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Smethwick Puppetry Festival Returns – February 2026

From dragons in Warley Woods to crankie storytelling and family puppet shows – a joyful week of puppetry returns this February

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Life and Limb Puppets

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Education

Wimbledon College of Arts

Curious School of Puppetry

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AUB Modelmaking for Design and Media

University of Portsmouth - Theatre BA (Hons)

Resources

The Puppetry Arts Portal (PAM)

News

A Spring of Puppetry at Puppet Place

Workshops in Bristol, Feb–April 2026 | Early Bird on selected workshops until 1 February

Jan 28 • BrUNIMA

Happy New Year from all of us at British UNIMA! 🎉

January Events, Scholarships & Urgent Deadlines

Jan 6 • BrUNIMA

Carving a Future for Puppetry: A Conversation with Oliver Hymans

Marking 35 Years of QEST — investing in the future of craft

Jan 5 • BrUNIMA

BRITISH UNIMA SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Meet: Izzy Bristow (she/her/they) Puppet Maker • Designer • Performer • Workshop Leader

Jan 5 • BrUNIMA

GO AFRICA: South African Puppets & Building Democracy

A talk with Alexej Vancl - Thursday 15 January 2026 · 🕖 19:00–20:00 GMT · Online

Dec 30, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Announcing the British UNIMA Scholarship for the 2026 Lambe Lambe Theatre Course

Application deadline: 27 February 2026

Dec 23, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Open Call: Skupa’s Pilsen 2026

Application deadline: 28 February 2026 - Puppet & Alternative Theatre in the Heart of Europe

Dec 9, 2025 • BrUNIMA

New Leadership at PuppeteersUK

British UNIMA shares news from the UK’s national networking body for puppetry

Dec 9, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Your British UNIMA Festive Newsletter

Exciting plans for 2026, community highlights, opportunities and more…

Dec 3, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Support Us

Become a Member

Help support the art you love by becoming a BrUNIMA Member today

Nov 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Support the Penny Francis Memorial Award

Help us continue Penny Francis’s legacy in puppetry.

Nov 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

🛍️ Shop Online and Raise Money for BRITISH UNIMA

From holidays and travel to clothing and gifts, you can raise hundreds of pounds through your everyday shopping — all at no extra cost to you.

Oct 16, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Welcome to BrUNIMA, the British Centre of UNIMA, the international association for the art of puppetry. Subscribe to receive updates, articles, and news from the UK and global puppetry community.

Events

A Spring of Puppetry at Puppet Place

Workshops in Bristol, Feb–April 2026 | Early Bird on selected workshops until 1 February

Jan 28 • BrUNIMA

Join UNIMA-Canada, UNIMA-USA, Puppeteers of America and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center on Zoom

Monday, January 12th at 8 pm EST.

Jan 10 • BrUNIMA

GO AFRICA: South African Puppets & Building Democracy

A talk with Alexej Vancl - Thursday 15 January 2026 · 🕖 19:00–20:00 GMT · Online

Dec 30, 2025 • BrUNIMA

A Celebration of Marionettes 2025

Wednesday 3 December 2025 | 5.30pm – 9.15pm - Hosted by Rachel Warr and the Art Workers’ Guild Outreach Committee

Nov 20, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Celebrating UK Puppetry: Little Angel Theatre’s Enchanting Winter Season

Championing world-class children’s art from London to audiences across the globe

Nov 16, 2025 • BrUNIMA

BrUNIMA - British UNIMA

BrUNIMA - British UNIMA

British UNIMA (BrUNIMA), the UK arm of UNIMA, the Union Internationale de la Marionnette, a global puppetry organisation founded in 1929 and affiliated with UNESCO. Since our founding in 1963, BrUNIMA has been dedicated to promoting international exchange

Recommendations

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Opportunities

A Spring of Puppetry at Puppet Place

Workshops in Bristol, Feb–April 2026 | Early Bird on selected workshops until 1 February

Jan 28 • BrUNIMA

Announcing the British UNIMA Scholarship for the 2026 Lambe Lambe Theatre Course

Application deadline: 27 February 2026

Dec 23, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Open Call: Skupa’s Pilsen 2026

Application deadline: 28 February 2026 - Puppet & Alternative Theatre in the Heart of Europe

Dec 9, 2025 • BrUNIMA

🌏 OPEN CALL for International Artists!

Deadline: February 15, 2025 — Apply Now for the 38th Chuncheon Puppet Festival (Korea) – 2026

Dec 4, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Call for Artists: Applications Open for Pflasterspektakel 2026

Apply before 15 January 2026 for one of Europe’s largest street-performance festivals

Dec 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

PUNCH! Puppets in Top Form – National Puppetry Event in January 2027

British UNIMA shares a call from Latitude Marionnette & THEMAA for organisations and artists who’d like to take part.

Dec 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Puppet Notebook

The New Puppet Notebook Has Arrived!

Celebrating Issue 33 — what’s inside, who made it happen, and how to contribute to the next edition

Dec 3, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Call for Articles – Giant and Minature

Submission deadline: 30 November 2025

Sep 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Puppet Notebook Issue 20: Innovations in Puppetry

The twentieth edition of Puppet Notebook explores cutting-edge innovations in puppetry, shedding light on emerging talents and ground-breaking…

Jun 9, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Puppet Notebook Issue 19: Exploring the Art of Puppetry

The nineteenth edition of Puppet Notebook delivers a compelling exploration of Ephemeral Animation and other innovative puppetry techniques.

Jun 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Puppet Notebook Issue 18: Puppetry in Practice

The eighteenth issue of Puppet Notebook offers news and insights from the UK and beyond, with a focus on applied puppetry and innovative performances.

May 26, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Puppet Notebook Issue 17: Exploring Global Puppetry

The seventeenth issue of Puppet Notebook, published in Spring 2010 by British UNIMA, delivers a rich and diverse collection of articles, reviews, and…

May 19, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Puppet Notebook Issue 16: Wildness and Control

The sixteenth issue of Puppet Notebook, published by British UNIMA, delves into the intriguing balance between wildness and control in puppetry.

May 12, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Puppet Notebook Issue 15: Puppet Festivals and Beyond

The fifteenth edition of Puppet Notebook brings readers the latest updates on puppet festivals and the evolving world of puppetry. From unique…

May 5, 2025 • BrUNIMA

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Happy New Year from all of us at British UNIMA! 🎉

January Events, Scholarships & Urgent Deadlines

Jan 6 • BrUNIMA

Season’s Greetings from British UNIMA

Reflecting on a year of connection, creativity & community

Dec 24, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Your British UNIMA Festive Newsletter

Exciting plans for 2026, community highlights, opportunities and more…

Dec 3, 2025 • BrUNIMA

BrUNIMA November Newsletter 2025

News from British UNIMA

Nov 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

British UNIMA – October Newsletter

Celebrating Puppetry at Home and Abroad This October

Oct 5, 2025 • BrUNIMA

News from British UNIMA

Global puppetry highlights, UK events, and fresh opportunities for members

Sep 7, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Celebrating Puppetry: New Festivals, Big News & Global Opportunities

BrUNIMA Newsletter Highlights – August 2025

Aug 1, 2025 • BrUNIMA

BrUNIMA Newsletter – July 2025

Celebrating community, creativity, and the global power of puppetry

Jul 5, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Contact Us

Meet the Team:Fagner Gastaldon — Visionary Puppeteer, Educator & Artistic Director of PuppetSoup

Bringing beautifully crafted, emotionally powerful puppetry to audiences and learners across the UK and beyond.

May 14, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Meet the Team: Robert Fowler

BrUNIMA Committee Member & Liaison to the Punch and Judy Fellowship

May 9, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Meet the Team: Chris Pirie

Artistic Director of Green Ginger and a champion of creative puppetry on stage, screen and in the classroom.

May 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Meet the Team: Nenagh Watson

Puppetry Pioneer & Advocate for the Future of UK Puppetry

Apr 7, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Meet the Team: Sean Myatt – Co-Chair of BrUNIMA

Bringing Puppetry and Object Theatre to Life

Mar 10, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Meet Tim Butler Garrett: A Champion of Puppetry Arts

Editor-in-Chief of Puppet Notebook

Mar 10, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Meet the Team: Introducing Zannie Fraser – Our New Paid Subscriber Specialist

Supporting our Paid Subscribers with Passion and Creativity

Mar 10, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Meet the Team: Cariad Astles. Co-Chair of BrUNIMA

Welcome to BrUNIMA! We’re thrilled to introduce you to our fantastic Chair, Cariad Astles – a powerhouse of puppetry, a champion of creativity, and a…

Feb 26, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Emergency Aid

UK Venues: We Need Your Solidarity.

Host a Screening & Help Support the Puppeteers of Gaza

Dec 3, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Calling for Contributions: Strings of Support

UNIMA International seeks teaching resources for puppeteers working in crisis and recovery contexts

Dec 2, 2025 • BrUNIMA and Holly Likes... Puppets

Artists of Hope: Supporting the Gaza Puppeteers

UNIMA International is currently launching an solidarity campaign

Oct 16, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Palestinian Puppetry Artists. Now exhibition

A powerful exhibition at Figur i Fossekleiva (Norway) celebrates Gazan and West Bank puppeteers working under extreme conditions. September 19 – October…

Aug 14, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Sustaining Hope in Gaza Through Puppetry

Bringing joy, resilience, and healing to displaced children through the art of puppet theatre.

Jun 22, 2025 • BrUNIMA

BrUNIMA Bulletin

Transitions and Traditions: BrUNIMA Bulletin Archive, 2000

Issues 103–104 | 2000 Editions | Edited by Robert Fowler (final issue)

May 31, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Looking Back: Puppetry Through Time – BrUNIMA Bulletin Archive

Issues 100–102 | 1999 Editions | Edited by Robert Fowler

May 26, 2025 • BrUNIMA

BrUNIMA Bulletin Archive: A Journey Through Puppetry in 1998

Issues 97–99 | 1998 Editions | Edited by Robert Fowler

May 26, 2025 • BrUNIMA

Bulletin Echoes: Puppetry Across Borders and Eras

Full issues of the British UNIMA Centre Bulletin (Nos. 94–96, 1997) now available to download

May 24, 2025 • BrUNIMA

BrUNIMA Bulletin 94 - 102. A Showcase of Puppetry and Theatre Traditions

Looking Back — Explore the historical insights, festival highlights, and the enduring traditions of puppetry from across the globe from the BrUNIMA…

May 13, 2025 • BrUNIMA

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