'Trash to Life' Puppet Night

Puppet your way out of despair.

Next event: April 21st.

Introduction

"Puppets are not toys. They are worlds. Little, unruly worlds built from whatever the moment offers: a sock, a stick, a crumpled receipt, a strand of thread. They are the republic of the overlooked. They are what happens when you don't ask for permission to create.

To make puppets is to say: this too is alive, and so am I. You can make them alone in your room or on the street corner with your friends. Make them out of trash. Make them out of grief. Make them because the world is breaking your heart and because it is still beautiful in places.

A puppet show is a kind of uprising. It says that joy does not belong to the powerful. It belongs to those who gather in basements and garages and borrowed spaces, who dare to believe that a paper bag with googly eyes can carry a message truer than any press release. It is cheap. It is anarchic. It is sacred.

You don't need to be an artist. You just need to reach out your hand and bring something to life."

- puppet perverts(@avantgossip)

Important

Next event: April 21st, 7pm - 9pm! Find us at Rumble Collective: 1516 SE 43rd Ave, Portland, OR 97215. Entry is FREE!

Prepare your performances - new and old - and your puppets - be they made of trash or treasure - we open this space to see and be seen, and support each other as a community of artists. We'll be starting with an entry-level workshop held by a puppeteer in the community, centered on the building blocks of puppetry - bringing emotion, motivation, and life to everyday trash. Then we'll have open-mic style sharing, and end the day with some time to chat and share with each other. Works in progress are welcome and encouraged.

Our schedule of activities is not strict, we follow the energy of the group.

  • First (~30min) - Puppetry Workshop
  • Second (~60min) - Puppet, Mask, & Clown Open Mic
  • Third (~30min) - Open Share

This event is all ages, but is NOT a children's puppet show! There may be adult material. This is a radical puppet event for artsy freaks. For questions, contact: SixLetterNotion@purelymail.com.

Please RSVP if you can, but as long as we have room all are welcome!

Puppetry Workshop

Bring your energy and your curiosity! An entry-level workshop presented by a puppeteer in the community, so it's a little different each time. Together we’ll learn about the building blocks of puppetry - bringing emotion, motivation, and life to everyday objects. We aim to show how easy and accessible puppetry is, and how everyone - yes you! - can bring a story to life.

Open Mic

Prepare your performances, new and old, your puppets, be they made of trash or treasure, we open this space to support each other as a community of artists. Works in progress are welcome and encouraged, and so are mask and clown acts (it's like puppetry with your body!). Is there a piece of music or poetry you love? A movie scene? A favorite story? No matter your experience level, lets all try something new!

Names will be drawn from a hat at the beginning, and performers will get the chance to sign up at any slot they choose.

Guidelines:

  • Soft time-limit of 15 minutes
  • Puppets and props must be able to be carried up a couple stairs and through the door, take no more than 1-2 minutes to set up, and not leave behind anything sticky, wet, or glittery
  • We will have a bluetooth speaker avaliable for sound needs

Open Share

Trash-to-Life is all about the sharing of skills, so after our first two events we encourage people to ask questions about the shows that presented, share tips and tricks, and connect. There will also be puppets provided if you'd like to keep experimenting with what you learned.

Photos

(1/18/2026) L to R: Notion, Presley

(1/18/2026) L to R: Notion, Presley

Resources

More opportunities in Portland to learn how to build and perform puppets: