Columbia Marionette Theatre is a magical place for kids of all ages. The place is conveniently located downtown Columbia, right by the entrance to the Riverfront Park. It’s almost free entertainment the entire family can enjoy. No gimmicks.

This past weekend Lana and I had a blast watching the Beauty and the Beast one hour adaptation performance.

Interesting facts about the Marionette Theatre
1. The staff has only 5 but very talented and passionate people. They are the jacks of all trades doing anything from puppetry to design, from marketing to sound effects. All the puppets, props, backdrops and costumes are made in-house. Bravo!

2. The puppets don’t talk since they have no mouth. Instead the voices and music are prerecorded then played back during the show. This way the artists can focus solely on the puppetry.

3. Most of the shows use marionette puppetry and sometimes they use hand or a shadow puppets. There is a wide variety of puppetry in the world such as animatronics, bunraku, computer animation, marionettes, rod puppets, stop motion, toy theater, ventriloquism and the Muppets!

2009 Calendar, Prices and Hours:
• January 11 - April 4 - “Beauty and the Beast”
• April 11 – August 15 - “Pinocchio”
• Starting August 29 - “Snow White”

Admission is $4 and kids under 2 get in for FREE.
Performances are on Saturdays at 11AM and 3 PM and the 3rd Monday of each month at 10AM.

Awesome Birthday Parties!
The theater is an unique and very affordable birthday party alternative.
Here’s what you get:
• 2 hours party time set in a beautiful classic children story. Choose from: Medieval Castle, Dino Park, Land of Oz, Undersea Kingdom. Each area sits 25-30 children and includes 2 tables and 8 benches
• Fun-filled puppet show
• Birthday invitation for your use (upon request)
• Access to freezer/refrigerator

Cost: $35 non-refundable reservation fee and $4 per child the day of the show (free for accompanying adults). Minimum 6 children. More info here.

Have a Fantastic Time!

Popularity: 7% [?]