Join us at ImaginOn on Saturday, January 31, 2026 from 10:00am-4:30pm for our third annual puppetry festival! PuppetPalooza 2026 will be an all-day, non-stop, FREE, family-friendly event celebrating the joy and art of puppetry, and all ages are welcome.
Participating puppetry troops are below, and we are PUMPED!
Check out Puppeteer Procession at 9:45, and then shows will be running all day. Pop in for one or stay for them all, meet our roving puppets, explore our balcony exhibit of past puppets from Children's Theatre of Charlotte (CTC) shows, try your hand at puppet karaoke, make a puppet to take home with you, and make sure you join our puppet parade at 3:45, hosted by parade partner The Lurnsters!
PARTICIPATING TROUPES:
Asheville Creative Arts
ACA is an Asheville-based arts and arts service organization, providing high quality, professional theatre, performance, and arts experiences to Asheville audiences of all ages, and offering fiscal sponsorship and related services to sibling social enterprises and arts nonprofits serving Asheville and Western North Carolina.
Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, is the United States' largest organization dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The Center is located in Midtown, Atlanta’s arts district. It was founded in 1978 by Vincent Anthony and offers performances, workshops and museum experiences for all ages!
Cheralyn Lambeth
Cheralyn Lambeth is a degreed professional with over 20 years’ experience building costumes/costume crafts, props, and puppets for the entertainment industries (television, film, theatre, dance, and display). She has done everything from Pro sports mascot construction/maintenance of Sir Purr (Carolina Panthers, NFL) and Hugo the Hornet (Charlotte Hornets, NBA) to puppet construction and maintenance for Avenue Q and Sesame Street Live, and she was awarded the Guinness World Record for the Largest Collection of Finger Puppets in 2022.
Children's Theatre of Charlotte
From their humble beginning in 1948, Children's Theatre of Charlotte (CTC) has grown to become one of the most respected arts and education organizations in the country. As creators of high-quality professional theatre for young audiences, they are committed to the mission that children have the right to explore the wonder of their world safely and confidently with kindness at its core.
CML Frontline Puppeteers
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (CML) Frontline Puppeteers are a team of staff members of the library system who develop and perform puppet shows for young children adapted from children’s picture books. They believe in bringing stories to life through puppet play and are committed to making puppetry accessible, free, and open to the public.
Dancing Hand Puppets
Dancing Hand Puppets (DHP) is Conni Burke-Mulligan’s professional solopreneur business, based in Indian Trail, NC. Her practice features a diverse and colorful cast of original puppets, utilizing various puppetry artforms that include, but are not limited to: hand, rod, shadow, marionette and tabletop puppetry. Conni shares the magic of puppetry at local, state, and national festivals, schools and libraries and presents numerous workshops, supports community arts events, and facilitates puppet play and craft sessions.
Ed's Dinosaurs Live
Ed's Dinosaurs Live are the Dinosaur Entertainers for your party, corporate event, festival, parade or any appearance of your needs. Started in 2011, with Mr. Ed, a homemade dinosaur, some balloons, and a few tricks up his sleeve, the company is now one of the largest dinosaur entertainers in the country.
FAB Puppets
Melanie and FAB Puppets have been engaging children with puppetry for over 15 years. With puppet-stars Frank and Betty, literacy, music and comedy come together to thrill audiences of all ages.
Grey Seal Puppets
Well known for their trademark whimsical approach to storytelling and exquisite puppet design, Grey Seal Puppets offers a variety of puppet performances sure to tickle your fancy. Their repertoire includes a variety of productions from familiar fairy tales (The Emperor's New Clothes) to original stories (Bathtub Pirates). The company’s thirty-year history includes such honors as three Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA (International puppetry organization), the President’s Award from the Puppeteers of America, and the Award for Leadership in Theatre from the NC Theatre Conference.
InReach Troupe 801 Puppeteers
Since 1974, InReach has provided unique programs and services to individuals (ages 4 years and up) with developmental, intellectual, or other disabilities in the Charlotte community. Our mission is to be a leader in providing innovative housing, employment, and community services to support people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities and their families. Our vision is empowering people we support to realize that their goals, aspirations and dreams are within reach.
Jeghetto's Entertainment
Jeghetto is a self-taught master builder and puppeteer residing in NC. His puppets are abstract moving sculptures made of mostly found and recycled materials. He has received two grants from the Jim Henson Foundation prior to becoming a board member himself. Jeghetto has worked with Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Alec Baldwin and Terence Nance. He was a guest on The Steve Harvey Show and performed puppetry on The Voice and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness.
Liza Newell
Liza Newell is a performance artist who uses storytelling, song, puppetry, and dance to explore the beauty and complexity of the human spirit. Through her myriad forms of expression, Liza’s creativity opens up new pathways for our lived experiences to intersect. Liza believes in the power of curiosity and imagination as a driving force for change. Her work invites individuals from all walks of life to journey into realms of wonder, reflection and transformation.
The Lurnsters
The Lurnsters are a video-based entrepreneurship education platform that uses social emotional learning to teach students the skills they need to be successful entrepreneurs. Their puppet shows are engaging, entertaining, and full of monster fun for the whole family.
Sandbanks Shadow Factory
Matt Sandbank has toured nationally with his shadow puppetry programs since 2009. As a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville's creative writing program and a former middle school teacher, Matt brings his love of literature and his knack for vivid storytelling to each of his performances. His work delights audiences of all ages at schools, libraries, museums, and festivals. Some performances of note include the 2013 Nashville International Puppetry Festival, the 2015 San Antonio International Children's Puppetry Festival, the 2019 Puppeteers of America National Festival in Minneapolis, MN, the 2021 DLECTRICITY Exhibition of Light and Art in Detroit, MI, and the 2022 Ann Arbor Summer Festival.
Shepherd Shakespeare Company
SSCo was founded by a husband and wife team—Chester and Katy Shepherd—who share a love of theatre and performing for audiences of all ages. Both experienced theatre artists and educators, they have acted, directed, and taught all across the country. They believe in bringing the joy and wonder of the bard's timeless stories to all people. SSCo believes that the plays of Shakespeare are a shared cultural inheritance and should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. They share that magic through performance and education.
VisArt Video
VisArt Video is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization celebrating film education and filmmakers with a passion for the power of movies and a museum of over 50,000 titles and counting. They recently launched the Puppets Everywhere Festival in 2024. Supporting film, filmmakers, and film literacy since 1982.