'In the Workshop Live' presented by What if Puppets

It’s another day ‘In the Workshop,’ which means another day filled with bumps and boo-boo’s, big ideas and big feelings. Created specifically for Pre-K - 2nd graders, ‘In the Workshop Live’ turns your classroom into a stage as a bright and colorful cast of puppet characters take over the space. Students must help move the story along by problem solving and working together in this 50 minute, on-your-feet and uniquely interactive experience. When you are ‘In the Workshop,’ it takes a team to make the magic happen!

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Over the past three decades, What If Puppets has captivated nearly 2 million people through its productions and educational programming. Audiences delight in the craftsmanship of the puppets, which range from glove puppets to marionettes to innovative shadow and object-based puppetry. What If Puppets uses humor and heart to present stories that connect to the complex social-emotional experiences of young audiences.

They hold the distinction of receiving four Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA-USA) Citations of Excellence. The UNIMA-USA award was created by Jim Henson to promote high quality puppetry in the U.S. and is considered the “Academy Award” of puppetry.

In 2020, as the arts world was rocked by closures due to COVID-19, What If Puppets’ leadership seized the opportunity to research and develop a strategic vision. A community needs assessment was conducted, revealing the need for learning-through-play and arts integration strategies to support the social-emotional development of children ages 0-8. There was also a clear call for innovative ways to access professional arts as a form of family engagement, particularly for the very young.

In response to those findings, the board revised the mission statement in 2021: “To inspire play and cultivate connections through puppetry.” The staff restructured programs to achieve the company’s new vision: “A Kansas City community that celebrates the arts as essential for early childhood development through a company that is nationally recognized as a leader in puppetry and arts integration.”

Energized by the company’s vision, they now move forward to fulfill their mission as “What If Puppets.” The name change invites audiences to play with them and discover how puppetry and the arts contribute to community.

As part of their arts education residency, the company performs an annual premiere event at Midwest Trust Center. They continue to offer their educator resource, “In the Workshop,” featuring webisodes for students and the opportunity to host a performer in their classroom for "In the Workshop, Live!" which brings arts integrated workshops and empowers educators to cultivate social-emotional skills through art, storytelling, and puppetry. Their artist educators also work throughout the school year with the staff and students at the Hiersteiner Child Development Center at JCCC to support arts-integrated learning.

The What If Puppets team’s knowledge and experience in theatre for young audiences, puppetry, and arts integration is ensuring their history of excellence will continue while they evolve to meet and inspire today’s audiences."

Educator Resources

With purchase, educators receive eight 10-15 minute web episodes that "hook" students for each lesson, with the following learning ties:

• Episodes 1 and 2: Identifying emotions (happy, frustrated), asking for help, collaboration, body control, safety
• Episodes 3 and 4: Identifying emotions (fear), separation anxiety, overactive imagination
• Episodes 5 and 6: Identifying emotions (anger, jealousy), interpersonal relationships (taking turns, sharing, losing)
• Episodes 7 and 8: Identifying emotions (sad, disappointment), exploring loss, finding hope

Educators also receive:

• Arts-integrated lesson plans inspired by episodes
• Pre and Post episode questions to help guide the conversation with your students
• Other supplemental materials created specifically for the 2024-25 version of In the Workshop Live, to extend the learning for your students