Welcome to Thistle Theatre
32 Years of Professional Puppet Theatre
Seattle’s premier puppet theater is back! We are excited to be offering new performances and programs to our puppet-loving community.
Along with select performances in our studio, Thistle Theatre also offers:
Touring: Bring Thistle Theatre to you! We are available to book single and multiple performances. Available shows are posted below or contact [email protected] for more information.
Classroom Shows: We are now offering smaller shows for up to 120 people. Enjoyable anywhere, these shows are designed to support Washington State Learning Standards. Available shows coming soon or contact [email protected] for more information or to commission a show.
Workshops: Learn the art of puppetry! We are offering a variety of workshops for a range of age levels. Great for schools, community centers, summer camps or any group that wants to play around with puppets. Available workshops coming soon or contact [email protected] for more information or suggest a workshop. We love to share what we know.
Upcoming Performances
Gingerbread Boy
Sat 12/2 at KCL Sammamish Library
Gingerbread Boy
3pm Sun 12/8
at Seattle Center “Artists at the Center”, Seattle
More Information
Available Productions
Winnie the Pooh
Join a wondrous Christopher Robin as his toys come to life in Thistle Theatre’s production of “Winnie-the-Pooh”. This production includes 4 stories; “Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees”, “Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets into a Tight Place”, “Eeyore has a Birthday” and “Piglet Has a Bath”.
Big Tree and the Little Salmon
Big Tree and Little Salmon is about the ecology of salmon runs in Washington and the historical and cultural relationship with the Suquamish people. The story follows the journey of salmon from Wildcat and Lost Creek to the ocean and back again.
The Gingerbread Boy
Set in a magical world of candy, cookies and ice cream, too much spice is added to the batter and out pops the Gingerbread Boy who stops the production of holiday goodies. Follow the Gingerbread Boy to a giant gingerbread house on Candy Cane Lane, the Snowman in the Icicle Alps and the Gummy Gator at the Soda Swamp.
The Bremen Town Musicians
The Bremen Town Musicians is a shadow puppet show demonstrating the lessons taught in the “Light and Sound: Puppet Theater Engineers” 1st-grade science unit. During the course of the performance, different materials, light sources, and noise-making props will be used to show different effects that can be achieved.
Brother Coyote and Sister Fox
In this delightful and hilarious adaptation of a Mexican folktale…Brother Coyote wants one thing and one thing only, to catch and eat one of Doña Conchita’s plump chickens.
Education
Thistle Theatre is excited to be expanding our educational offerings. These puppet shows are designed to be performed in classroom-sized spaces. Appropriate for audiences up to 120.
Workshops
Thistle Theatre offers several workshops that will guide participants through the the fundamentals of puppetry manipulation, construction and storytelling. Students will learn the fundamentals of team puppetry and communication skills.
Remembering Jean Enticknap
Jean was the founder and director of Thistle Theatre, her 30-year-old “Puppet Theatre for Families”, where she introduced tens of thousands of children to the magic of puppetry and storytelling with a repertoire of folk tales and imagery from cultures around the world.
Bunraku
Bunraku (文楽), also known as Ningyō jōruri (人形浄瑠璃), is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka at the beginning of 17th century. Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance: the Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai (puppeteers), the Tayū (chanters), and shamisen musicians. Thistle Theatre specializes in Tabletop Bunraku. Puppeteers, dressed in black, operate the handcrafted puppets from behind for realistic movement.
Here you can see our puppeteers rehearsing.
Bunraku
Here you can see our puppeteers rehearsing.
