The Department of Theatre and Film is proud to welcome Blair Thomas, founder and artistic director of the Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival—North America’s largest puppet festival—on Monday, August 25th at 6:30 PM. The event will be hosted in Mason Recital Hall 350.

Blair will be joined by Silas Thomas, presenting two short form works. Along with this, Blair will lecture about his career.

Cowboy Outlaw (9 min)
This is a two-person hand puppet and human marionette show built around Brian Dewan’s ballad of the same name about the true-life story of Elmer McCurdy, an outlaw killed in a shoot out whose body was embalmed and put on display at circus and sideshows for more than 60 years.

Does a Dog Have Buddha Nature? (18 min)
This is a multiple rolling paper scroll and shadow puppet show, revealing the inner thoughts and wisdom of a dog. Based on the teaching of the first Zen patriarch Bodhidharma, this is a staged adaptation of the recording from Travis Laplante’s Running In a Field of Flowers as performed by Nois Saxophone Quartet.

NOTE:Though they include puppets, these productions are not intended for children.

We look forward to welcoming our youngest puppet-loving audience members to see Pinocchio & the Tiny Pink Money presented by the Department of Theatre & Film in the Spring of 2026.