Newcastle Puppetry Festival. Prospective dates: 3rd-11th April 2027. Artist applications open now until Sunday 24th May 2026!
We are seeking:
* Indoor stage shows for adults and teens
* Indoor stage shows for children and families
* Indoor stage shows for early years children
* Outdoor roaming walkabout acts
* Outdoor shows
* Cabaret acts and sideshow oddities
* Masterclasses and workshops
* Other / miscellaneous puppetry wonderfulness!
We are a puppetry festival and book work that features puppetry, and/or object theatre, stop motion animation, kinetic art and automata. We are unlikely to book physical theatre or circus acts which do not include puppetry.
All artists and companies are paid to present work at the festival and travel, food and accommodation are covered on top. A quote must be provided in the application.
We especially welcome applications from artists who consider themselves from underrepresented groups within the creative industries workforce, including disabled artists, Global Majority artists and those from working‑class backgrounds.
Artists from around the world are eligible to apply. However, our budget struggles to pay large travel costs outside of Europe, so if you are applying from outside Europe please consider how local touring grants in your country might help to support bringing your show or workshop to Newcastle.
Please note these applications are for the puppet theatre festival – applications for our film festival will open at a later date.
Deadline for applications: Sunday 24th May 2026, 11.59pm UK time.
About the Organisation
Moving Parts Arts CIO (charity number 1194137) is an award‑winning arts and community development organisation founded in 2017. Our week‑long puppet festival, dynamic outreach projects and participatory community events engage up to 20,000 people a year. Newcastle Puppetry Festival won The Journal Culture Award for ‘Best Newcomer’ in 2018.
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