Happening Now: Online and In-Person Puppetry Workshops

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Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium

The 2026 Festival

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The Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium
and Book Talk Series

The Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium brings together practicing Festival artists with scholars to consider the intersection of puppetry with other disciplines and ideas. Before 1912, the year the Little Theater of Chicago was founded in the historic Fine Arts Building, the term “puppeteer” did not even exist. Little Theater director Ellen Van Volkenburg needed a program credit for the actors she had trained to manipulate marionettes while speaking the text of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and she coined the word “puppeteer.” That marked the dawn of the movement that has brought us to the rich art form now practiced around the world. This year’s educational programming also includes a free Book Talk Series presenting three moderated discussions with leading national puppet scholars, discussing books and topics including race, gender and disability in puppetry.

All Events Located at:

Fine Arts Building Little Studio, 7th Floor
410 S. Michigan Ave

Please Note: A recording of these events will be made available in the weeks following the events. The Symposium will not be live streamed.

Artist Panel Discussions

Events

Today

  • Kuruma Ningyō Technique with Master Puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V

    Featured
    Chicago Puppet Studio, Fine Arts Building, Studio 433 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, United States
    Spring 2026 Workshop

    Spring 2026 Puppetry Workshop: Kuruma Ningyō Technique with Master Puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V register now Kuruma Ningyō Technique with Master Puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V Chicago Puppet Festival presents an extraordinary […]

    $288

  • Printmaking and Toy Theater (Level 1) with Roberto Rossi

    Summer 2026 Workshops

    This two-day workshop will open a window onto the origins of the Toy Theater in printmaking and give participants a chance to rehearse basic relief printing techniques so they can start their own journeys in printmaking and performance.

    $130

  • Worbla Techniques for the Puppet Maker (Level 1) with Chicago Puppet Studio

    Featured
    Chicago Puppet Studio, Fine Arts Building, Studio 433 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, United States
    Summer 2026 Workshops

    Chicago Puppet Studio artists take participants through a three day process in the use of Worbla, a unique and versatile thermoplastic that has incredible uses for puppet artists and puppet makers.

    $365

  • Toy Theater 1 (Level 1) with Roberto Rossi

    Summer 2026 Workshops

    Toy Theater 1 is an introduction to the form and the basic skills concluding with a showing. Make your first toy theater stage using recyclable materials.

    $250

  • Shadow Puppetry 1 (Level 1) with Chinese Theatre Works

    Summer 2026 Workshops

    Summer 2026 Puppetry Workshop:Shadow Puppetry 1 (Level 1) register now Shadow Puppetry 1 (Level 1) with Chinese Theatre WorksShadow Puppetry 1 is an introduction to the form for the beginning puppeteer. […]

    $250

  • 2026 Chicago Puppet Lab Showcase

    Raven Theatre 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL

    The Chicago Puppet Lab is a puppet theater incubator and residency program that supports artists in bringing to life new works of puppet theater. Join us in August for a works-in-progress showing (details coming soon)

    $15 – $50

Book Talks

This year’s free Book Talks series presents three moderated discussions with leading national puppet scholars. All talks will be held at Fine Arts Building Little Studio (7th Floor),
410 S. Michigan Ave.

 

Monday, January 26, 5:30 p.m.
Making Meaning in Puppetry, Materials, Practice, Perception
Edited By Dassia N. Posner, Claudia Orenstein, Alissa Mello

Moderator Paulette Richards interviews Dassia Posner and Claudia Orenstein

Tuesday, January 27, 5:30 p.m.
Race, Gender, and Disability in Puppetry and Material Performance
Edited By Paulette Richards, Hazel Briar, Alissa Mello, Laura Purcell-Gates/Associate Editor Katherine Kipkiss

Moderator Claudia Orenstein interviews Paulette Richards

Wednesday, January 28, 5:30 p.m.
A Practical Guide to Puppetry
By Mark Down of Blind Summit

Moderator Ana Díaz Barriga interviews Author Mark Down