PuppetART Theater

Definitely the BEST puppet show I have ever seen. Set to music with no words, The puppets and puppeteers were absolutely magnificent. Beautiful, emotion-​filled, skillful, a joy for adults and children alike. I took my 2 year old son (26 months to be exact) and he and I both sat, spellbound, through the entire show. A MUST-​SEE for anyone who enjoys the arts at all.

Puppets! Puppets! Have you seen a puppet show before? We think you will really, really like this show. When we saw the show Dream Tigers, it was fun. We enjoyed seeing the actors and the puppets. We enjoyed the part with the big fake wave. If you didn’t see the show, go see it before it closes.
–Detroit First Graders

Have you seen the show «Dream Tigers» at the PuppetArt Theater??? We have! It has AWESOME puppets. They teach you about the 4 puppet families before the show starts. We were shocked that real people were in the puppet show. We thought it would be ONLY puppets. We really liked the character Nino. He was so funny, like an «animal trapped in a boy body»!
The show was funny, but a little bit scary sometimes. It was EPIC. The witch scared us but we were okay.
You need to go see it too!
— Detroit 1^st Graders (who went there on a field trip)

My visit to PuppetArt was the first in a series of circumstantial events that made me learn to love Detroit. A Chi-​town friend asked me if I’d like to go to see a Russian puppet show. It’s not like there are Russian puppet theatres in every city, so we had to go all the way to Detroit. I said yes, of course. This was back in 2009, some ten Detroit vacations ago.
Honestly I’m really not that into puppets, even Russian ones, but I can attest that the show I saw was remarkable in its ability to captivate and soothe a house full of hyperactive children. This is a low-​key spot, and they have sort of a puppet museum in the lobby. It really seems like the perfect place to bring kids.
I had less luck paying attention from my seat, sandwiched between a four year old in front and his mother in back. «I GOT A EYE VIEW,» the mother whispered through her teeth and at her child. «KEEP QUIET OR I’LL HIT YOU WITH MY STICK!» For the next 45 minutes, all I could think about was how I’d better behave.

You really get a unique experience when you come here. It is only 10 dollars but they DO NOT take credit card. They do one play per month and perform on Saturdays. They ask you to make a reservation by calling a head. This is great for kids, but also for grownups. I have no children and loved every minute. You can view their schedule online on their web page… they also have a fb page. I was lucky enough to see sleeping beauty… it was super cool. It was with no words, but only great music. Kids followed along just fine. The sets were so cool. They put their own spin on sleeping beauty… they felt that the price who sucessfully woke sleeping beauty was successful, because his father taught him with puppets. The puppeteers are from Russia and taught there… they talk to the audience before and after… and even offer a workshop on puppets. They do sell a few snacks and has a restroom… Get there early so you can look at the puppet museum. I cannot wait to go back!!! Puppets are amazing… Mr. Roger’s, Seasme Street, and don’t forget the Vann Trapp family in the Sound of Music. Please go for something really unqiue to do!