News

Spring has Sprung!

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Piccadilly Puppets celebrates the spring season with a brand new version of Butterfly Ballad, featuring an all new script by Pamela Shook and the voice talents of Alejandra Ruiz and Sariel Toribio.

Join Katy and Kevin Caterpillar as they discover the wonders of the monarch butterfly’s life cycle, dodging predators like Frankie B. Frog, dreaming of flying, and even dipping into a fancy French restaurant in the milkweed patch!

New puppeteer Evan Hill Phillips rehearses Butterfly Ballad!

With a myriad of colorful puppets and the option to pair this show with our Butterfly Ballad study guide, this show can bring joyful learning to your classroom or brighten up any party or festival. We went live this week with multiple shows daily at three different venues, so don’t wait! Book Butterfly Ballad today!

Welcome New Puppeteers

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Piccadilly is pleased to welcome two new puppeteers to our team!

Evan Hill Phillips Evan is a graduate from Michigan State University with a BFA in Theatre & an Alum of Aurora Theatre’s 2019 Apprentice Company.  Evan is also an Associate Artist of the Sense-Ability Ensemble and is currently developing an original musical geared towards neurodiverse audiences. Evan has performed with a variety of theater companies including Aurora Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Out Front Theatre, The Center for Puppetry Arts, Synchronicity Theatre, Destination Theatre, Herschend Family Entertainment & Working Title Playwrights. Sporadic updates at @evanhillphillips & www.evanhillphillips.com..com.


Danielle Bryn holds a M.A. in Theatre from Kansas State University. Danielle learned puppetry with Kohl’s Wild Theatre, a conservation-based TYA program with the Milwaukee Zoological Society. Since moving to Atlanta, Danielle has worked with The Atlanta Shakespeare Company as an actor on their TYA tour of Much Ado, is a company member and regular performer with Murder, Mystery and Mayhem at Petite Violette (formerly Agatha’s: A Taste of Mystery), and has worked on various Audio Dramas including the 2022 Audioverse Awards favorite, Badlands Cola. She is also involved in Atlanta’s improv and sketch comedy scene. She has a passion for making people laugh, and loves hearing a good story. 

Butterfly Ballad is Getting a Facelift

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With an updated script by Pamela Shook, our seasonal favorite Butterfly Ballad will soon be debuting a brand new recording! Featuring new voice talents Alejandra Ruiz and Sariel Toribio as the titular butterflies Katy and Kevin, this new version will flutter into your hearts this spring. Recording starts this week. Book Butterfly Ballad today!

Meet the Cast

Alejandra Ruiz is ecstatic to bring her voice to Katy the Caterpillar! She is an Atlanta based actor currently performing in the World Premier of ‘Oh To Be Pure Again’ at Actor’s Express. Keep up with all her endeavors on her instagram @x.alejandra.xx 

Sariel Toribio – Recent credits include Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing and The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern), Sunset Baby (Actor’s Express), Knock Knock, The Lizard & El Sol (Alliance Theatre’s Theatre for the Very Young)

Additional Credits

Music by Jack David

Editing by Joel Ruiz

Additional voice work by Rachel Frawley

Piccadilly Puppets is Seeking Actors/Puppeteers!

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UPDATE: Current open slots have been filled. We will post any future opportunities here.

Piccadilly Puppets is a non-profit touring puppet theatre operating out of Decatur, GA. We perform at schools, libraries, birthday parties and private events throughout Atlanta, Georgia and the Southeast. We currently have about 12 shows in rotation, each 30-45 minutes. Puppeteers would be scheduled for shows according to their availability and preference. BIPOC artists encouraged to apply. Puppeteering experience negotiable.

Rehearsals would likely begin in late March.

Compensation: $20/hour rehearsal 

   $85/performance

  $45/workshop

Please send headshots and resumes to Rachel Frawley at piccadillypuppets@gmail.com

February Fun

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We’ve got big things brewing at Piccadilly this month! This week, we’re introducing a brand new puppet to our longtime classic Imagination Station (with updated musical tracks on the way)! This quirky puppet variety show is a favorite amongst the preschool set, and a great choice for birthday parties and daycares. Now featuring Daisy, our new onion song girl.

Big thanks to Wesshots for an amazing photoshoot earlier this month. Keep an eye out for fresh looks at our favorite puppets, and don’t forget to book Piccadilly!

Book now

Join us “All Together Now” for our 2023 Summer Reading Shows!

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In honor of 2023’s Summer Reading theme, “All Together Now,” Piccadilly is putting the spotlight on two of our shows that bring together stories and folklore from all over the world: Wish Tales and Cat and Mouse! These shows each feature multiple tenets of ELAGSE and are the perfect way to get kids excited about stories, reading, and working together!

Thank you, Fayette County Library for hosting!

Today we are connecting with libraries and educators at the Fayette County Public Library Performer’s Showcase. Make sure to keep Piccadilly Puppets in mind for all your summer entertainment and education needs!

Can the power of wishing unite folklore on a global scale? Will cats and mice ever learn to work together? Find out when you book these delightful shows today!

New Year, New Puppets!

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Happy New Year from Piccadilly!

We’re kicking off the new year with a lot of exciting things in the works. We’re building a new puppet for Imagination Station, and have already begun the process of updating the entire show for Butterfly Ballad.

Now is a great time to book us for the spring. Our shows support many educational themes and bring excitement and interactive activities to learning. We’re already looking forward to a pre-booked four day stint of 8 Butterfly Ballad shows in April. Or bring some sunshine to these dreary winter months and book today!

We would love to take a moment to thank our wonderful donors from this year’s giving season campaigns. You help us continue to keep puppetry accessible and affordable to children across Georgia and the Southeast, and we couldn’t do it without you. Check out some special shout outs on our Instagram.

Keep an eye out for more exciting developments in 2023. We’re starting the year off strong!

November Blast!

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We’ve had a busy couple months at Piccadilly! In October, we moved into a new storage unit. We’ve been taking inventory and sorting decades’ worth of puppets and supplies, streamlining our roster and beginning the process of updating our existing shows as we round out the year.

We’re in the midst of preparing a full show update of Butterfly Ballad, our show with a bilingual option. If you want to support this effort, and Piccadilly Puppets, consider making a Giving Tuesday contribution here! All donations are tax deductible and will go directly to making puppetry accessible and affordable to children across Atlanta and the Southeast.

Piccadilly Puppets Announces Rachel Frawley as New Artistic and Managing Director

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATLANTA, GA September 19, 2022 – Atlanta’s touring puppetry company, Piccadilly Puppets, has selected a brand-new Artistic and Managing Director. In support of the company’s mission to provide puppetry experiences of high artistic quality to young audiences, The Piccadilly Puppets Company (PPC)  is excited to move forward with new leadership. 

Incoming Artistic and Managing Director Rachel Frawley is an Atlanta based actor, writer and producer. She holds a B.F.A. in Theatre from Michigan State University and is an apprentice company graduate of the Atlanta Shakespeare Co. In addition to acting, she has narrated over 30 audiobook titles, and was a producer for the Weird Sisters Theatre Project for their 2017 and 2018 seasons. She has taught and directed acting camps, classes and master classes for theatres and studios across Atlanta. Rachel has worked and continues to train as an intimacy professional, and is enrolled in courses with the Association of Mental Health Coordinators. Currently she is writing, directing and producing a new children’s puppet musical for Synchronicity Theatre’s Stripped Bare series.

Veteran puppeteer Nancy Riggs has led the company for the past eleven years. She has endeavored to continue and grow PPC’s commitment to making puppetry accessible, interactive and affordable to underserved communities.  At her recent decision to step back from the role of Director, she led the search for her successor. “Piccadilly Puppets has been a wonderful part of my life for 25 years, and I hope to continue to be involved as a puppeteer and advisor for the near future” says Ms. Riggs. “However, I am ready to hand off leadership of the company to someone with new energy and vision. Rachel has just the combination of artistic and administrative skills needed, along with a love of children and puppets! I am excited to see how she moves the company forward.”

Rachel Frawley is thrilled to take on this opportunity, and is committed to honoring and expanding PPC’s stellar work entertaining and educating young audiences.

Piccadilly Puppets is a 501(c)3 non-profit touring puppetry company. Since its inception in 1970, Piccadilly Puppets has produced and performed puppet plays for schools, theaters, festivals and a variety of community organizations in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. Incorporated in 1976, the nonprofit organization has been awarded a Citation for Excellence in the Art of Puppetry from Union Internationale de la Marionnette, the oldest international theatre organization in the world. 

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For more information, contact Nancy Riggs, (404) 636-0022, piccadillypuppets@gmail.com

Thanks to Fulton County Arts and Culture!

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Thank you to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners for funding us through the Fulton County Arts Council! Piccadilly Puppets is headquartered in Fulton County and offers many shows and workshops to county residents. This funding allows us to offer our services at affordable prices.
The Contracts for Services (CFS) provides unrestricted general operating and project support to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, arts & culture organizations, cultural institutions, colleges and universities, as well as units of government that produce or present ongoing arts programming open to the public. CFS contractors present programs that reflect the cultural diversity of the County, captures the imagination of adults, families and youth, invigorate neighborhood growth, support economic development and provides jobs.This year the Board of Commissioners approved $2.3 million dollars in funding for 190 recipients comprised of individual artists, arts organizations, non-profits, schools, colleges and universities, and municipalities. Awards range between $1,000 and $42,000..The awards represent funding recommended for the Annual Funding opportunity for operating and project support that closed in late January 2022 as well as the Second Round Funding opportunities including the project support, partnership and planning categories that closed at the end of May 2022.CFS award recipients are reviewed and awarded using the following evaluation criteria; artistic merit, service to the community and field, organizational effectiveness, and accessibility. Contractors are selected after a thorough evaluation by an advisory panel of professionals representing all artistic categories. The recipients that were awarded funding are projected to serve more than five million people in Fulton County. Community-based arts organizations throughout Fulton County are encouraged to apply annually for participation in the CFS Program through the Fulton County Department of Arts & Culture. Applications are reviewed by staff, the Fulton County Arts Council, and the Allocations Committee, which provides additional accountability to support the Fulton County strategic goal that “AII People’s Lives Are Culturally and Recreationally Enriched” prior to submission to the Board of Commissioners.The Fulton County Department of Arts & Culture (FCAC) will announce the 2023 Contracts for Services Program (CFS) funding opportunity in Fall 2023.
CLICK HERE FOR 2022 CONTRACT FOR SERVICES AWARDS
www.fultonarts.org