Puppet Showplace Theater Unveils Summer 2026 Season: Family Fun, Free Outdoors & Adult Programs

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Find out how to get discounted tickets to Puppet Showplace Theater Summer 2026.

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Puppet Showplace Theater , New England's center for puppetry arts, has announced its Summer 2026 season, featuring a vibrant lineup of family performances, free outdoor events, evening puppetry for adults and teens, and hands-on educational programs for youth.

Get all the top news & discounts for Boston & beyond.

Highlights include the return of the theater's popular Pay-What-You-Can Summer Sundays series, the Summer Outdoor Series, which includes 8 consecutive weeks at Emerson College's Stage at UnCommon Corner, the "Amplify: The Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers Showcase," "Death & The Fool: A Tarot-Inspired Medieval Folly" by Happenstance Theater, and two week-long Summer Puppet Adventure programs for rising 2nd-7th graders.

Family programming includes beloved productions such as "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Dream Tale Puppets, "The Fairy Circus" by Tanglewood Marionettes, "Party Animals" and "Judy Saves The Day" by Resident Artist Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion, and additional performances from Peanut's Playhouse, CactusHead Puppets, and Carole D'Agostino.

The season also features Puppets at Night programming for adults and teens, including the one-night-only "Amplify: The Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers Showcase" at Boston University's Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and the popular Summer Puppet Slam, featuring short-form puppetry acts ranging from hilarious to experimental.

"This summer's lineup celebrates the incredible range of what puppetry can be: joyful, imaginative, thought-provoking, and deeply community-centered," says Veronica Barron , Executive Artistic Director of Puppet Showplace Theater. "Summer is all about joy and access! Summer brings us out of Brookline and to different neighborhoods of Boston, and all summer shows are free or pay-what-you-can. This summer, we're shining a spotlight on puppeteers from Boston and New England, with shows that celebrate the joy of backyard birdwatching, furry creatures who have big feelings, pirates and sea creatures, juggling and circus stunts, and more. For adults, we've got some special evenings in store this summer, including the culmination of the Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers, the return of the brilliant Happenstance Theater from the D.C. area, and the long-awaited return of our popular Puppet Slam."

Learn more about summer performances and workshops at puppetshowplace.org .

June 6 (Sat) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

June 7 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/06/06/jack-and-the-beanstalk-by-dream-tale-puppets

When Jack sells the family cow for some magic beans, he launches his family on a GIANT adventure. This joyous, funny, and imaginative production transports the audience up the beanstalk with Jack using multiple styles of puppetry - from hand puppets to masks to marionettes! Lively narration, beautiful design, and physical comedy make this an audience favorite at Puppet Showplace year after year.

Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close - the artists speak English and Polish! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk! These activities are available after every performance, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm.All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by 3 - 9

June 21 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am | 1:00 pm

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/06/21/the-fairy-circus-by-tanglewood-marionettes

Join us for a dazzling display of circus acts performed in an enchanted garden. "The Fairy Circus" is a showcase for turn-of-the-century style trick puppetry, performed by over 20 beautifully handcrafted marionettes. Fairies, field mice, and other small critters dance, play instruments, juggle, contort, transform, and fly through the air with the greatest of ease, all to the music of favorite classical composers.

Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk! These activities are available after every performance, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm. All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 8.

July 12 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/07/12/judy-saves-the-day-by-sarah-nolen-of-puppet-motion

After being pushed around for over 400 years, the famous hand puppet heroine Judy has had enough! Cheer her on as she goes on a quest for respect, justice, and a well-deserved nap.

This modern interpretation of the traditional "Punch and Judy" show is a hilarious, timely, hand-crafted farce that the whole family will enjoy!

Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk after the performance, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm! All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10.

July 19 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/07/19/party-animals-by-sarah-nolen-of-puppet-motion

Party Animals follows five furry friends as they navigate the biggest social hurdle of their young lives - throwing their first party! Meet a bunny with boundless energy, a sloth with social anxiety, a hedgehog wrestling with wrapping, and a skunk who's trying to keep everything cool and under control. Through song, dance, and original rock 'n' roll music by Boston local Phil Berman (of Puppet Playtime & The Holiday Sing-Along), these little stars discover that music can be an exuberant and healthy way to express their inner selves.

Party Animals comes from Sarah Nolen (of Puppet Motion) - creator of Judy Saves the Day and Lisa the Wise; and our beloved Resident Artist! The show balances silly antics with deeper truths, all conveyed through traditional hand puppetry performance: the life of the party!

Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk after the performance, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm! All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 10

Jul 26 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/07/26/a-pirates-great-adventure-by-peanuts-playhouse

Join Pirate Kasandra and her puppet pals for an interactive high-seas adventure full of surprises, laughter, and treasure hunting! The audience will help the Peanuts crew search for hidden treasure, while meeting colorful puppet friends along the way, including a plush sea turtle, blue elephant, and more! As the journey unfolds, the pirates discover that the greatest treasure of all is friendship - especially the new friends we make on our adventures together

Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk after the performance, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm! All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 8.

Aug 2 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2025/08/02/magnificent-monster-circus-by-cactushead-puppets

Come one, come all, to a circus like no other! Encounter magnificent creatures from the wilds of your imagination as their quirky human caretaker tries to teach them new tricks. Kids can lend a hand to Eustace the Unicycling Unimonster, make friends with a Fiery Fanged Worm, cheer for Agnes the many-legged Acropod, and more! This colorful, silly, multi-sensory show is a perfect match for our youngest audiences.

Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk after the performance, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm! All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 3 - 7

Aug 9 (Sun) 2026: 10:30 am

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/08/09/the-tiny-bird-show-by-carole-dagostino

The Tiny Bird Show is a small-but-mighty show about the joy of backyard birds! Learn fun facts about each bird - including their songs, what they eat, and how you can bring them to your feeder. Help find a mystery bird, a pesky squirrel, and some artful insects. There's even a special spotlight on the state bird of Massachusetts!

This interactive, toy theater-style show uses colorful rod puppets that showcase clever ways to identify new feathered friends. For example, did you know that the American Woodcock, or Timberdoodle, has a special little dance and some very silly sounds? Discovery and delight await you at The Tiny Bird Show!

Stay after the show to meet the artists and see the puppets up close! Plus, enjoy a dress-up station, coloring sheets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk after the performance, from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm! Enjoyed by all ages, 5 - 105!

This summer, we're bringing puppetry to an outdoor location near you!

"Judy Saves The Day" by Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion at Uncommon Corner

July 11 (Sat) 2026: 12:00 pm at Emerson College's Stage at UnCommon Corner in the Boston Common, corner of Boylston Street & Tremont Street

FREE - no tickets necessary!

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/07/11/judy-saves-the-day-by-sarah-nolen-of-puppet-motion-at-uncommon-corner

After being pushed around for over 400 years, the famous hand puppet heroine Judy has had enough! Cheer her on as she goes on a quest for respect, justice, and a well-deserved nap. This modern interpretation of the traditional "Punch and Judy" show is a hilarious, timely, hand-crafted farce that the whole family will enjoy! All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 4 - 10.

July 18 (Sat) 2026: 12:00 pm at Emerson College's Stage at UnCommon Corner in the Boston Common, corner of Boylston Street & Tremont Street

FREE - no tickets necessary!

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/07/18/party-animals-by-sarah-nolen-of-puppet-motion-at-uncommon-corner

Party Animals follows five furry friends as they navigate the biggest social hurdle of their young lives - throwing their first party! Meet a bunny with boundless energy, a sloth with social anxiety, a hedgehog wrestling with wrapping, and a skunk who's trying to keep everything cool and under control. Through song, dance, and original rock 'n' roll music by Boston local Phil Berman (of Puppet Playtime & The Holiday Sing-Along), these little stars discover that music can be an exuberant and healthy way to express their inner selves.

Jul 25 (Sat) 2026: 12:00 pm at Emerson College's Stage at UnCommon Corner in the Boston Common, corner of Boylston Street & Tremont Street

FREE - no tickets necessary!

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2026/07/25/a-pirates-great-adventure-by-peanuts-playhouse-at-uncommon-corner

Join Pirate Kasandra and her puppet pals for an interactive high-seas adventure full of surprises, laughter, and treasure hunting! The audience will help the Peanuts crew search for hidden treasure, while meeting colorful puppet friends along the way, including a plush sea turtle, blue elephant, and more. As the journey unfolds, the pirates discover that the greatest treasure of all is friendship - especially the new friends we make on our adventures together! All ages welcome, especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 8

Aug 1 (Sat) 2026: 12:00 pm at Emerson College's Stage at UnCommon Corner in the Boston Common, corner of Boylston Street & Tremont Street

FREE - no tickets necessary!

https://www.puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2025/08/01/magnificent-monster-circus-outdoor-summer-series-at-uncommon-stage

Come one, come all, to a circus like no other! Encounter magnificent creatures from the wilds

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/boston/article/Puppet-Showplace-Theater-to-Present-Summer-2026-Season-of-Family-Shows-Free-Outdoor-Events-and-Adult-Puppetry-20260610)._