Get Involved at Paperhand
There’s many ways you can get involved at Paperhand - and we welcome ALL AGES!
Make a tax-deductible donation
Sponsor our annual summer show
Attend our Work/Play Days to help build our annual summer show
Volunteer to be a performer or for front of house for our summer show
Become an apprentice
Spread the word on social media and forward our email newsletters to people that might not know about us yet
Work/Play Days
We begin in May and our work/play days occur every Saturday through most of July from 10am to 5pm! We’ll post volunteer opportunities on our social media and email newsletter, so make sure you’re following us!
Come to our Paperhand Studio in Saxapahaw! Peek behind the scenes at how our puppets are created. Donate your time and talents while helping create our massive summer show. Lend us your creative eye and share your playful spirit. We don’t do signups for this, so please drop in for as much, or as little, time as you’re able. We welcome ages 10 and above to help us in our studio in the first few weeks, and then volunteer days are meant for adults as we get into the finer tuning.
Our studio is located at 6079 Saxapahaw-Swepsonville Rd. in Saxapahaw. After our work days, we head over to Saturdays in Saxapahaw!
Summer Show Volunteers
Starting the first weekend of August through the last weekend of September, we perform our annual summer show at the Forest Theatre on UNC’s campus in Chapel Hill. These are grand shows and we need extra volunteers to help make each weekend happen!
Volunteers are needed to be performers and to run our ticketing booth and answer any guest questions.
When we’re ready for volunteers in 2025, we’ll send out an update on social media and through our email list!
Apprencticeships
Each year we have positions for up to 10 apprentices to help with our summer production. Apprentices assist with puppet building throughout the summer and may choose to perform as puppeteers in the show. We are looking for people with a desire to learn and a great attitude!
Applications are closed for 2025. We open our applications around late January/early February for a brief time due to the high-volume of interest in the program. Be sure to follow us on social media to know when we open applications again in 2026!
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Time commitment: About early May to early August. Exact dates depend on the year. Apprentices might also be invited to take part in the summer show occurring August-end of September.
Weekly schedule: Apprentices will attend the Paperhand studio builds, which take place every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm starting in May until opening night. The shows are every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from early August until later September.
Weekly schedule: Tuesday – Thursday and Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm
Studio location: Paperhand Puppet Intervention Studio - 6079 Saxapahaw Swepsonville Rd, Saxapahaw, NC 27340
Stipend and Housing: Inquire for details