Local Events
Enjoy high quality puppet theatre in a small town atmosphere with Iowa's only professional puppet company!
In hopes that things will be back to normal this year, we have scheduled a full season of shows and events. We are especially excited about adding a Young Puppeteers Festival for anyone "young" to the art of puppetry! You can begin signing up in the fall. Group leaders will get an informational orientation on creating puppet shows. Each group will get two free consultations during the process. The festival takes place in May. There is no charge, but we require a signed commitment form. No dropping out at the last minute!
If covid rears its ugly head, we will do as many shows as possible outdoors and the rest masked at half capacity.
Summer Neighborhood Tour 2022!
Thanks to support from many generous friends donating to the Teri Jean Breitbach Memorial Fund, we are once again bringing free puppet shows to the area. This year's main show is The Emperor's Nightingale, a delightful tale by Hans Christian Andersen, performed by Stephanie Vallez.
Remembering Buxton
Remembering Buxton is a show about the unique southern Iowa town of Buxton, a coal-mining town established in 1900 where Blacks and whites were treated equally and Black Americans were leaders in the community.
Age group: 6-96
Great Plains Puppet Train
Every other year Puppeteers of America hosts a national puppetry festival. In the years in between, regions present their festivals. This year's Great Plains festival will take place in West Liberty, with 13 shows, numerous workshops, and lots of fun!
The Festival will start Thursday evening, Sept. 8, with registration, finger foods, a show, and an ice cream social.
Pre-Festival Workshops
Thursday afternoon, Sept. 8, out-of-town puppeteers here for the Children's Festival will present workshops open to the public, puppeteers and non-puppeteers alike. Children in the West Liberty School district may attend the workshop free of charge. Specific times and subjects TBA. Friday is the main Festival workshop day.
Age group: 7-adult depending on workshop
Puppet Slam for Adults
Every year, the evening before the children's festival, Eulenspiegel and Friends present a “Puppet Slam” at 7:30 P. M. A Puppet Slam is an opportunity to perform and watch short experimental and sometimes outrageous puppet vignettes that are geared towards teenagers and adults.
Age group: teens and adults
West Liberty Children's Festival
The Twenty-Fifth Annual West Liberty Children's Festival will take place Saturday, September 10, 2022, from 10:00 A. M. to 3:00 P. M.
Age group: 2-102
Puppet Films for Adults and teens!
Join us at Owl Glass Puppetry Center for a special presentation of films made by Eulenspiegel or featuring Eulenspiegel. See late puppeteer Teri Jean Breitbach perform Mary Swander's evocative Driving the Body Back. Enjoy the music videos Eulenspiegel made for the band Nraakors.
Age group: teens and adults
Peter and the Wolf
Listen to Prokofief's beloved music as you watch Peter outsmart the wolf! Eulenspiegel Puppets use beautifully crafted large tabletop puppets and rod puppets to tell this classic tale of a young boy, his grandfather, his pets, and the creatures that live in the meadow and the forest.
Age group: 4-94
The Emperor's Nightingale
Puppeteer Stephanie Vallez performs this sweet tabletop show with finely crafted rod marionettes interacting in a fairy tale kingdom. With the help of his friends in the forest, the Emperor discovers the beauty of the natural world and its superiority over mechanical amusements. Stephanie works the puppets, sings, and plays the penny whistle and the clarinet.
Age group: 4-94
Community Puppet Show!
Every year Eulenspiegel invites community members to try their hands at being puppeteers! We create and narrate the show and add live music. You work the puppets and the rhythm instruments! We rehearse three evenings and then go for it! Tons of fun! This year's show will be ANNOUNCED IN THE FALL.
Age group: 4-94
Puppets and Pastries: Dessert Theatre for Adults
Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre presents its twenty-fourth annual Puppets and Pastries: Dessert Theatre For Adults, Saturday, March 12, 7:00 PM and Sunday, March 13, at 2:00 P. M.
Magical Fish and Mermaids!
Looking for something fun to do during spring break? Come to West Liberty for a puppet show and lunch in one of our downtown restaurants!
The Fisherman and his Wife is the ancient Grimm's Fairy Tale of the magical fish who grants wishes until the beneficiaries become too greedy and too hungry for power.
Age group: 4-94
The Bremen Town Musicians
Eulenspiegel Puppets presents a new adaptation of The Bremen Town Musicians, a beloved Grimm’s fairy tale! In this version, Till Eulenspiegel’s donkey retires and makes common cause with a bluesy hound, a rockin’ rooster, and a jazzy cat.
Age group: 4-94
Films for Adults and Teens
Join us at the Owl Glass Puppetry Center for a special presentation of Heather Henson's Handmade Puppet Dreams!
Handmade Puppet Dreams is a series of short films showcasing the fresh voices of independent puppeteers who embrace film as their medium and breathe life into their dreams while exploring a spectrum of live-action puppetry styles.
Age group: teens and adults
Young Puppeteers Festival
THE YOUNG PUPPETEERS FESTIVAL is an opportunity for amateur puppeteers to develop their own shows for performance in a festival setting. It is open to anyone who is young to the art of puppetry (kids and adults). Participants will write their own script, craft materials, build their own puppets, and perform at the festival.
Age group: all ages
Field Trips!
Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre is an excellent destination for your school field trips! We're holding them outdoors till it's safe to go inside!
With shows that connect to the Iowa Core, include study guides, and take place in West Liberty's charming downtown park, our beautiful 1910 opera house, or Owl Glass Puppetry Center's intimate environment, these events are perfect for grades K-5....
