Meet the Puppet Master of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

puppet The arsonist puppet from Plexus Polaire. The 2nd annual Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is about to be unleashed upon Chicago just in time to distract us from the deep freeze of winter. Playing at multiple venues January 19-29, the festival will showcase work from seven different countries and will feature 20 different acts. For all of the details about the shows, the workshops and the free symposium, visit their website. To learn more about the history of puppetry in Chicago, the impetus for the festival and its highlights--not to mention why puppets are magical and transcendent, watch Kim Campbell's interviews with Chicago puppeteering legend (and festival founder) Blair Thomas. https://youtu.be/sxVvvft5aeM Get a preview of the festival itself by viewing the trailer, which provides a peek at some of the shows. https://vimeo.com/191644963
Kim Campbell

Kim Campbell (they/them) is a freelance editor, podcaster and creative writer who has spent a career focusing on the arts, particularly literature, theater and circus. Former editor of CircusTalk News, they have written about theater and circus for Third Coast Review since its very beginning. Kim is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and the International Network of Circus Arts Magazines. In 2019, they were on the jury of FIRCO in Madrid (Circus Festival Iberoamericano) and in 2021 they were on the voting committee for the International Circus Awards. See their tweets at @kimzyn or follow them on Instagram.