The International Puppet Fringe Festival, New York’s only international fringe festival dedicated to puppetry, returns this August and will once again feature performances by leading puppet makers and troupes from around the world. Organized by Teatro SEA, Grupo Morán (The Morán Group) and The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Education Center.
Following the sensational success of the 2021 and 2018 festivals and the inaugural Puppet Week NYC, Puppet Fringe 2023 will honor rich puppetry traditions and talented puppeteers, including an award for the founder of the Village Halloween Parade, Ralph Lee. Lee is known for his visionary, surreal, life-sized puppets that have become a feature of New York City’s parades, theaters and public celebrations. In honor of Lee’s vast contributions to the puppetry arts, the 2023 Puppet Fringe Festival theme will be Halloween in August, featuring spooky and silly puppets that celebrate this beloved holiday.
The festival will kick off with a mini-Halloween procession where puppeteers will take to the streets with their favorite fun and spooky puppets to emulate the famous Village Halloween parade, created by Mr. Lee each October. Other events include cabaret nights hosted by Great Small Works and Punto SEA Puppet Open Mic Nights, film screenings provided by Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams film series, roundtable discussions by the Mettawee River company, master-class workshops in puppetry and puppet crafting, a weekend of MicroTheater performances (guerilla-style theater in unorthodox venues) and a gala closing party.
