Free! Simple Mechanisms

To launch our 2026-27 Automata Fundamentals Online Workshop, we are offering the first session for FREE! Learn how to make simple mechanisms for Automata and learn about our plans for the entire year. Learn how to make beautiful automata in Simple Mechanisms that you can easily make at home with scrap wood, clothespins, and other materials that are easily sourced. On September 20, you will get guidance from expert toymaker/puppet maker Mirek Trejtnar on the basic principles

Leah Gaffen

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Workshops

Visit our workshop (virtually)

Join one of our three livestreams during our 3-week Circus Marionette Workshop. Get a taste of the atmosphere in our Circus Marionette...

Workshops

Aug 8, 20251 min read

Acrobat Marionette Workshop: August Puppet Recipe

Make your own at our next 2-hour online Puppet Recipe. August 3, 7-9 p.m. CET / 1-3 pm EST The Acrobat is a unique Czech marionette which was part of every traditional puppet show in the 18th and 19th centuries. You still find them in contemporary performances and they surprise audience members of all ages. Find out the secrets of how to design and construct this unusual marionette. After the workshop, make your own with our "recipe" including instructions on how to make a s

Workshops

Aug 3, 20251 min read

Meet our June Marionettes!

These are the puppets made by ten intrepid puppet makers from around the world! Puppets made by (starting at L): Juby Reynolds, Jen...

Workshops

Jun 25, 20251 min read

A Taste of the Automata Fest

Did you miss the Automata Fest, organized by the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in Hastings with some of the world's leading Automata makers? No worries! Find out about the most inspirational part of the festival from Mirek at this 2-hour online workshop! WHEN: June 1, 7-9 pm CET / 1-3 pm EST WHERE: Online COST: 18 Euros if you get our Puppets Recipe Subscription! What will it be about? See some of the work of the most famous makers, including Paul Spooner, the Leonardo da Vinc

Workshops

May 29, 20251 min read