Arts Education Performances Tuesday, May 10 - Friday, May 13, 2022

10 a.m. or 1 p.m.

Public Performance Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15, 2022

11 a.m.

Polsky Theatre

Show length 60 minutes | Pre-K - 2nd

“In the Workshop” uses humor and heart to connect with young people and mirror the internal struggles that contribute to their social and emotional development.

Set in a vibrant makerspace for artists, an assorted cast of puppet characters work alongside workshop owners, Alex and Da’Lene, while learning valuable skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy and resilience. The audience becomes co-artists with the puppets as they complete a new art installation, while learning about the roller-coaster of emotions experienced during the creative process. Following the performance, attendees join the characters “in the workshop,” where they will create sculptures that express an emotion they felt or witnessed during the performance.

Over the past three decades, the Mesner Puppet Theatre (MPT) has captivated nearly two million people through their productions and educational programming. Audiences delight in the craftsmanship of the puppets, which range from glove puppets to marionettes, to innovative shadow and object-based puppetry. MPT uses humor and heart to present stories that connect to the complex social-emotional experiences of young audiences.

MPT holds the distinction of receiving three Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA-USA) Citations of Excellence. The UNIMA-USA award was created by Jim Henson to promote high quality puppetry in the U.S. and is considered the “Academy Award” of puppetry.