The next Festival is coming right up: January 19-29, 2023
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Over 100 performances at dozens of venues across Chicago
A guided experience of the Festival programming
In-person workshops at the Festival's new studio space
Civic partnerships make the Festival possible
Festival artists and scholars in conversation
Family-friendly shows around the city
Don't miss The Plastic Bag Store, an immersive experience
View show-specific program PDFs
Semi-annual benefit event series offering intimate performances, dinner, and conversation in private homes
Monthly series which offers direct access to local artists through performances and hands-on demonstrations
Providing puppeteers structured support and community context for the development of their work
Providing high-quality puppetry design, fabrication and innovation for the local and national theater community
A series of videos sharing insights from local, national, and international puppeteers and puppet builders
Chicago Puppet Fest presents:
With live music by Jeb Cowell
Spend some time with The Ambassador of Joy and award-winning puppeteer, Joshua Holden. The Joshua Show, could cheer up even the grumpiest grump, like Joshua’s right-hand man, Mr. Nicholas, who is planning an escape to outer space. With singing, tap dancing, and a cast of zany puppets, Joshua sets out to convince Mr. Nicholas to stay, and in doing so, he brings glee to the masses. Relax your smile muscles now because The Joshua Show will have you smiling from ear to ear with contagious joy. Joshua Holden debuted The Joshua Show at Nasty Brutish and Short in Chicago in 2012. He then took it to the Puppeteers of America’s National Festival, where it was awarded “Best Performance” and “Fan Favorite.” He has been touring the show internationally ever since.
Joshua Holden (Creator & host) an award-winning international puppeteer, actor, and joymaker based in Brooklyn and was named one of “20 Theatre Workers You should Know” by American Theatre Magazine. Joshua performed on the Broadway national tour of Avenue Q, was the Lead Puppeteer in Peter Pan 360 (ThreeSixty Entertainment), and garnered an Arts Impulse award as well as an IRNE nomination for “Best Actor In a Musical” as Bill Snibson in Me & My Girl (Reagle Music Theatre). Joshua once worked with international street artist Banksy on his controversial piece Sirens of the Lambs, was the puppet wrangler for the offbroadway company of Avenue Q and currently works for The Jim Henson Company as one of the puppet wranglers on Sesame Street! A proud Massachusetts native and an alumnus of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, he earned a B.F.A. in Acting from The Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University.
Jeb Colwell (Musician) is a New York City based singer-songwriter. He was the frontman for Hector On Stilts, a pop-rock band whose music was featured on on ABC’s Brothers And Sisters. Jeb writes, records and performs with his band Colwell. While performing as the house band and co-writing for a People’s Improv Theatre sketch comedy team, Jeb directed the troupe in a video spoof of the Wham! classic “Last Christmas” (“four-and-a-half minutes of toe-curling hilarity” – Huffington Post). Along with Grammy Award winner Andres Levin, Jeb cowrote, and performed the lead vocal, on Cuba En Mi Corazon, a recording produced for Up With People. Fun fact: Jeb’s grandfather was Academy Award winning actor, Anthony Quinn (from whom he derives the uncanny resemblance!). jebcolwell.com
Chopin Theatre Productions is a 501(c)3 art presenter and producer at the historic Chopin Theatre building, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. Its 500+annual theater, literary, music, film and social events are often avante garde or international. Its mission is to promote enlightened civic discourse through a diverse range of artistic offerings. Chopin has presented over 120 of its own productions, mostly Eastern and Central European. It has hosted performers from each American state and from over 40 countries. It produced I-Fest, an international festival of solo performances bringing 17 international artists from Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine to Chicago. chopintheatre.com
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Fine Arts Building
410 S Michigan Ave
Studio 310
Chicago, IL 60605
Administrative Office:
312 753 3234
info@chicagopuppetfest.org