Toronto School of Puppetry

To help puppetry to grow as an artform, a large part of Puppetmongers’ work is professional development for people wishing to experiment and incorporate puppetry into their arts practice.  Puppetry is an amalgamation of so many artforms – writing, drawing, painting, design, mechanics, sculpture, sewing, directing, performance, marketing etc. etc. etc.

So, in 1995 we founded the Toronto School of Puppetry to create opportunities for people who wish to learn more about the puppetry arts, including opportunities to learn from professional puppeteers and related artists who are willing to share their skills.  Some of these workshops are in-person and some are online.

Workshops

Responding to the needs of the professional community, Puppetmongers offers periodic evening and weekend workshops  on topics of interest.

Puppetry Intensive

A condensed and intensive 2 week course in puppetry, formerly offered in partnership with Humber College, now offered independently

PXL

Puppetry eXploratory Laboratory (PXL): Projects fostered from inception to production over multi-week sessions.

Professional development of puppeteers and other performing arts professionals using puppetry in their practice has always been a large part of Puppetmongers’ work.  This takes the form of:

  • Evening and Weekend Workshops:  Responding to the needs of the professional community, Puppetmongers offers periodic workshops  on topics of interest
  • Puppetry Intensive:  A condensed and intensive 2 week course in puppetry, formerly offered in partnership with Humber College, now offered independently
  • Puppetry eXploratory Laboratory (PXL):  Projects fostered from inception to production over multi-week sessions.
  • Fresh Ideas in Puppetry: a regularly irregularly scheduled festival of emerging puppetry
  • The Puppetry Hive:  gatherings and resource sharing with emerging and mid-career puppetry professionals and  puppetry companies.

OAC Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators

OAC Recommender Grants 2023
Puppetmongers is accredited as a Recommending Company for the  Ontario Arts Council’s Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators 2023-24 We have a total of $5,000  to divide between  all worthy projects All applications are now online! Deadline is October 26, 2023…

Fresh Ideas In Puppetry

This annual mini-conference-and-festival showcases artists taking new and ground-breaking directions in puppetry.  It is an event for exciting innovations and explorations, presentations, demonstrations and discussions, culminating in an evening cabaret of short fresh new performances.  A stimulating event for everyone interested in current developments in puppetry.

Puppetry Hive

The Puppetry Hive is a community for gatherings and resource sharing with emerging and mid-career puppetry professionals and  puppetry companies.

Falada Puppet Works, Fresh Ideas in Puppetry 2021
Puppet Podcast
Fresh Ideas in Puppetry 2018--photo by Samantha Blanchette
Fresh Ideas in Puppetry 2018--photo by Samantha Blanchette
Clunk Puppet Lab Students at June Intensive, Humber College