Opening Reception of Noel MacNeal: Puppetry NOW

Noel MacNeal is coming to the Center for Puppetry Arts on Thursday, February 4, 2027, for the opening reception of Puppetry NOW. It's a talk and Q&A, and if you can't make the reception, the show continues on February 5 and 6.

If you grew up watching children's television, you've almost certainly seen MacNeal's work without knowing his name. He's a two-time Emmy Award-winning director, performer, and puppeteer who spent decades shaping the medium. He's the performer behind Bear in Disney's Bear in the Big Blue House and Lionel on PBS's Between the Lions, and he's worked on Sesame Street, Eureeka's Castle, and The Puzzle Place. These days he's a resident puppeteer on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and his directing work on Sesame Street earned him those two Daytime Emmys.

He's as active on stage as he is on screen. He made his Broadway debut in Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets and periodically plays Audrey II in Off-Broadway productions of Little Shop of Horrors. He also created The Show Me Show, a puppetry series developed for autistic and special needs children.

The reception is at the Vince Anthony Founders Theater, inside the Center for Puppetry Arts at 1404 Spring St. NW at 18th St. in Atlanta. The Center has been here since 1978 and is one of the world's leading homes for puppetry, housing the Jim Henson Collection and a Global Collection. Tickets are $50 for non-members and $40 for members, with member admission limits applying.