Puppet Showplace Theater has opened applications for their third round of grants for the Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers. This initiative, launched in summer 2020 under the name Black Puppeteers Empowerment Grant, aims to diversify representation in the field of puppetry. Puppet Showplace’s Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers initiative invests in creative research and early-stage production development by Black puppeteers from Greater Boston and from across the country. We are offering five $1,000 grants to Black artists to support the research and development of original puppetry projects. Our team will facilitate community-building among members of the cohort and will create opportunities for artists to support and learn from each other while sharing works in progress. The residency will take place April – June 2022. It will include two virtual group gatherings as well as individual project development sessions with program mentor Brian Harrison, with additional support from community curator Tanya Nixon-Silberg and Puppet Showplace Theater Artistic Director Leslie Burton. There will be a final public sharing of work in June 2022.
We invite applications for projects at any stage of development and incorporate any form of puppetry. They may be intended for adult, child, family, student, or other community-based audiences. Projects may be multidisciplinary and intended for a variety of presenting contexts. They may approach any subject matter that the artist wishes to explore through puppetry, including but not limited to history, politics, fantasy, memoir, folklore, traditions, contemporary issues, or other more abstract explorations.
Artists from across the U.S. are encouraged to apply. At least one grant award will be designated for an artist living or working in Greater Boston. Applications are due March 25, 2022.
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