Sex, sci-fi, Ibsen, and more at the 2026 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

The eighth annual festival showcased a diverse array of puppet and object theater, from classic adaptations to cutting-edge explorations of the human condition.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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The 2026 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival featured a wide range of performances, from Plexus Polaire's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" to Manual Cinema's thought-provoking "The 4th Witch" and Alva Puppet Theater's homage to the Harlem Doll Palace. The festival, now in its eighth year, has cemented Chicago's reputation as a destination for innovative and boundary-pushing puppet arts.

Why it matters

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival has become a must-see event for puppet enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing the city's thriving puppet arts scene. By exploring timeless themes through the lens of puppetry, the festival offers audiences a unique and often thought-provoking perspective on the human experience.

The details

The festival featured a diverse array of performances, including Plexus Polaire's elaborate and creepy take on "A Doll's House," Manual Cinema's shadow puppet exploration of war and complicity in "The 4th Witch," and Alva Puppet Theater's celebration of Black doll history in "The Harlem Doll Palace." Other highlights included Sofie Krog Theatre's darkly comedic "The House," Untitled Theatre Company No. 61 and Yara Arts Group's adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness," and Blind Summit Theatre's frank and funny "The Sex Lives of Puppets."

  • The 2026 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival took place in January.
  • The festival is an annual event, now in its eighth year.

The players

Blair Thomas

The founder and artistic director of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, who has helped make the city a destination for puppet lovers from around the world.

Plexus Polaire

A French-Norwegian theater group known for their elaborate and creepy puppet productions, including their take on "A Doll's House" at the 2026 festival.

Manual Cinema

A Chicago-based performance collective that combines shadow puppetry, live-action, and music to create visually stunning and thematically rich productions, such as "The 4th Witch" at the 2026 festival.

Alva Puppet Theater

A New York-based company that created "The Harlem Doll Palace," a tribute to the work of Lenon Hoyte and her mission to preserve and celebrate Black dolls.

Sofie Krog

The co-creator, along with David Faraco, of the darkly comedic "The House," which features a rotating crematorium as its central set piece.

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What they’re saying

“In just 11 years, founder and artistic director Blair Thomas and his team have made our city a destination for puppet lovers from around the nation and the globe, and given Chicagoans a reason to step outdoors in the coldest part of January.”

— Kerry Reid (chicagoreader.com)

“Wherever your eyes look, there is an actor/puppeteer donning a cape or flipping through shadow images. Each performer switches between roles and pops up—sometimes only for a moment—to create an effect or to offer a hand. While your brain is busy keeping up with the dizzying array of imagery, a story emerges, implying that perhaps the witches are more complicit than they seem, and less idyllic.”

— Kimzyn Campbell, Reader contributor (chicagoreader.com)

The takeaway

The 2026 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival showcased the city's thriving puppet arts scene, with a diverse array of performances that pushed the boundaries of the medium and offered audiences thought-provoking explorations of the human condition. The festival's continued success has cemented Chicago's reputation as a leading destination for innovative and boundary-pushing puppet theater.