Spiral Q Puppet Theater

Philadelphia’s Spiral Q Puppet Theater lives at the intersection of the arts and social justice communities. Working from the belief that freedom of speech is both an inalienable individual right and a collective responsibility, Spiral Q strives to use the age-old arts of puppet-making and theatrical pageantry as vehicles for social change. This belief has driven Spiral Q’s commitment to creating a more perfect society, one that values listening as highly as it values speaking, values diversity as highly as it values unity, and believes that nurturing creativity in all will ensure that people will think “outside the box” for years to come. Reflecting both its origins and its evolution, Spiral Q has designed a unique model that connects its five program areas into an emerging city-wide Urban Arts Democracy: 1. Spiral Q’s Education Initiative program seeks to create evocative art-making workshops for underserved Philadelphia communities with limited access to the arts. 2. Peoplehood is a yearly festive, creative celebration that allows hundreds of participants to take to the streets while celebrating Philadelphia’s diversity. 3. Neighborhood Parades and Pageants are the very heart of Spiral Q’s work – these projects are collaborations with community-based organizations, focusing puppet-making themes on neighborhood concerns and dreams. 4. Justice Works reflects Spiral Q’s origins in Philadelphia’s robust activist community and a continued commitment to support and bring visibility to the tireless work of social changes activists. 5. Spiral Q's Living Loft Puppet Museum is a uniquely interactive exploration of the recovered history of a near-lost medium of popular political expression.