Filling St. Ann’s large Warehouse space in DUMBO are oodles of terrific toy theaters replete with petite puppets and set pieces, each miniature marvel unique and offering its own type of magic for viewers of all sizes.  There are some gorgeous antique toy theaters lending historical perspective, but most are modern-day takes on this very old tradition.  The word clever comes to mind when describing these whimsical wonders though truly there’s such great variety in the motley menagerie on display, since all works were created by different artists, that you really can’t classify them beyond the commonality of being toy theaters, some in the broadest sense.  But oh what fun it is to see them all!

Though paper and cardboard were the classic materials for Toy Theaters, which hit their stride in Victorian times, you’ll see just about anything used in this seismic show of “Great Small Works”: machine parts, repurposed plastic toys, wire, photomontage, cloth, and (my favorite) old suitcases which house entire elaborate productions.  To offer a sense of the diminutive dramatic delights in store for viewers, my eldest loved a stage crafted in the middle of an elegantly dressed giant victorian doll, I adored a Rube Goldberg-esque construction recreating the tale of Hans Andersen’s Little Mermaid, and my toddler went gaga for a goofy piece wherein Bunny Bun Bun explores a topsy-turvy apartment in search of the resident hard-boiled (Easter?) egg.

What’s awesome about all the pieces on exhibit is that they all “work.” In other words, none are intended for static viewing as each toy theater houses an actual, perform-able show. To see these works in action you can purchase festival tickets of course, but luckily for kids just seeing the stages themselves is amazingly interactive. A fair number of works invite viewers to “Please DO Touch” and more than a few have a video component such that you can either watch the show as it would be performed or where the video plays a role in the piece itself. Cool stuff that kids of all ages will definitely appreciate.

One more thing.  Though most works in the festival as performed are intended for grown ups, there are three days of Family Programs where the productions are especially appropriate for younger viewers.  Whether or not you get tickets to one of these swell-sounding shows, however, do see the tremendously fun Toy Theater Museum. We were so inspired we decided to make a toy theater ourselves and I think that’s a pretty big compliment!

Final Tip: Leave the stroller at home.  Aisles are narrow and most pieces are placed about 4 feet off the ground (low-riding tots won’t see).

St. Ann’s Warehouse
38 Water Street, Brooklyn (DUMBO)

The Toy Theater Museum is free and open to the public one hour before each and every show (and one hour is more than enough for children to see everything).  You can click here for a full schedule for all shows in the festival which run from June 2^nd thru June 13^th, but as some performances take place at night, here (for your viewing convenience) are some earlier evening and daytime hours for visiting the collection:

Saturday June 5^th, from 10am to 11am

Sunday June 6^th, from 10am to 11am and from 7-8 pm

Wednesday June 9^th, from 6:30-7:30 pm

Thursday June 10^th, from 6:30-7:30 pm

Friday June 11^th, from 6:30-7:30 pm

Saturday June 12^th, from 6:30-7:30 pm

Sunday June 13^th, from 10am to 11am, from 1pm to 2pm, and from 6:30-7:30 pm

The two Family Programs (described in detail here) are presented as follows:

Family Program #1
Saturday June 5 at 11:00am and Sunday June 6 at 11:00am

Family Program #2
Sunday June 13 at 11:00am and 2:00pm

 If you see one show it’s $20 per ticket for Adults and $10 per ticket for kids.  Additional shows are $15 for adults and $7.50 for kids.  Festival passes are also available.

Also of interest to somewhat bigger kids:

Saturday June 12^th, 1pm-4pm

A Toy Theater Workshop where kids and adults can learn about the history and construction of toy theater stages and puppet and then create a story-in-a-box of their own. Kids $10, Adults $20