Artists from all over the world will bring puppets to life right here in Stratford.
Thursday marks the return of World In A Weekend: International Puppet Festival.
It’s a four-day event featuring puppeteers from Finland, Spain, Italy, and parts of Canada performing multiple puppetry shows that feature music, dancing, poetry, and storytelling.
SpringWorks Artistic Producer Eileen Smith says puppetry exists in multiple cultures, and comes in different mediums.
“There’s contemporary, there’s shadow, long-string, hand-puppets, rod puppets and things that are crafted, telling challenging and tricky stories, and the amusing versions of things.
“The thing about puppetry is that you, the audience member, are part of the magic of it occurring, that puppets are the conduit and your imagination and association with the puppeteers help create all of the storytelling.”
Smith says the festival will be a mix of family-friendly and adult shows including Block Theatre, Eclectic Cabaret, Line Dancing Latin Style, Scribbles, and Story Bike.
Opening night begins with Eclectic Cabaret where artists Landon Doak, Peggy Coffey, Aubree Erickson, Wren’s Recipes Collective, Kira Hall, and Anarkiti perform together at Grayson Mills on Erie Street at 7:30 p.m.
Following Cabaret is Line Dancing with Mateo Torres and Stratford Dance Co teaching residents Salsa and Latin moves at the same location.
Friday to Sunday includes Flora, a puppet performing the violin, Pay Attention to Those Two, where a little girl and puppy go adventuring, Scribbles, a show about sharing and setting boundaries, and Garden for Little Souls, a sensory puppet playground.
Smith says this year’s event is the first one where they hold events on Monday, with family activities and more puppet shows set for that day.
In a notice, the City of Stratford said Veterans Drive from Cobourg Street to Waterloo Street will be closed to vehicle traffic for the festival Friday to Monday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.
The festival runs until Monday. More information can be found at the SpringWorks website.
