Studio Babette Puppet Theatre was founded in 2007 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada by Marie Franek, BA, MA in theatre. After a lifetime spent teaching drama to students, acting and directing in both amateur and professional plays and singing professionally in a band, Marie decided to follow her heart back to her roots in the Czech Republic where she was raised . . . back to the European tradition of puppetry.

Armed with determination and a singular sense of purpose, Marie founded Studio Babette Puppet Theatre. Two more members with a wealth of theatrical experience both on and off the stage, Helena Adamczyk and Kerry Corrigan, soon joined in the fun. Studio Babette, now a three-man troupe, made its debut April 27, 2008, in the Opus Mundi Festival at The Pearl Company with Carlos and His Five Reasons, a table-top puppet show based on a Spanish folk-tale, starring Carlos, a little boy who must deal with his anger and the six strange yet funny witches he encounters.

Our second production, A Royal Pain, was a part of the Village Theatre Waterdown regular season, opening on May 1, 2009 at Memorial Hall in Waterdown. There were 9 performances. This play featured a cast of 11, the only show not produced entirely by the three members of Studio Babette.

Our third show, Pulcinella, il Cameriere (Pulcinella, the Waiter) was written for Festitalia September 2009, also at The Pearl Company. This show is designed for a teen-age and up audience, and can indeed get quite political, and quite racy!

Our next project was something dear to our hearts, a series of short shows for very young audiences. Little Fairy Tales for Little People, which debuted in March 2010 at the Dundas Museum and Archives, is designed for the pre-school set. Marie performs Little red Riding Hood and Kerry performs The 3 Little Pigs. Helena is now in production for Goldilocks and the 3 Bears.

Studio Babette recently completed their newest show Young Sophia: the Dundurn Castle Diary based on the diary of Sophia MacNab 1846. It debuted at Straight from the Garden, a fall fair held for one day on the grounds of Dundurn Castle, in the atmospheric Cockpit Theatre.

Studio Babette now has four polished shows which are available for touring and bookings, Little Fairy Tales for Little People, ages 2 - 8, Carlos and His Five Reasons, ages 3 - 12, Pulcinella:il Cameriere, ages 13+ and Young Sophia: the Dundurn Castle Diary, all ages. A Royal Pain is only available upon special arrangement, as additional cast members are needed.

Browse through our site. Click for a complete performance list, or to see what training we've had. Check out our calendar for upcoming shows in your area. Contact Studio Babette for more information on how to bring the magic of puppetry to your school or venue!