Artist call out for Newcastle Puppetry Festival
Moving Parts Arts CIO

Newcastle Puppetry Festival
Prospective dates: 3rd-11th April 2027
Artist applications open now until Sunday 24th May 2026!

We are seeking:
- Indoor stage shows for adults and teens
- Indoor stage shows for children and families
- Indoor stage shows for early years children
- Outdoor roaming walkabout acts
- Outdoor shows
- Cabaret acts and sideshow oddities
- Masterclasses and workshops
- Other / miscellaneous puppetry wonderfulness!

Please note that we are a puppetry festival and book work that features puppetry, and/or object theatre, stop motion animation, kinetic art and automata. We are unlikely to book physical theatre or circus acts which do not include puppetry.

We pay all artists and companies to present work at the festival and cover travel, food and accommodation on top. You will be asked to provide a quote in the application.

We are especially keen to hear from artists who consider themselves from underrepresented groups within the creative industries workforce, including disabled artists, Global Majority artists and those from working class backgrounds.

Artists from around the world are eligible to apply. However please keep in mind that our budget struggles to pay huge travel costs from outside of Europe. If you are applying from outside Europe please consider how local touring grants in your country might help to support bringing your show or workshop to Newcastle.

Please note these applications are for the puppet theatre festival - applications for our film festival will open at a later date.

Deadline for applications: Sunday 24th May 2026, 11.59pm UK time

About the Organisation

Moving Parts Arts CIO (charity number 1194137) is an award winning arts and community development organisation founded in 2017. Our week-long puppet festival, dynamic outreach projects and participatory community events engage up to 20,000 people a year. Newcastle Puppetry Festival won The Journal Culture Award for ‘Best Newcomer’ in 2018.