So I have been searching for information on puppet guilds. What I can find is very vague. Can anyone inform me on what a puppet guild is, what are the benefits of being a member, and is it something someone should pursue?

There are two of them. The firs is the Puppeteers of America (PofA) http://www.puppeteers.org and the second is Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA) http://www.unima-usa.org

I've never belonged to UNIMA but did belong to PofA at one time.  PofA has local guilds in many cities that have events and meetings on a regular basis. I can be a good way to connect with puppeteers in your area. Both have publications that they send out to members that has news in them about puppetry.

I will add a little bit more:

PofA is specifically an organisation for Americans. UNIMA however is an international organisation, which has branches in many countries. For instance, I have been a member of UNIMA Australia; there is one in New Zealand; France is the HQ.

It's dependent on location, but UNIMA seems to be very similar to PofA, with the exception that the latter also has state guilds whereas UNIMA centres tend to only represent the country as a whole.

Technically speaking, being a member of your local UNIMA centre should also open up the ability to apply for UNIMA grants that are not necessarily country-specific. Ie. as an UNIMA USA member you could apply for grants offered by the HQ but are not offered directly by the USA centre... such as international travel grants or awards where one person is picked from a global submission process. That obviously may have added benefits

Both also may have festivals, but UNIMA has a regular four-yearly one (this year it was/is China) which is presented in different countries every time. Being an UNIMA member in your country means you can also apply for UNIMA registration rates at these events; no matter which country the event is taking place in or which country you come from.

(Not to push UNIMA necessarily, I've just obviously had more experience with my local branch than with PofA)

I can see the benefits for both. I'm interested in become a member, what kind of things have they done to benefit you as a puppeteer?

I can't really speak about PofA. Technically I was a member for one year because I went to their 2009 festival and membership was included with registration. I got their annual publication and their membership 'yellow pages' but that was about it.

Also, UNIMA activities differ from country to country. As a member I got their publication (it had varying publishing times) and a listing on their website, and invites the their AGM. There's also an annual scholarship they offer. Outside of that, until last year they provided very few activities. (Recently they started sponsoring puppet slams, festivals, and other things) I notice that's completely different to UNIMA USA, where activities are regular, awards are handed out, etc. If I had to choose which UNIMA to be a member of, it would probably be the American one simply because you get more bang from your buck.

Not to be rude to the people who run the centre here: I know how difficult it's been for them to make improvements over the years.

PofA is pretty much the same thing as UNIMA really when it comes to "benifits". You have the "Puppetry Journal" which comes out four times a year,reduced registration prices for festivals, listings on their website and in their members list and a few other things.

Have you checked the site to see if there is a local guild near you?  That can be an added benefit I would say over an UNIMA membership.  If there is a local guild close to you that is active there is going to me activities and meetings that you can attend. In fact you should contact them and see if there is an event you can attend that is open to the public.

I do want to climb up on my soap box for just a second here.   These are both clubs not "products" you buy.  Really the more you put into them the more you are going to get out of them. It may not be that you have to take on one of the leading roles in the club but I think one needs to at least be willing to support them. 

I do want to climb up on my soap box for just a second here.   These are both clubs not "products" you buy.  Really the more you put into them the more you are going to get out of them. It may not be that you have to take on one of the leading roles in the club but I think one needs to at least be willing to support them. 

I agree in general, but experience with my local branch suggests that this is very hard to do when the committee running it is unwilling to change or make available activities or opportunities through which one can get involved. Even taking on one of these leading roles; I stepped back from webmaster when it became clear that I was putting in a lot of effort for very little reward, and at a time when I really couldn't afford it financially. I wanted more than anything to see some changes - and they are starting to happen - but it really has to be a collective effort for any collective benefit to be available.

Which is why I keep harping on about how the American UNIMA seems much more together than the Australian one. It's far easier to be excited about joining and participating a group that already seems to have some sort of activity than one which barely affects its members. (I'm a lapsed member now, couldn't afford to keep up with the membership payments and couldn't at the time see the benefit. Now there are more reasons to stay a member as the committee has started implementing more plans to be involved in puppetry rather than watching from the sidelines ... I could say more, but that's private committee stuff)

Anyway, in general yes I agree. In specifics... that's another matter.

Very interesting. I did look into a local group and there is. I'm going to contact them and see what I can find out. I feel alone here where I live because the only puppets around are in local churches. Not to put them down, but I have been there done that, and it's time to become something more. I will take everything you have said with me as I proceed. As always, this is the best for finding out everything puppets, and more.

I know just how you feel: it's only been the last 6 months or so that there's been any regular puppetry events to take part in here. The rest are non-attendable, ie kids' workshops, kids' shows. It can be hard to take part in a local community when they seem determined not to commune.