Nashville Public Library to hold
International Puppet Festival in June, 2008

In June, 2008, the beautiful main library will be transformed into a magical and mesmerizing showcase for some of the world’s finest marionette artists at Nashville's International Puppet Festival, funded with the support of the Nashville Public Library Foundation.

For three days in June (20th, 21st & 22nd), every nook and cranny at the library will become performance, display, and workshop space—for the only free puppet festival of its kind in the nation! Picture the Grand Reading Room changed into a giant puppet theater, the Courtyard becoming the setting for European-style street performances, and our own beautiful marionette theater hosting some of the world’s finest troupes.

Here’s a sampling of what’s in store:

• Multiple performances by the Magdeburg Puppentheater (Germany)
Our friends from our Sister City repeatedly packed the house during their 2004 visit.

• Multiple performances by the Teatro dei Burattini San Carlino (Italy)
For more than twenty years, the San Carlo puppet theatre group has spent it summers taking its puppets and masks on the road, participating in festivals and cultural projects.

• Multiple performances by Le Velo Theatre (France)
This very smart mix of live actors and objects challenges traditional definitions of both theatre and puppetry.

• Appearances by master puppeteer Phillip Huber (best known for Being John Malkovich)
Huber’s sophisticated performances and incredible, complex puppets are known throughout the world.

• Multiple performances by the Library’s own Wishing Chair Productions
Showcasing our own world-class performance art, Nashville’s contribution will include a Shakespeare production for children.

• Workshops for all skill and interest levels, from basic puppet craft to adapting literature for puppet shows.

Nashville’s first International Puppet Festival will be a signature event for our city. Building on the library’s marionette tradition first begun in 1938 by Tom Tichenor, and now expanded by our own Wishing Chair Productions to embrace puppetry techniques and traditions from around the world, the puppet festival brings the tradition full circle in a celebration as fascinating for adults as it is spellbinding for children.