Puppet Showplace Staff
Veronica Barron, Executive Artistic Director
business@puppetshowplace.org
veronica@puppetshowplace.org
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
As Executive Artistic Director, Veronica Barron is responsible for Puppet Showplace's artistic and organizational vision, and supporting our team of staff, artists, and supporters in delivering meaningful community impact through excellence in puppetry. Her work is wide-ranging: she tours internationally as a puppeteer on Kid Koala's live cinema graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall; coaches executives on authentic storytelling as a consultant with The Ariel Group; and facilitates raucous/joyous street spectacles with the School of HONK! community brass band. A puppeteer, performer, and director, Veronica has earned praise as “magnificent” (WGBH) and “the cast’s best voice” (The New York Times).
Veronica's leadership and management experience includes leadership consulting & coaching for Harvard Business School, BCG, the Social Innovation Forum, Citibank, and others; marketing, communications, and institutional messaging support for New England Conservatory, Tunefoolery, and others; and fundraising & outreach support for Puppet Showplace Theater, Food For Free, and others.
Veronica credits the Puppet Showplace with helping her become the artist and leader she is today, and is honored and excited to work with the theater in this new capacity. Her connection with the theater dates back to 2011, when she was a recent BFA graduate (Boston University) but not yet a puppeteer — until she inserted a brief-yet-crucial puppet moment into a short-form clown tragedy (created with collaborating partner Aimee Rose Ranger). Puppet Showplace booked the piece for a puppet slam, and then several festivals; Veronica took her first puppetry class at PST, and by 2019, Veronica was selected to represent New England puppetry artists for a month-long creative research residency in Montreal with the Casteliers Festival / Maison Internationale des Arts de la Marionnettes, co-sponsored by Puppet Showplace, and in February 2023, PST’s Incubator Program presented Veronica’s first full-length show, Magic Pearl, which premiered in a sold-out run and won support from the Boston Foundation and the Henson Foundation.
Ash Winkfield, Artistic Associate
artistic@puppetshowplace.org
ash@puppetshowplace.org
Pronouns: Xe/Xem/Xyr
Ash Winkfield is a multidisciplinary artist from Durham, NC where xe grew up surrounded by music and the arts. Xe continued xyr music education at Boston Latin School in the orchestra and vocal programs. Xe began xyr journey into professional performance at UNC-Chapel Hill where xe were introduced to puppetry while workshopping Basil Twist's Rite of Spring. Ash specializes in new and devised works presented in New York (Jazz at Lincoln Center, Abrons Art Center, LaMama Experimental Theatre), North Carolina (Duke University) and internationally. Most recently, xe performed with Pinwheel Works’ The Magic Pearl, Basil Twist’s Book of Mountains and Seas and the Walk with the Amal. Xe currently train with Shannah Rae Vocal Studios and Lucid Body Technique. Ash participated in Puppet Showplace Theater’s Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers in 2023, and in November of that year joined the staff as Visiting Artistic Associate.
Hannah Anderson-Baranger, Marketing & Communications Manager
info@puppetshowplace.org
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hannah joined the staff in May 2022 with over five years of experience in communications, marketing, and graphic design. Hannah manages Puppet Showplace’s weekly newsletter, creates content for social media and the website, and spearheads inbound and traditional marketing efforts. As a former theater kid, Hannah has a deep appreciation for the performing arts and is thrilled to once again have a theater to call home.
Hannah holds a B.A. from Duke University in Sustainable Art and Design, for which she explored the relationship between society and the natural world through traditional and experimental visual art. Her recent creative efforts are focused on graphic and web design; she is also a devotee of the Oxford comma, the em dash, and well-spaced typography.
Originally from North Carolina, Hannah has lived in the Boston area since 2016, and is still searching for worthy biscuits, fried okra, and tea. Please forward any leads to her inbox!
Sarah Nolen, Resident Artist
sarah@puppetshowplace.org
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Sarah Nolen is a puppeteer and filmmaker originally from Austin, Texas. As Puppet Showplace Theater’s resident artist, she performs regularly for youth and family audiences and teaches puppetry in camps, workshops, residencies, and evening adult classes. Her three original productions, The Fairy Tailor, Judy Saves the Day, and Lisa the Wise, are all available to tour. Sarah recently designed puppets for Wee the People's My Night in the Planetarium, Metropolitan Chorale's The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore, and for Suffolk University's Loss of Breath: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe. She is currently directing a production for UNIMA-USA featuring puppeteers from across the North American continent that will be performed in Bali this spring at the World Puppetry Festival.
In addition to her work in puppetry, Sarah is an experienced filmmaker. In 2015, she received the Mister Rogers Memorial Scholarship in support of her television pilot Treeples, a show geared towards empowering girls, which screened at film festivals across the U.S.
Sarah earned her BFA in film from Southern Methodist University, and an MFA in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut.
Maria Laird, Interim Manager of Box Office, Operations, and Tech
boxoffice@puppetshowplace.org
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Maria is a theater artist who has worked up and down the east coast over the past several years. She grew up in Inwood, WV and Frederick, MD before moving to Boston to complete her BFA in Theater Design and Technology at Emerson College. Her most recent work includes roles such as Scenic Designer for Frida Libre at Gala Hispanic Theatre in DC, Props Master for Surflight Theater in NJ, and Scenic Charge Artist for Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in VA.
At Puppet Showplace, Maria gets to use her multidisciplinary theater skills to help artists navigate lights and sound, audiences buy tickets, students access field trips, and much more. Maria loves the community surrounding Puppet Showplace and is eager to continue to get to know every audience member. Come say hello at the next show and talk to her about puppetry, or your favorite Puppet Showplace memory!
Jake Crawford, Assistant Box Office Manager
Pronouns: He/They
Jake joined the puppet showplace team in 2024, and has over five years of experience in arts administration and various front of house roles. He holds dual B.A.s in Contemporary/Modern Dance and 3-Dimensional Studio Art + Design from Salem State University. When he is not behind the box office desk, you can find him performing in drag up and down the coast of Massachusetts.
Bee Cox, Box Office Associate
Pronouns: They/He
Bee is a filmmaker, photographer, and illustrator based in Boston. They love cats, soft sweaters, and cartoons! When they aren't at the puppet theater, Bee is probably upside-down on the trapeze, or competing in a trivia contest.
Olivia Marsh, Social Media & Communications Associate
olivia@puppetshowplace.org
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Olivia is a filmmaker, artist, and creative professional. After graduating New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.A. in Film and Television, Olivia began her career working in a variety of post-production and production positions within the film industry, including roles at First Look Media’s Topic Studios and A+E Networks.
She has worked on feature films, documentaries, television, podcasts, email newsletters, social media, and just about every other form of media across genres. Her ultimate goal is to encourage creativity, community, and curiosity in others, and she couldn’t be more excited to support Puppet Showplace Theater as a Social Media & Communications Associate.
