Mission
Mum Puppettheatre makes art that moves, creating theatre beyond the scope of human actors, often without words. We integrate the plastic, visual and performing arts by creating stunning, emotionally compelling and breathtakingly beautiful theatre, using puppets, masks and the human body. Our mission is to collaborate with artists of all disciplines and backgrounds to explore the interdisciplinary nature of puppetry, so we can expand and engage the imaginations of people of all ages, independent of language or culture, on stage, on tour and in the classroom.
History
Founded in 1985, Mum Puppettheatre is a touring theatre company that performs original works around the world and in our home city of Philadelphia. We have toured on 4 continents since 1990. Mum Puppettheatre was the first American theatre company to perform in Romania after the revolution of 1991.
Mum Puppettheatre has won three Citations for Excellence from the North American chapter of Union Internationale de la Marionnette. In Philadelphia, Mum Puppettheatre has won thirteen Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. Founding Artistic Director Robert Smythe is the winner of a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, and was one of the last Solo Performer Fellows of the National Endowment for the Arts. Robert is widely regarded as one of the foremost puppeteers in the United States whose work has been seen all over the world.
