The Asheville Puppetry Alliance (APA), founded in 1997, is a non-profit organization promoting the art of puppetry by educating the public about its origins and development, introducing the public to a wide variety of puppet styles, and uniting artists with the community through the practice and performance of the ancient art of puppetry and its contemporary and ever-evolving forms.   To learn more about Asheville Puppetry Alliance visit <ashevillepuppetry.org>

The National Day of Puppetry is a nationwide event celebrating this unique art form.  This year it is Saturday, April 28 at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC. We offer a variety of puppet shows and activities for family audiences.  It is an opportunity for the community to get to know us better and treat their family to a unique fun-filled day together. Because we strive to keep our prices affordable for our local families, we need your help to compensate performers for their time, energy, and expertise.  We ask for donations of $7 per person.  This year, the day includes 3 feature performances: Hansel and Gretel by the Red Herring Puppets and Camelot Puppets, Billy the Liar by the Toybox Theatre and Cripps Puppets, and The Frog Prince from the Mountain Marionettes.  There will also be short performances by the Nuthouse Theatre and Conni Mulligan.  In between performances, guests can enjoy making their own puppets, learning about puppet manipulation, and playing puppet-themed games.

Total costs for the day including publicity, space rental, puppet-making supplies, administrative costs, and performer fees come to $2200.  We expect ticket income donations of $1000. We are asking for your help to raise the additional $1200.  Your tax-deductible support will enable us to continue to offer this kind of outreach and community building.  If we exceed our goal, additional monies will be used towards other programs such as our Young Audience Series, adult workshop series, and bi-annual Puppet Slam.

Thank you perks include tickets to our 2012/13 Young Audience Series at the Diana Wortham Theatre, collectible Muppets posters, and copies of the book It’s Not Easy Being Green graciously donated to the Asheville Puppetry Alliance by the Jim Henson Foundation.

Please join our fundraising campaign and help spread the word through your personal social networks.  And don’t forget to invite family and friends to attend The National Day of Puppetry!