Avenue Q Celebrates World Puppetry Day in Times Square

The off-Broadway production of Avenue Q celebrated World Puppetry Day on Monday, March 21 with a gathering of professional and amateur puppeteers and their puppets in Times Square. The event took place on the Red Steps at 47th Street and Broadway.

Joining the puppets of Avenue Q were puppet troupes from all around New York, along with kids and adults and their puppets from across New York and beyond. Avenue Q costars Kate Monster and Rod hosted the event.

World Puppetry Day was first celebrated in 2003 and sanctioned by the Union Internationale de la Marionette. It was initiated by Iranian puppet artist Javad Zolfaghari and is marked by puppet lovers around the world each year, including the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, which this year will mark the occasion with events on March 19.

Avenue Q, written by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx, and Jeff Whitty, opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre on March 20, 2003, before moving to Broadway's John Golden Theatre, where it officially opened on July 31 of that year. The show went on to win three 2004 Tony Awards: Best Book, Best Score, and Best Musical. The Broadway production closed on September 13, 2009 and reopened off-Broadway at New World Stages on October 21, 2009.

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