Company History

Puppetworks was founded in 2002 by director, actor and principal puppeteer, Phil Arnold.

I have worked in and around live theatre, mostly creating my own work, for 35 years. In that time I worked in both Canada and in the U.K., and in the process I founded three small theatre companies dedicated to producing works of social importance.

Although I enjoyed puppetry as a child, as an adult I had lost touch with its power and flexibility. Then in 2001 I was invited to see a full length puppet production; I had discovered, PuppetMongers of Toronto.
Their production of, "The Pirate Widow Chiang" was the first live puppet show I had seen in many years; not since the Punch and Judy man visited the beach in Swansea when I was a boy. I was enthralled. It was many years since I had seen such unpretentious theatricality and I was hooked.

My next step was to attend a puppet festival. The Detroit Puppeteers Guild was hosting a bi-annual regional festival of the Puppeteers of America. This three day event was held in Detroit at the Hyatt hotel near Greenfield Village and was a real eye opener for me. That weekend nearly 300 puppeteers gathered to share their knowledge and experience, make new friends and renew old friendships (and have a lot of fun in the process). Later that year I started performing with puppets and I haven't looked back.

I joined the Puppeters of America, the Detroit Puppeteers Guild, the Ontario Puppetry Association and I founded Puppetworks for good measure.

In 2006 as a Board Member of the Ontario Puppetry Association I acted as the festival director for the joint bi-annual regional festival of Puppeteers of America and the 50th anniversay of the Ontario Puppetry Association.

Now in my seventh year as the President of the Ontario Puppetry Association, I understand how much more I have to learn about this ancient art and craft, and how truly powerful it can be.

Stay tuned, there's more history in the making.