On October 1, 2025, the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library hosted a lively and hands-on puppetry educational workshop led by the acclaimed British theatrical company Box Tale Soup. Known for their imaginative adaptations and innovative puppet design, Box Tale Soup brought their distinctive blend of artistry and storytelling to UCLA. 
The artists guided attendees through the techniques and materials behind traditional European puppetry, including glove and rod puppets, and explained how they developed their own approach using recycled pizza boxes. Through demonstrations and collaborative exercises, participants learned how puppeteers use gesture, voice, and movement to animate character and narrative. Box Tale Soup also illuminated the rich history of puppetry in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century performance culture—an era when puppet stages flourished in both public and private settings.
Working in small groups, participants experimented with constructing simple puppets made from plastic bags, manipulating joints, and movement. The room quickly filled with creative energy as attendees explored the craft hands-on, gaining insight into the skill and expressiveness that define puppetry both past and present.
This workshop was part of the Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies’ and the Clark Library’s Arts on the Grounds program. We look forward to Box Tale Soup’s return as our artist-in-residence next year.