America
Sunday, October 10 at 1 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. ET
(Date of rain: Monday, October 11 at the same times)
FREE. Registration required.
Location: IN-PERSON event at the Museum of the City of New York

Back to School Puppet Workshop with the NYC Kids Project

Thursday September 9; 10 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. (Rainy date: Sun Sept 26 – same hours)

In person event at the Museum. FREE. Registration required (limited places).

Take part in this interactive outdoor show run by the NYC Kids Project at the Museum of the City of New York to explore the feelings of going back to school and reconnecting with classmates.

NYC Kids Project will use large-scale puppet characters of all abilities, sign language and storytelling to teach inclusion and respect for all. Through a series of short plays, the workshop will feature 3 characters – Renaldo, Mark and Melody – who will discuss everyday struggles and patterns of conflict / resolution, empathy and problem solving. Participants will get to know the characters through their storytelling, ask questions and interact with the puppets. The underlying message throughout the workshop will be to recognize the strengths and joys of differences and how we are all linked by our need for each other and to be understood, accepted and celebrated.

In addition to interacting with the puppets and asking questions, participants will engage in movement activities, moments of mindfulness and reflection, and enjoy the music and bubbles.

New York Children’s Project is an arts and education organization that promotes empathy, acceptance and inclusion. Classroom performances / tours include the use of large theatrical puppets, storytelling and sign language, as well as an extended question and answer period. The emphasis is on character development and social / emotional learning. The audience chats with our puppet characters to ask questions about belonging and understanding others. They are encouraged to examine attitudes surrounding disabilities and differences while fostering empathy and an awareness of what truly connects us all.

“HAO BANG-AH! »Hand Puppet Program with Chinese Drama

Sunday September 19; 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. (Rainy date: Sat Sept 25 – same hours)

In person event at the Museum. FREE. Registration required (limited places).

Discover the art of hand puppetry and live music in this special performance of Chinese Theater Works at the Museum of the City of New York.

From the artists:

“The art of traditional glove puppetry, ‘Budaixi’, is a beloved performance tradition that has been enjoyed by Chinese audiences for centuries. Beautifully handcrafted small (8 inch tall) action figures are superbly flexible and capable actors. The puppet’s head and hands are beautifully carved from wood and attached to fabric bodies into which the puppeteer slips his hand like a glove. The costumes and headdresses are beautifully embroidered miniature copies of the traditional costumes worn by Chinese opera performers. On the hands of a master puppeteer, animated by just their five fingers, these wonderful puppet figures can vividly represent the full range of human emotions as well as any human actor. This style of puppetry was most popular in southern China and Taiwan and has continued to develop and evolve in contemporary times.

“For more than a decade, CTW has been creating new productions in the traditional Budaixi style, suitable for American audiences. We learned from masters and practitioners in Fujian and Taiwan, learning from them the techniques of manipulation and staging. During our travels, we have also collected the beautiful handcrafted puppet heads and bodies, costumes and accessories. Our original series “Hao Bang-ah, Zodiac!” The New Year’s shows are the fruit of this work, in which we present a new intercultural approach to this ancient tradition. For each of these original shows, we sculpted and created new reindeer zodiac animal puppet heads and attached them to glove puppet bodies and costumes made by our collaborators in China.

Chinese theatrical works is a New York-based, non-profit cultural organization with a mission to preserve and promote traditional Chinese performing arts (including opera, shadow theater, puppetry, dance and music) ; create new works that link Eastern and Western aesthetics and forms; and promote understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture among the public, students, artists and educators around the world.

«The Pura Belpré project | El Proyecto Pura Belpré ”with Teatro SEA

Saturday October 2; 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. (Rainy date: Sun Oct. 3 – same times)

In person event at the Museum. FREE. Registration required (limited places).

See this re-creation of Pura Belpré’s famous “Bilingual Story Time” in this special performance of Teatro SEA at the Museum of the City of New York.

Pura Belpré (1901-1982) was a talented author, collector of folk tales, puppeteer and storyteller who wrote and performed Puerto Rican folk tales. As the first Puerto Rican librarian in the New York public library system, she initiated many programs for the Latino community. The Teatro SEA show is a recreation of its legendary “Bilingual Story Time”. His famous tales: Pérez & Martina, Juan Bobo and Les Trois Mages come to life in a creative and interactive experience that combines storytelling with puppets!

Created in 1985, SEA (SOCIETY of Educational Arts, Inc), is the premier bilingual arts in education organization and Latino Children’s Theater in the United States. SEA has created and produced a combination of educational theater productions and specially designed artistic workshops / programs to examine, challenge and create possible solutions to current educational, social and community problems. Its internationally renowned programs include school, outdoor, community and mainstage performances, workshops and residences, among others, reaching more than 75,000 children and young adults each year. the organization, established by Dr. Manual A. Morán, currently has offices in San Juan, New York and Florida. MER Theater has its performance space at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

“Native New Yorkers are still here! with the Children’s Cultural Center of Native America

Sunday October 10; 1 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. (Rainy date: Mon. October 11 – same times)

In person event at the Museum. FREE. Registration required (limited places).

Honor and celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day at the Museum of the City of New York with the Cultural Center for Children of Indigenous America (CCCONA) to learn more about the contemporary and historical presence of Indigenous New Yorkers. The workshop will focus on the Lenape legacy of traditional storytelling and the Lenape language using puppets. CCCONA will use storytelling bags and share “How It Happened” – creation stories from Native America.

From the artists:

“Nitchen, Inc. is a non-profit community society made up of parents of Indigenous children / youth and members of the Indigenous community from North, South and Central America. We improve the lives of Native American / Native American / Native / First Nations children and youth in New York City by helping them become productive, vibrant and well-adjusted citizens. We promote intercultural understanding and cooperation / collaboration between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. We fight racism by offering accurate historical, cultural and contemporary programming to children, parents and teachers. Our projects include the Children’s Cultural Center of Native American (CCCONA) and the Family Awareness Network (FAN).

“CCCONA is an exciting two-hour interactive program for school and youth groups that enriches the Native Peoples of the Americas curriculum with a focus on the Indian Nations of New York State. CCCONA seeks to counter negative stereotypes and racism against Indigenous peoples among young children. Through workshops, puppets, classes, exhibits and performances presented by Indigenous peoples, participants gain a fair and balanced understanding of the First Nations peoples of the Americas.

“FAN is a holistic intergenerational preventive mental health support program for Indigenous families with children in need of emotional counseling. Through advocacy, counseling, networking, education and workshops in nutrition / parenting / family communication / traditional healing / body-mind healing / herbology / anger management / life skills / traditional lifestyles, etc. , we seek to restore a healthy Indigenous community and address historical issues. grief and oppression.