Melbourne Festival of Puppetry 2021
UPDATE:Due to the ever-evolving Covid-19 pandemic Puppets and Masks of Italy will no longer run at this year’s Melbourne Festival of Puppetry. Please contact La Mama to organise your refund, or consider donating the price of the ticket to the artists. If you would like to move your tickets to another show within the festival please get in touch via info@lamama.com.au or … Continued
Melbourne Festival of Puppetry 2021
UPDATE: Due to the ever-evolving Covid-19 pandemic Puppets and Masks of Italy will no longer run at this year’s Melbourne Festival of Puppetry. Please contact La Mama to organise your refund, or consider donating the price of the ticket to the artists. If you would like to move your tickets to another show within the festival please get in touch via info@lamama.com.au or (03) 9347 6948. You can see the rest of the program below. |
Welcome to the 2021 Melbourne Festival of Puppetry. This year’s festival was originally scheduled for 2019 but first, the fire at La Mama delayed us and then the world as a whole fell apart and so, here we stand in 2021 offering you a festival filled with joy and love and, of course, puppetry. It seems a miracle that this is possible and while we are sad our international guest artists could not join us, we are delighted to welcome artists from across Australia to present their work. It’s been such a rough time in the performing arts over the past 12 months. It’s also been a rough time for the young people of Melbourne so it gives us immense pleasure to focus this year’s festival on presenting quality puppetry works for young audiences. But, our adult friends are not forgotten. This year, we are presenting a day and night adult program with our friends A Blanck Canvas Studio at Seaworks in Williamstown. We hope these art offerings lighten your load, bring a smile to your face and warm your winter chills.
The Melbourne Festival of Puppetry is presented by La Mama Theatre and Lemony S Puppet Theatre in partnership with Co.As.It. We are supported by Creative Victoria and City of Melbourne and proudly sponsored by Creature Technology Company.
Shows – Tuesday to Friday
Time | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri |
10 am | The Last Lighthouse Keeper (3 – 8 years old) | The Last Lighthouse Keeper (3 – 8 years old) | The Last Lighthouse Keeper (3 – 8 years old) | Once Upon a Time Cafe (4 years and up) |
1pm | The Land Where One Never Dies (5 -10 years old) | The Land Where One Never Dies (5 -10 years old) | The Land Where One Never Dies (5 -10 years old) | Pearly Whites (all ages) |
2pm | Hammer and Thumb (5 years and up) | Hammer and Thumb (5 years and up) | Hammer and Thumb (5 years and up) | Puppets and Masks of Italy (all ages) |
2:30pm Free Roving | Free Roving: Bonkel (all ages) | Free Roving: Bonkel (all ages) | Free Roving: Bonkel (all ages) | Free Roving: Curious Legends (all ages) |
3pm | The Fish That Wanted to Fly (3 – 10 years) | The Fish That Wanted to Fly (3 – 10 years) | ||
5.30pm | Free street performance: I Once Was A Tree & Solastalgia (all ages) | Free street performance: I Once Was A Tree & Solastalgia (all ages) | Free street performance: I Once Was A Tree & Solastalgia (all ages) | |
6 pm | Picasso and his Dog (Family audiences) | Picasso and his Dog (Family audiences) | Picasso and his Dog (Family audiences) |
Shows – Saturday & Sunday
Time | Sat | Sun |
10am | Once Upon a Time Cafe (4 years and up) | Once Upon a Time Cafe (4 years and up) |
11am | Picasso and his Dog (Family audiences) | |
1pm | Pearly Whites (all ages) | Pearly Whites (all ages) |
2pm | Puppets and Masks of Italy (all ages) | Puppets and Masks of Italy (all ages) |
2.30pm | Free Roving: Curious Legends (all ages) | Free Roving: Curious Legends (all ages) |
3pm | Spike the Echidna (3 – 10 years) | Spike the Echidna (3 – 10 years) |
4pm | Free street performance: I Once Was A Tree & Solastalgia (all ages) | |
5.30pm | Free street performance: I Once Was A Tree & Solastalgia (all ages) | |
6pm | Picasso and his Dog (family audiences) |
Workshops for Kids
Time | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun |
11:30 am | Sock Puppets by Lemony S | Whats a Puppet? by Black Hole Theatre | Trash Puppets | Shadows by Kyoko Imazu |
For the Adults
Time | Sat |
10am – 1pm | Puppetry and performance workshop with Jacob Williams. |
2pm – 5pm | How to turn heads with Puppetry |
8pm | Puppetry Potluck |


















