Check Out Amanda Kibler’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Kibler.

Hi Amanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In 1987, internationally recognized puppeteer Paul Mesner established Paul Mesner Puppets with a vision to create innovative storytelling that would capture children’s imaginations and inspire communities. Mike Horner joined the organization in 2006, as lead puppeteer and builder, and developed a portfolio of shows the company still tours today. The quality of the shows has been recognized three times with the Union Internationale de la Marionette (UNIMA-USA) Citation of Excellence. Considered the “Academy Award” of puppetry, the citation was created by Jim Henson to promote high-quality puppetry in the United States. In 2016, the company hired its first Director of Education, Alex Espy, an experienced Pre-K educator and director of theater for young audiences.

Following Mesner’s retirement, the organization redefined its role in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding a way to continue impacting young people with its performances and education programs. The company conducted a community-needs assessment, which revealed the need for learning-through-play and arts integration strategies that support the social-emotional development of children ages 0-8. Additionally, there was a clear need for innovative ways to access professional arts as a form of family engagement, particularly for the very young and their parents. In response to those findings, the board revised the mission statement in 2021: “To inspire play and cultivate connections through puppetry.” The staff also restructured programs to achieve the company’s new vision: “A Kansas City community that celebrates the arts as essential for early childhood development through a company that is nationally recognized as a leader in puppetry and arts integration.”

In 2022, the organization rebranded to become What iF Puppets and in 2023 I was brought on as Executive Artistic Director to lead through this latest chapter of What iF Puppets. Since its inception, the organization has captivated over two million people through our productions and educational programming. Audiences delight in the craftsmanship of the puppets, which range from glove puppets to marionettes, to innovative shadow and object-based puppetry.

WiP uses humor and heart to present stories that connect to the complex social-emotional experiences of our young audience. Each year, WiP engages more than 30,000 young people and adults in the programs below:

Puppets on Tour (local and national tour)
Puppets in Education (grade arts-integrated learning for youth 0-8 years old)
Puppets in Progress (Artist cultivation)
Premiere Production (Annual original production)
Professional Services (commission work)

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Currently, our biggest struggle is that our organization is doing some amazing work, but we’re mostly behind the scenes supporting other organizations. We make puppets for shows on stages around the region, perform in libraries and arts centers, and do arts integrated education programming in schools. What the general public sees is the amazing work our partners are doing, not necessarily knowing that the artists at What iF Puppets are there strongly supporting the work.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What iF Puppets creates some of the most charming and innovative puppets and arts experiences for youth and their families, concentrating on the underserved ages 0-8 years old. Our team of artisans work in four main departments to bring our work to Kansas City and the entire region:

Puppets in Education fosters social-emotional development in students aged 6 weeks to 2nd grade through Arts Integrated Residencies. Sessions utilizing theater and puppetry empower students to explore emotions actively. The primary focus is on the professional development of classroom teachers. As students engage in expressive activities, teachers receive real-time modeling for incorporating activities and strategies into daily routines. Follow-up meetings support reflection, provide creative assistance for lesson plans, and encourage educators to take artistic risks. Additionally, school partners gain access to the social-emotional digital series “In the Workshop,” professional development opportunities, and family engagement performances. In the 2023-24 school year, a pilot program extended arts integration residencies to infant and toddler classrooms and partnered with institutions like EarlystART and Hiersteiner Early Childhood Center. A new initiative in development will launch in the 2025-26 school year, aimed at bringing our program to rural schools through a mixture of professional custom puppets in the classroom, arts-integrated lesson plans for classroom teachers to implement, and workshops by WiP professional teaching artists.

Puppets on Tour comprises full-length shows (45-60 minutes) for assemblies or public performances at libraries, festivals, and art centers and classroom pop-up productions (30 minutes) for children aged 0-8. Our beloved show “How to Snag a Sea Monster” recently received an UNIMA Citation of Excellence, which is the highest award for excellence puppetry performance. Each year, a new production stemming from our Puppets in Progress program is fully mounted in partnership with a local arts center for a one to two-week run for public and field trip audiences. After the premiere, it is available for booking as a tour show. Our next Premiere Production is called “T-Rex Took My Toothbrush” was awarded a Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant and will run at Midwest Trust Center from September 24-27.

Puppets in Progress is a program established in 2021 as a community building and artist cultivation laboratory through meet-up events, technical workshops, internships, and apprenticeships for aspiring puppeteers and teaching artists. By opening the studio doors and inviting artists, families, and community members into our space, we gain valuable feedback on our work, increase an appreciation for puppetry, and build community. Participants see the puppets in various phases of completion and can preview a new show in progress, workshopping it in front of teachers, parents, and youth, who
provide feedback that moves the projects forward until they are ready to be made part of our ongoing offerings. In order to create this new work of the highest quality, we strive to cultivate a community of artists with varying backgrounds that they can bring to the work and to increase access to ongoing professional development.

WiP creates puppets, productions, and digital content for businesses, arts organizations, and entertainment companies. We partner with local and regional companies, such as The Coterie Theatre, The Unicorn Theatre, Worlds of Fun, and BarkleyOKRP, creating a strong theatre ecosystem by supporting our local arts community’s puppet needs.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The power of puppetry to speak to young people is profoundly meaningful and often magical. Puppets are not only toys for imaginative play, they are a comforting friend, a safe emotional outlet, and a bridge for communicating difficult feelings. Worldwide educators, health experts, and child therapists are reporting an increase in the number of young people entering Kindergarten whose social-emotional and fine and gross motor skills are developmentally behind previous years. Root causes for this developmental shift include increased interactions with technology at an earlier age, a societal lack of understanding of the importance of play to youth development. Yet, improved interpersonal skills, emotional understanding and regulation, and fine and gross motor skills are fostered when young people build, interact, and play with puppets.

The use of puppetry is an important component of our ability to reach younger audiences, specifically young people with autism spectrum disorder. A Yale Child Study Center study found that young people with autism show typical eye-tracking responses when listening to a puppet but engage less when the speaker is human. This suggests that puppets are particularly effective in communicating with young people with ASD and may be a more impactful tool for teaching them social interactions and self-regulation.

As we move towards our future, What iF Puppets will continue to serve young people and families of all ages, but we dedicate our greatest resources and creative energy to our youngest community members (0-8 years old), their parents, and educators. WiP is unique in the region for its early learning arts integration initiative that enhances the professional development of educators working with 6-week to 3-year-olds. Monthly sessions deconstruct puppetry and performance elements to engage young learners, fostering social-emotional and motor skill development crucial in their formative years. This early exposure prepares learners for future group activities and material manipulation in Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whatifpuppets.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatifpuppets/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatifpuppets
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whatifpuppets/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatifPuppets
• Other: https://www.jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center/events/2025-2026/artsed-t-rex.html