MARTINSBURG – After 14 years of touring with his “Wonderment Puppets”, Joe Santoro’s vision has finally come true and his unique idea of creating a full-time, year-round puppet theater for children and their families is now a reality.

Located at 412 West King Street in Martinsburg, the Wonderment Puppet Theatre will produce six original puppet shows a year. The theater also contains an exhibit hall, a puppetry store, a puppet workshop, a classroom, Santoro’s personal studio for creating future shows and a recourse room for educators and parents. Wonderment Puppet Theatre will be open every Saturday and Sunday for public performances, with its premiere show being “The Frog Prince”. Admission for children ages 3 and up is $3.50 and $6 for adults. The theater is also equipped to host birthday parties.

Permanent puppet theaters have been popular and numerous for decades in other countries, but only 40 full-time theaters exist in the United States. The Wonderment Puppet Theatre will be number 41 and the only existing theater in West Virginia.

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