A Puppet Variety show for adults!

Ithaca’s own PUPPET SLAM – the SLAM JAMBOREE happens each year in the spring. What is a SLAM? It is an evening of curated short-form puppetry acts intended for adult audiences.

2026: May 8 7:30pm, May 9 7:30pm & May 10 3pm

At the Cherry Arts Theater (102 Cherry St. Ithaca).

There will be death, there will be strange instruments, there will be burlesque, and of course, some sort of disaster…

2026 Line-up of Performers:

Play with Death By Anne-Marie Cardin – The puppeteer awakens with Death in her arms. An atmosphere of madness and mistrust ensues. Death asks the puppeteer for a dance. The proposition accepted, the pair offer the audience a performance that is both romantic and unsettling. Through the play of illusion and the sound of music, the two companions are transported into a waltz where fear and love intertwine…

A Slice of Crazy Pie By Madison J. Cripps – a mesmerizing cabaret style marionette puppet show meticulously crafted by Madison J Cripps. Since 2006, this captivating production weaves interests, viewpoints, and eccentricities into a spellbinding journey. Characters like Pinkey the Mayor and Ratty Ratkinson engage with audiences, while diverse settings from the moon to the street provide intrigue.

The Graphic Score By Lilypad Puppet Theater crew – A short introduction to the twentieth century concept of a graphical music score, followed by a performance of “Indentation #3” by Italian post-futurist Luigi Chiavetta, with an extra large version of the score.

The Necklace By Dawn Jordan – based on an old French tale from Guy de Maupussant, will feature Matilda, a marionette who dreams of a fairy tale life, only to find herself in financial ruins after she looses a necklace.

Baby Rose By Arthur Groys – Early 1900s, Seattle. Baby Rose is taken to the theater for the first time by her father. She is mesmerized and completely carried away by the performance. Her openly expressed emotions embarrass her father, who considers a visit to the theater a dull obligation rather than a pleasure. Irritated and uneasy, he wants to leave before the show ends. But his little daughter is determined to stay and watch the performance to the very end.

Socky By Nicky Heart – A burlesque-clown vignette about the roller coaster of love.

Imperfect Metaphors for Death By Seth Koproski & Andy Colpitts – tells the story of a bereaved boy who escapes into the toy theatre of his mind. There, Luca explores the meaning of death and search for life amid giant squids, dormant seeds, and the incomprehensible vastness of space.

TICKETS HERE!

You can get a fancy drink at the Slam thanks to: Pop Up Bars with Open Spaces. (They donate the proceeds to the puppet theatre – amazing!) Each event bar offers a curated selection of by-the-glass ciders and wines, and a custom cocktail with a boozy and sober option. Open Spaces loves community events! They’ll pop up for music, food pairing events, gallery openings, fundraisers, community gatherings, weddings, and parties.

Featuring farmed and foraged fruit sober drinks and well produced booze from small Finger Lakes cideries and wineries. Focusing on Eve’s Cidery, Redbyrd Cider, Usonia Wine and adding a few collaborators as they go.

This program was also made possible by the Puppet Slam Network grant!

This program is made possible in part with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants program from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and NYS Legislature, and from Tompkins County; administered by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.