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Frequently asked questions
We accept bookings up to 18 months in advance.
However, we are quite flexible depending on our availability.
If you have a particular date in mind, 6 months or more is generally recommended to reserve your date on the calendar. All dates are first come, first served.
If you are flexible on the date, 3 months or so is generally sufficient.
However, if you do have a last minute request and we are available, we can sometimes accomodate your request.
If you are not sure of funding or are awaiting approval, we are happy to "pencil you in." In that case, we will give you a call with right of first refusal if we get another inquiry for that date.
Yes. Because we perform live and have years of experience presenting workshops, we can accommodate nearly any theme, curriculum goals, or special requests. For instance, we've done dinosaur shadow puppets for the Indiana State Museum, done workshops on using puppets as writing muses for a Young Author's conference, and had Mr. Punch do a basketball theme performance for the NCAA Final Four festivities and so on. Check out our Notable Collaborations page for more examples of our adapted offerings.
Most of our performances are primarily designed and tailored for elementary school age and younger (generally around ages 3- 12.) That said, they are perfectly suited for family audiences at festivals and community events and they are also entertaining for older audiences. For instance, we have performed for a late night college audience for a "Be a Kid Again" event at Ball State University, performed in nursing homes, and have been well received by middle school audiences, etc.
Our workshops can be adapted for any age range and are equally appealing to young and old alike. And we have extensive experience presenting in-services for educators and youth workers.
For single day events, we generally travel throughout Indiana and neighboring states. (About a 3 hour radius from our home base in Painted Hills, Indiana.)
However, we are willing to travel anywhere in the world provided it is a multi-day event or if other bookings can be secured at nearby locations (such as a multi-school tour.) For instance, we've performed at the Detroit Institute of Arts, presented workshops at the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts, and done a multi-show run at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater. We've even presented a 3 week residency on the other side of the world for the Singapore American School and performed for a 17 city performance tour in Japan.
We do, but we generally require a rain cancellation deposit of some kind and overhead cover for our stage such as a large tent or picnic shelter, etc.
Also, please let us know of load-in arrangements and power availability.
That said, we are flexible and have performed at well over 100 festivals and outdoor events.
Yes. We provide our own sound system: A Yamaha Stagepass 500 that has great quality sound for most venues with audience of around 300 or fewer. All that is required is safe access to electric power.
For outdoor bookings, we do generally require overhead cover.
In the case that power will not be available (such as an outdoor booking), we can provide power from our Jackery power station but ask that you request it ahead of time so we know to bring it along.
The stage itself is around 12 feet wide, 5 feet deep, and 6 feet tall. Then we have speaker stands that sit a few feet to each side but can be tucked in our side curtains in tight spaces.
If you have a particularly small performance space such as a small library conference room or classroom, a good rule of thumb is that the first row of the audience can sit about 15 feet from the back wall as a bare minimum. (Our stage sits about 5 feet from the wall, is about 5 feet deep, and then another 5 feet for the audience.)
It depends on the space available and the age of the audience.
For instance, we generally recommend a max audience of around 250 for elementary age students in a gymnasium.
For younger groups, like preschoolers- we generally recommend a max of 75 provided the space is large enough.
Kindergarten falls in between at around 125 or so.
However, these are just ballpark numbers. We have a very energetic and interactive show, so it's best not to pack too many kids into too small of a space as the audience can get quite involved. So a lot of it depends on what kind of room you have.
Likewise, if you are an elementary school with 300 kids, we can generally present to them without any issues, but around 325 or 350 or more, it's better to split into two performances.
For shows, we generally require around 1 hour to setup and ask that the performance space be available at that time for us to load into.
For workshops, we generally require around 30 minutes to set up.
For the shadow puppet workshops, though, we generally ask for around 45 minutes to get ready.
We can work in tighter timeframes if needed if discussed and agreed to in advance, but the above times are preferred.
Most of our workshops are designed to be free of glue and paint and can be presented in any space.
There should be enough tables or desks available to accommodate the anticipated number of participants.
We also need an additional banquet size table or equivalent counter space for our supplies area.
Although we can go room to room in schools, it is preferable that we set up in one location and have students rotate to us, as timing can sometimes be too tight to pack, move, and reset between sessions.
Our shows generally run around 40-45 minutes.
If desired, we can also add a Q&A with the audience of 10-15 minutes following the performance.
Because we perform live, we can generally adjust the run time to be shorter if desired, such as if you have multiple events that day. But around 30 minutes is generally the minimum run time we can accommodate. And is the recommended length for festivals, etc.
Likewise, our workshops are designed to run 45 minutes in length, but we are happy to extend them to one hour if your schedule allows. Our shadow puppet workshops are better paced at around an hour.
Our workshops are extremely flexible and can easily be combined or extended.
The same is true of our teacher and youth worker in-services.
For instance, we have done week long summer camps and teacher retreats where we have presented 3 hour sessions over the course of five days.
If the event is cancelled at least 30 days in advance or you are willing and able to reschedule the event to a mutually agreed upon and available date, there is no penalty.
For cancellations 14 days or less prior to the event, we usually require a 50% cancellation penalty.
For 14-30 days, a 25% cancellation penalty is due.
However, we are flexible and can negotiate unique cancellation terms or generally come to agreement if you have to cancel due to unusual circumstances.
Also, if you are aware the booking is tentative because of needed grant funding or approval, we are happy to "pencil you in" without obligation and will give you "right of first refusal" if someone else requests the date.
Our booking process is simple, flexible, and personable. Start by filling out our booking form and telling us a bit about your event, participants, and goals. We’ll follow up with availability, details, and pricing, and work with you and find the best fit.
There’s no obligation—we’re happy to answer questions and help you plan a program that works for your space and audience.
We understand that budgets can vary, and we’re happy to work with schools and organizations to explore options.
In some cases, programs may be supported through grants, community partnerships, or sponsorships. While we don’t manage funding directly, we’re glad to share ideas or approaches that have worked for others.
Feel free to reach out—we’re happy to help you find a solution that works.
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