The Winnipeg Puppet Slam celebrated its 15th anniversary this year on Nov. 23. The anniversary of the local chapter entailed an evening of variety to celebrate the art of puppetry.

The Puppet Slam network began in the U.S. with puppeteer Heather Henson, daughter of The Muppets creator Jim Henson. The name, inspired by the practice of poetry slams, was meant to convey the idea of evening variety shows to celebrate puppetry. However, that is where the similarities to poetry slams end.

“The Puppet Slam is quite different than the poetry slam […] With the puppet slam, it’s not juried,” said Curtis L. Wiebe, one of the Winnipeg Puppet Slam’s producers. “It’s not a contest […] Puppet slams are more just a celebration of puppetry and the puppetry arts.”

The distinguishing feature of the Winnipeg Puppet Slam and other Puppet Slams is that they are intended for adult audiences — they are created “by adults for adults.” This combats the association that puppetry began to have in the 20th century, where it was seen as being limited to children’s entertainment. 

“Puppetry has been used in storytelling since people were telling stories. They were using their hands to make shadows on the walls,” Wiebe explained. “It’s an ancient art form, but then it was relegated to this kid’s entertainment in the early 20th century […] Puppet slams are a way of trying to encourage adults to play with puppets and tell their stories with puppetry arts, whether they are seasoned puppet artists or not.” 

Wiebe’s fascination with puppets began at a young age, when he created stories and adventures with stuffed animals alongside his brothers. His love for puppetry developed further through regular viewings of The Muppet Show and solidified when he saw a marionette performance while living in the U.S. 

“We lived in the United States for a short time while my dad went to school there, and while I was going to school there, there was a travelling marionette troupe that came through and they did a performance of The Wizard of Oz with marionettes,” he recalled. “I never forgot that.” 

For the Winnipeg Puppet Slam’s 15th anniversary, the annual Puppet Slam event was held at the Gas Station Arts Centre. The event was styled as a birthday party, with party hats in the lobby and an open bar, as well as returning characters from past events. They had a variety of performers, with some returning from previous slams and others being newcomers. 

In a time when technology and artificial intelligence are widespread, some might question what place puppetry has in today’s entertainment. However, Wiebe noted the continuing appeal of puppets and practical effects, even with the rise of such technologies, citing The Mandalorian with the popular character of Grogu, dubbed “Baby Yoda,” being portrayed by a puppet as an example. 

“New things are always coming in, but we never give up the old stuff,” he stated. “We’ll always have puppets because there’s something so tactile, so human, about that handmade thing […] When you puppeteer something […] you’re lending it your life’s source [and] lending it a soul […] And there’s something that’s just magical about [it] that I think everybody can see.”

Wiebe was thankful that the Winnipeg Puppet Slam has been able to succeed for 15 years and hoped that people will continue to be inspired to express themselves through puppetry. 

“There’s really nothing else […] in Winnipeg in the way that we’re doing it, where it’s open to anyone to come and play and to express themselves in ways that maybe they couldn’t if they thought that puppetry was just for kids […] You can express your adult thoughts and your grown up problems through puppetry as well.” 

For more information on future events and projects, visit Winnipeg Puppet Slam and Winnipeg Puppet Collective on Facebook.