When people hear the words “ancient art form,” they will most likely think of the obvious candidates, such as music, painting and dance. They will think of cave paintings and carved statues from before the dawn of civilization. Most would never think of puppetry, which is in fact several thousand years old.

For those interested in learning more about this ancient art form, the Puppeteers of America are holding the Puppet Festival (r)Evolution, the national puppetry festival, in Swarthmore, Pa., from Aug. 5 to 10. The show is open to the public, which Robert Smythe, founder of the Mum Puppet Theater and director of this year’s festival, says is a rare occurrence.

“When I decided to take on the job of directing this festival, from the very beginning I said the shows will be open to the public, because there’s no point in bringing all together the best puppetry in the country only to perform for each other,” Smythe said in a phone interview July 11.

He says that many people think puppetry is nothing more than marionettes or props for children’s TV, but it in fact is much deeper. He compares puppets to the canvas of oil painting, and describes the puppet as a tool, much like a pen for writing or a camera for film.

He says that at this moment in America, puppetry is widespread, with a variety of uses and focuses. He says that much like music or literature, there are all kinds of puppetry.

“Where we are now, this festival is basically saying, ‘Hey, here’s a snapshot in 2013 of where puppetry is in the United States.’ So it’s everything from puppets being used to tell stories for young audiences, to puppetry that’s being used to combine dance, ghost stories, Japanese theater, because that’s what one particular artist wants to do.

“It’s used in a great variety of ways. So we can get away perhaps from ‘Oh, I don’t like puppetry,’ which is like saying, ‘I don’t like oil painting,’ to ‘Oh, I’m interested in this story, it sounds really intriguing, I’d like to find out more,’” he says.

Smythe points out that when he started Mum Puppet Theater in 1985, he couldn’t get any of the press to consider writing a review of one of the shows. However, by the time Mum Puppet Theater closed in 2008, it, and other puppetry shows, were a normal part of the review cycle. He also sees an increased interest in puppetry in the new digital age.

“I think what we’re seeing right now is that because of the Internet, information that used to be very hard to come by, like how to make a puppet, how to get started, it’s now very easy to get information on how to do things with puppets. So now we have a lot more artists, storytellers, performers — you know, people who are sitting and telling stories, finding out that they can use puppetry to do what it is they want to do.”

The (r)Evolution Festival certainly reflects the variety in current American puppetry. There will be shows for young audiences all the way through older, more mature audiences as well. Wayne White, creator of “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” will be conducting a Q&A and screening of the documentary “Beauty Is Embarrassing”; Rick Lyon, creator of the puppets from Avenue Q, will be doing a talk as well.

There are shows consisting of everything from playful children’s puppetry to a performance telling the story of civil rights with shadow puppets that are based on the ancient technique of Indonesian Shadow Theater.

Smythe encourages those who are curious to look at all the performances being offered on the website www.puppetfestivalrevolution.org, and find something they like.

One of these shows will be the Cashore Marionettes performing “Life in Motion,” which can be previewed on its website, cashoremarionettes.com.

“When the marionette is alive onstage, performing, it’s a metaphor. There’s not a real person there. Everyone knows it’s a puppet, but because it has a poetic quality, people are willing to feel with the character in a way they wouldn’t normally allow themselves with a normal human actor,” Joe Cashore, of the Cashore Marionettes, said in a phone interview July 18.

Cashore said that he first made a puppet at the age of 10 or 11, and was immediately transfixed by the idea that he could, if only for an instant, make the puppet come to life. He, much like Smythe, stressed that puppets allow storytellers and performers to achieve things on the stage that would be impossible with regular human actors.

“The thing about puppetry, because you’re working with edited representations of reality, you can do anything you want,” Smythe said.

Cashore elaborated on Smythe’s point: “When you’re watching a live actor onstage, you know this guy is pretending, and he has a life outside the theater; but with the marionette, it’s all it’s doing, that’s all it is, is what you’re seeing right then and there.”

From Aug. 5 to 10, some of the greatest performers in America will be allowing their puppets to exist onstage only for the people of Philadelphia.

IF YOU GO:

Puppet Festival

(r)Evolution

will take place at

Swarthmore College in

Swarthmore, PA 19081

Aug. 5 – 10.

Tickets: Prices vary,

Depending on each show.

Info: 267-240-3679 or

www.puppetfestivalrevolution.org.