Thoughts on How to Build New Audiences for Puppetry

An inquiry by Maria Nicklin

A question was posed to a number of notable puppeteers, theater directors, and others with firsthand experience, “Would you agree that most American adults and teens do not consider puppetry as an art form aimed at them, that it’s just for children?” The responses were almost tied, yes versus no. Another question, “What steps could be/are being taken to build new (and older) audiences while sustaining puppetry’s young audience base?” led to even more compelling observations.

For those inside the puppetry community, The Jim Henson Foundation’s Puppet Happenings weekly newsletter, The Puppetry Journal, or Puppetry International reveals a great deal of puppetry geared toward older audiences. But for those who are not, some may think puppetry, especially live performance, is for children; something they might only experience at school assemblies, especially in rural areas.