This panel, composed of recently graduated, current graduate students and artist scholars, presents the work they created in programs focusing on puppetry and/or the performing object.

Moderated by Dr. Dassia N. Posner with panelists Felicia Cooper from University of Connecticut, Camille Casemier from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Claudia Kinahan from Northwestern University, and Yiwen Wu from the University of Chicago.

Named in honor of Little Theatre of Chicago director Ellen Van Volkenburg, who coined the term “puppeteer” in 1912, the festival’s annual symposium brings together puppetry enthusiasts, scholars and festival artists from Chicago and the U.S. for free discussions around the intersection of puppetry with other disciplines and ideas.