VISIT
EXPERIENCE
EDUCATE
ABOUT
25th ANNIVERSARY
NOW
Inspiring creativity, engineering, sustainability and mindfulness through the art of puppetry!
Navigation Menu:
11:00 am • 2:00 pm
Shapes and Colors is an abstract expressionist puppetry performance designed to engage children in the principles of design, movement, and artistic experimentation. Using bold, giant shapes, dynamic choreography, real-time video projection, and jazz-infused soundscapes, this performance immerses children in a world of art in motion.
11:00 am • 2:00 pm
Long Island Sounds is an immersive puppetry experience that uses found-object puppets to explore the ecology of the Long Island Sound. Performed in a water-filled fish tank and projected onto a large screen, this show highlights native marine life, the dangers of pollution, and how we can protect the environment.
11:00 am • 2:00 pm
Campfire Shadows immerses audiences in a multi-screen shadow puppet performance replicating the imaginative storytelling of a child listening to tales around a campfire. Using three distinct styles of shadow puppetry, each screen presents a different vignette exploring the natural world.
•
An explosion of puppets tall, small, and otherwise! Dancing giraffes, lion dentistry, juggling whales, and much more come together for a unique live theatrical experience.
•
On a chilly spring morning, a young girl plants six lima beans in a vacant lot. From this small gesture in hopes of connecting with her father, a community garden flourishes! Friendships form, prejudices are dissolved and hearts are healed. Witness the classic book by Paul Fleischman brought to life with puppetry, voice actors, and original music.
•
A young mapmaker sets out on a voyage to unchartered waters, falling overboard into strange seas. Will he end the Terror of the Big Stinky Fish or be transformed into an uncanny creature himself! Silliness and Suspense brought to audiences through a variety of intersecting styles of puppetry!
•
Based on a collection of northeastern native folktales, Rabbit’s Warren tells the tale of the creation of the world, Rainbow Crow, and many other stories, in this heartfelt and humorous performance featuring live puppetry, music, and dance. This show is a collaboration with Evan T. Pritchard, a descendent of the Mi’kmaq people and founder of the
•
Even the darkest of times can inspire warmth and compassion. This cabaret style, multimedia puppet show features five wintery short stories, both classic and contemporary!
•
The classic Dickens tale reimagined and reinterpreted for modern audiences from the child’s perspective! Giant marionettes, masks, live music, and movement tell tale of greed’s transformation into generosity!
The Puppet Lab creates original workshops, productions, interactions, and exhibits – and we need your help!
The Puppet Lab benefits from consistent volunteers from diverse backgrounds, who are excited to design, experiment, engineer, and bring art to life through hands-on puppet-making and performance.
Puppetry Arts is dedicated to the education and development of its staff and volunteers, in order to cultivate sustainable, ethical, and mindful puppet artists who deliver exemplary service to museum visitors.
Participants gain hands-on experience with various puppetry forms (shadow, string, rod, hand), building confidence, adaptability, and problem-solving skills for effective storytelling. Puppetry Arts is responsible for the creation of unique deliverables each week for Puppet Place floor programs, pop-up experiences, and main stage productions.
Through sculpting, sewing, and patterning, participants develop fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and creative expression while learning the full construction process of puppets.
Participants strengthen collaboration, time management, and organizational abilities by working with a production team and supporting the preparation and performance of puppet shows.
Puppeteer
TJ Jacobs (he/him) is a professional puppeteer, teaching artist, and meditation teacher based in the northeast region of the United States. He studied Theatre, education, acting/directing, design/technology, and musical theatre with honors at Rowan University.
He directs, designs, and performs our puppet productions andPuppet Place programs. Along with managing the Puppet Lab team, TJ’s day-to-day includes coming up with new productions, workshops, exhibitions, and interactive experiences.
Outside of Stepping Stones, TJ is the founder of BasicallyGood Puppet Theatre, which travels throughout the east coast, doing performances and meditation courses. TJ specializes in dharma art, mindfulness meditation [Certified by Dharma Moon + Tibet House], and cardboard butchery.
Fabricator
Kaz Grigg (he/him) builds puppets, sets, and props for all the puppet shows at the museum. Kaz is most interested in the technical and engineering aspects of puppetry.
He likes to go down little rabbit holes and collect apparently random techniques to apply to our puppets in novel and interesting ways.
Performer
Riley Zappala(he/him/his) is a professional performer, puppeteer and is the mascot lead, bringing our Storytellers to life.
He grew up as a navy kid, traveling coast to coast with his family, gaining skills and knowledge to engineer in abstract, out of the box ways.
His favorite part of creating art is when people say “wow!”
Performer
Ava Sabloff (she/her) is a Museum Puppeteer at Stepping Stones Museum for Children. She works in both puppet making and puppet performance. Her favorite part of puppet making is painting, she loves adding little details that make her laugh. When performing, she likes meeting visitors in character after the show.
Outside of the museum, she is a student, studying the arts and psychology. She would like to be an art therapist someday.
