Your British UNIMA Festive Newsletter
Exciting plans for 2026, community highlights, opportunities and more…
Dear friends,
As we head toward the end of 2025, I wanted to take a moment to reach out personally. British UNIMA has been growing, shifting and strengthening in ways that feel truly exciting — and it’s because of all of you. This is your organisation, shaped by your energy, your projects, your questions, and the things you care about.
This autumn has been full of wonderful moments across our community — including British UNIMA proudly sponsoring Puppet 48, where the BrUNIMA Award went to Knot In Line (Ahmed Sherrif, Debosmitan Dam and Sivabalan). Their film is a beautiful example of inventive young puppetry, and you can watch it below. We also hosted the online talk Reimagining Judy: A Feminist Lens on Puppet Theatre with Alissa Mello — if you missed it live, you’ll find the full recording further down this newsletter.
At the same time, our international work has continued with urgency. UNIMA’s Artists of Hope campaign is providing crucial support to puppeteers in Gaza, and there is now an open call for contributions to the Strings of Support initiative, gathering teaching resources and creative tools for those working in crisis conditions. You can learn more and get involved by clicking here.
Looking ahead to 2026, we’re planning more ways to bring our community together: more workshops, more online sessions, more chances for you to share your work or offer a glimpse behind the scenes. If there’s something you’d love to see — or something you’d love to share — please tell us. British UNIMA only works when you’re part of it.
We’ve also been blown away by the growing support online. Our social media is now approaching 4,000 followers, increasing by roughly 1,000 each month. That’s extraordinary — and it gives our volunteer team a real sense of momentum and encouragement. Thank you for engaging, sharing, and cheering on the wider puppetry world.
This festive issue is full of opportunities, calls for submissions, exciting events, and a few important updates about how to get involved. Updates on the Penny Francis Campaign, which will help secure our activity into 2027 — and we’ve made supporting it easier than ever, even at no extra cost to you. Every little bit goes a long way for a volunteer-led organisation like ours.
And finally — a special moment of celebration. The latest Puppet Notebook is here! Beautifully edited and designed by Tim Butler-Garrett (with huge thanks to all contributors), it’s now available for members to read. Legacy members who requested print copies will receive theirs in the post shortly. New members now receive the digital version by default, with the option to purchase a printed copy if they prefer — helping us stay sustainable while still offering something beautiful to hold.
Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for showing up, sharing your work, reading these newsletters, and keeping puppetry alive, inventive and connected across the UK.
Below you’ll find the latest calls, opportunities, news and events with all the links you need.
Warmest wishes,
Your British UNIMA Chair
Did You See? Now You Can Watch the Recording
Reimagining Judy: A Feminist Lens on Puppet Theatre
with Alissa Mello — hosted by BrUNIMA
Originally aired: Wednesday 12 November, 19:30 GMT (Online)
If you missed this rich and insightful session exploring Judy through a feminist and contemporary lens, the full recording is now available here.
💛 The Penny Francis Campaign — Help Us Secure British UNIMA’s Future
Many of you will already know that we launched the Penny Francis Campaign earlier this year — a fund created both to honour Penny’s extraordinary contribution to puppetry and to secure British UNIMA’s long-term future.
We are a small, volunteer-run organisation, and even the smallest contributions make an enormous difference. Truly — as little as the price of a cup of coffee from every person on our mailing list would secure our core programme for 2027. It really is that achievable.
And because we know times are tight for many, we’ve also made it incredibly easy to support at no extra cost to you:
💳 Give As You Live: If you shop online anyway, you can activate Give As You Live through over 6,000 retailers. Every time you make a purchase, British UNIMA receives a small donation — and it doesn’t cost you anything.
🎁 Gift a Membership: Not sure what to get someone this year? A British UNIMA membership is a lovely and meaningful present, supporting the future of puppetry at the same time.
🎟️ Gift Vouchers: Purchase a voucher via our Support Us page — again generating a small contribution to the campaign at no extra cost to you.
❤️ One-off donations of any size, small or large, make a huge impact.
Together, these small acts of generosity add up fast. Supporting the Penny Francis Campaign helps us continue the work she believed in so passionately: connecting puppeteers, supporting artists, and nurturing the next generation.
Thank you — truly — to everyone who has already contributed.
🌟 Spotlight Your Work: Member Features Now Open
We want to highlight more of our members’ work! Visit the Members section to share:
Your latest projects
Workshops, research or celebrations
Let us share and uplift your work, Visit the MEMBERS area of the website.
📘 Puppet Notebook Issue 33 — Now Live for Members
The latest Puppet Notebook, edited and designed by Tim Butler-Garrett with support from the committee, is now available.
Legacy members who requested a printed version will receive theirs shortly by post.
Call for Contributors: Monthly Online Events 2026
We’re planning a new series of monthly talks, workshops, skill-shares, and Q&As — and we want you to be part of them.
If you’d like to share a project, demonstrate a skill, or speak about your practice:
📧 Email chair@unima.org.uk with subject line “Future Projects”
Events
A Celebration of Marionettes 2025
3 December 2025 | 5.30–9.15pm
Hosted by Rachel Warr & the Art Workers’ Guild Outreach Committee
👉 More info | Apply
Puppet Place — Writing & Devising for Puppetry Panel
8 December 2025 | 7–9pm
👉 More info | Apply
Les Marchés Noirs des Petites Utopies, in collaboration with THÉMAA and Théâtre le Sémaphore, invites participants to a professional roundtable exploring the role of puppet-making workshops within local territories. 9 December
👉 More info | Apply
British Puppet Guild Christmas Extravaganza (Online)
14 December 2025
👉 More info | Apply
UNIMA USA PUPPET ZOOMIE - Master makers and their methods: Puppet Creations with Dmitri Carter, Skye Strauss
Peek into their worlds and hear some of the tips they share with their students in workshops and productions. Moderated by Kathy Foley
11 January 2026 5pm ET (Jan 11, 2026 10:00 PM GMT)
👉 More info | Apply
Puppet Place — Directing Puppetry with Emma Williams
17–18 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply
Theatre-Rites Workshop with Sue Buckmaster
31 Jan – 1 Feb 2026 | Shoreditch Town Hall
👉 More info | Apply
Smethwick Puppetry Festival
14–22 February 2026
👉 More info | Apply
Newcastle Festival of Puppetry – Moving Parts Arts
4–12 April 2026
👉More info | Apply
The Canalside Puppet Making Course, London 2026
April–June 2026 | Apply by 31 March | Early Bird £550 before 25 Dec
👉 More info | Apply
Festival Highlights & Open Calls
A quick roundup of opportunities across the puppetry world…
Open Call for BrUNIMA Creatives — Fragments of Becoming
Deadline: 31 December 2025
👉 More info | Apply
39th International Theatrical Festival “VALISE”
Deadline: 15 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply
Pflasterspektakel 2026 — Call for Artists
Deadline: 15 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply
NEW - Flying Carpet Festival 2026 - August 21st - September 1st, 2026. Turkish Syrian Border
Deadline: 15 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply
The International Puppet Fringe Festival, New York’s only international fringe festival dedicated to puppetry, returns August 12-16, 2026
Deadline January 16, 2026.
👉 More info | Apply
AVIAMA 2026 “Puppets and Mobility” Grants
Deadline: 16 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply
Puppet Place and British Puppet Guild Film Challenge
Make a '60 second' original puppet film in Jan 2026
Post it to Instagram befor 11.59pm on Jan 31st (GMT)
👉Tag and Collab with @puppetplace and @britishpuppetguild in your post
QEST Scholarship Grants
Register for the Spring 2026 Zoom webinars below:
Scholarship Zoom Webinar: 20.01, 1-2pm
Emerging Maker Grant Zoom webinar: 21.01, 1-2pm
Apprenticeship Zoom Webinar: 22.01, 1-2pm
Applications are open until Sunday 1 Feb 2026.
👉 More info | Apply
Istanbul Fringe Festival 2026
When: September 19–26, 2026
Deadline: 31 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 - Registration will open for the 2026 on Monday 12 January
👉 More info | Apply
The Glitch - Autumn 2026 Season - VAULT Creative Arts and The Glitch
Applications close on Friday 16th January at 23:59
134 Lower Marsh, Waterloo, London SE1 7AE
👉 More info | Apply
BRISTOL EXPERIMENTAL PUPPET FESTIVAL 2026
Deadline: 1 February 2026
👉 More info | Apply
OPEN CALL for the 38th Chuncheon Puppet Festival, one of Asia’s leading puppet festivals since 1989, 11 - 16 September 2026.
Deadline: 15 February 2026
👉 More info | Apply
British UNIMA Scholarship for the 2026 Lambe Lambe Theatre Course
Application deadline: 27 February 2026
👉 More info | Apply
Supercrawl is a free annual outdoor art and music festival held in downtown Hamilton, Ontario
Supercrawl’s 17th anniversary — taking place September 11-13, 2026 on James Street North.
Deadline for submissions is Friday February 27, 2026 at 11:59pm ET.
👉 More info | Apply
PUNCH! Puppets in Top Form — January 2027
👉 More info | Apply
𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 | 𝗡𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
No Strings Attached is an annual international festival organised by the Paper Monkey Theatre.
𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲:The Artground White Box Goodman Arts Centre, Singapore
📅 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: 12–15 Nov 2026
🗓 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 30 April 2026 (23:59 GMT+8)
👉 More info | Apply
Opportunities & Jobs
CALL OUT: Giant Crankie Show Designer & Illustrator
Fee: £4,000 + materials
Deadline: 14 December 2025
👉 More info | Apply
Job opportunity with Karl Gallivan
Based in Central London
Trainee/Junior Animatronics position available
3D Design & CAD experience needed
CNC, 3D Printing, machining experience preferred.
Deadline: ASAP
👉 Apply send you CV to karlgallivan@gmail.com
News & Bursaries
🎬 Puppet 48 — BrUNIMA Winners Announced!
British UNIMA was proud to sponsor Puppet 48 this year — a brilliant showcase of short-form, rapid-turnaround puppet films made in just 48 hours.
The BrUNIMA Award went to:
Knot In Line — Ahmed Sherrif, Debosmitan Dam & Sivabalan
Their film is inventive, playful and beautifully made.
You can watch it here (their segment begins at 21:46):
Thank you for reading, sharing and supporting this community.
Follow us, tag us, write to us — and keep checking the Members area for what’s next!
Best,
Your British UNIMA Chair
