Puppetry Arts Center Museum and Theater

18 Years of Excellence 1993-2011

Mission Overview

The Center is committed to using art of puppetry to educate, inspire creativity and imagination, and to enchant. The Center is committed to keeping the costs affordable and available to children and families of all economic and ethnic populations.

Accomplishments

• Member of:
  • Puppeteers of America
  • Palm Beach County Cultural Council
  • UNIMA-USA Union International de la Marionette
  • National Storytelling Network
• Recipient of 8 Grants for multicultural children's performances from Palm Beach County Cultural Council
• Recipient of 2 Grants - Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties
• Two Grants from Target to sponsor Saturday family performances
• Education - on PBC Schools Art Provider List for field experiences
• Annually - 200 Performances with a great variety of styles of puppets and presentations
• Annual Attendance 15,000 to 19,000
• 100+ Professional Performers and Performance Companies from Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, New York, Connecticut, Tampa and other Florida areas, as well as our own Dreammaker Puppeteers
• Quality Performances by the Dreammaker Puppeteers - in-house performance company
• Low Income Admissions - 3,000 to 4,000 annually for underserved populations - Head Starts and others
• Education Workshops for teachers, parents, children's workers, and children
• Youth and Teen Programs - including both performance and construction
• Outreach Programs - into schools, camps, etc.
• Puppet Museum and Exhibits - puppets that represent many styles, sizes, cultures and history periods, photos, posters, etc. Puppets are also on display in the theatre and lobby.
• Puppet Reference Library - a large number of puppet related books, videos, Puppetry Journals, and photos are available for anyone to use at the Center
• Storytelling Festival - annual storytelling festival featuring students from the county
• Other Projects - festivals, storytelling, National Day of Puppetry, etc.
• Volunteer Programs - The Dreammaker Puppeteers are adults who learn to perform with marionettes - other volunteers help in the office, store, youth programs, maintenance, cleaning, signs, computer, fund-raising, etc.
• Host For The Gold Coast Puppet Guild and the Gold Coast Storytellers

Mission Statement

The Puppetry Arts Center of the Palm Beaches was founded in 1993 to establish a Center that is dedicated to the art form of puppetry and focuses on three specific areas of programming: Theatre, Education, and Exhibitions.

The Center is committed to serve a broad audience which includes children, adults, and puppeteers at all levels of ability. The Center is committed to enriching and training not only children, but parents, teachers, librarians, recreation professionals, medical personnel, and any interested persons to create and use the art form of puppetry as a tool in their professions as they work with and inspire children.

Today’s children must have their imaginations nurtured and their creativity exercised to prepare them for a changing world. Nowhere in the performing arts can a child’s imagination take flight with greater potential than in puppetry. Puppetry has the power to entertain, to persuade, to enchant, and to educate.

The Center considers itself a gift to the community and is committed to keeping the costs at a place that make the programs available to children and families of all economic and ethnic populations. It helps schools and communities by underwriting some of the costs.

As a dynamic cultural force in Palm Beach County, the Puppetry Arts Center offers its audiences a unique opportunity to interact with a distinctive performance art discipline. Puppetry’s applications are widespread and diverse, and visitors to the Center are exposed to the vast array of elements that comprise puppetry.