Skirball Cultural Center presents the annual family favorite
SKIRBALL PUPPET FESTIVAL
Innovation and Imagination
Sunday, April 29, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
The Skirball Cultural Center presents its seventh annual Puppet Festival, a campus-wide, daylong celebration of the art of puppetry and the power of imagination. Bringing together talented puppeteers and artists working in a range of cultural and artistic styles, the festival tells new and classic tales through puppetry, live music, and art making.
Visitors will experience a variety of innovative, imaginative performances—from the debut of PuppetKabob’s latest pop-up creation “Dirty Gerts,” made entirely of recycled paper products, to Animal Cracker Conspiracy’s “Gnomesense!”, a dance party and sing-along led by a gregarious group of gnomes. Throughout the day, an array of puppets roam the campus, including marionettes from the historic Bob Baker Marionette Theater, life-sized creatures from the Natural History Museum, and the annual appearance of the grand Noah’s Ark at the Skirball™ elephant, operated by four Noah’s Ark puppeteers working in unison.
Children and grownups can drop by an all-day workshop to create their own finger puppets, and then use them in the festival’s closing Puppet Party! All of the festival’s performers and puppets, led by the band Paradigm Brass, end the day with a lively celebration of innovation, imagination, and artistry.
New and ongoing exhibitions, including Noah’s Ark and Leonard Bernstein at 100, will be open throughout the day. Visitors can also see two paintings from The World Stage: Israel series by Kehinde Wiley, the artist recently commissioned to paint President Barack Obama’s official portrait.
WHEN: Sunday, April 29, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Schedule of performances:
- Various times throughout the day: Puppetry by Bob Baker Marionette Theater, The Natural History Museum, Beth Peterson, One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater, and Noah’s Ark at the Skirball
- 10:15 a.m., 12:00 and 2:00 p.m.: Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams
- 10:15 a.m., 12:30 and 2:45 p.m.: Sandglass Theater
- 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., 1:00 and 2:15 p.m.: PuppetKabob
- 10:45 a.m., 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.: One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater
- 11:00 a.m., 12:45 and 3:00 p.m.: Animal Cracker Conspiracy
- 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.: Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry
- 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.: Noah’s Ark at the Skirball
- 11:15 a.m., 1:30 and 3:00 p.m.: No)one Art House
- 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Bob Baker Marionette Theater
- 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.: Leslie K. Grey
- 12:00 and 2:00 p.m.: Rogue Artists Ensemble
- 3:30 p.m.: Puppet Party led by Paradigm Brass
Drop-in activities:
- 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.: Playful Puppets workshop with artist Belize Wilheim
- 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.: Family Lounge
WHERE:
Skirball Cultural Center
HOW : $12 General; $9 Seniors and Full-Time Students; $7 Children 2–12; FREE to Skirball Members and Children under 12
Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance: http://www.skirball.org/programs/family-programs/skirball-puppet-festival
WHO: The celebrated Bob Baker Marionette Theater presents a string-tingling musical medley, and also roams the campus with an array of marionettes. Life-sized creatures from the Natural History Museum wander about the campus.
Beth Peterson, joined by puppeteers from One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater, returns to the Skirball with giant pageant puppets.
Noah’s Ark at the Skirball performers roam the campus with animals from the Ark, and also reimagine a flood story from the Choroté tribe of South America.
Part of Heather Henson’s Ibex Puppetry, the traveling film series Handmade Puppet Dreams promotes an array of independent puppeteers.
Sandglass Theater brings hand puppets, a miniature circus, music, and lots of laughs.
Portland-based company Puppet Kabob performs their show about growing pains.
One Grain of Sand Puppet Theater tells the story of a young girl on a quest to help her blind father.
Animal Cracker Conspiracy presents a sing-along dance party led by benevolent but silly garden gnomes.
Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry hosts a slam of short form puppet theater.
No)one Art House celebrates the differences within ourselves through their work of dance and minimalist puppetry.
A giant sea turtle puppet, created by Leslie K. Gray, invokes the aloha spirit of Hawai’i.
Rogue Artists Ensemble tells a story of friendship featuring giant puppets, video projections, and music.
Band Paradigm Brass leads a lively celebration with the day’s puppets and performers, including the Noah’s Ark elephant.
Artist Belize Wilheim teaches visitors how to make their own fancy finger puppets to display at the end-of-day Puppet Party.
IMAGE CREDIT: Photos by Mercie Ghimire.
About the Skirball Cultural Center
The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. We welcome people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society.
Visiting the Skirball Cultural Center
The Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. Free on-site parking; street parking strictly prohibited. Carpooling is encouraged. The Skirball is also accessible by Metro Local 234. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday 12:00–5:00 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; closed Mondays and holidays. Admission to exhibitions: $12 General; $9 Seniors, Full-Time Students, and Children over 12; $7 Children 2–12. Exhibitions are always free to Skirball Members and Children under 2. Exhibitions are free to all visitors on Thursdays. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org. The Skirball is also home to Zeidler’s Café, which serves innovative California cuisine in an elegant setting, and Audrey’s Museum Store, which sells books, contemporary art, jewelry, and more.
