Chinese puppet theatre troupe based in Shanghai. Shanghai Puppet Troupe, founded on June 1st, 1960, performs in its own theatre for children. Staff members number 150, including writers, directors, puppeteers, puppet designers, composers, theatre art designers, and scenic painters. The troupe specializes in rod puppetry, but uses shadow figures, glove puppets, or combines actors with puppets as needed. Since inception, the troupe has performed over 180 plays on different themes in a unique Shanghai style.

The troupe has expertise in rod puppetry. It pioneered acrobat puppetry and sometimes uses horizontally-controlled puppets. It uses lighting to isolate puppet action and create new scenic configurations. The troupe focuses on comprehensive integration of scene design, light, music, and performance art. Its representative works include The Monkey King Thrice Beats the White Bone Demon, Nezha Encounters the Dragon, Concerto of Spring, and The Little Match Girl. The first two are traditional stories, the concerto is an imaginative evocation of springtime imagery set to music, and the last is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale. The shadow show, Antelope Flying Across, is another representative work. For the 21st UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival held in Chengdu in 2012, the company presented Eight Immortals Crossing the Ocean.

This well noted troupe often tours to various countries and throughout China to give commercial performances and participate in puppetry competitions.

Shanghai Puppet Troupe is one of the twelve founding troupes of UNIMA China.

(See China.)