Making Puppets Come Alive
If the Muppets are all you know of puppetry then this episode will be an eye opener. Beyond the antics of Kermit the Frog and earlier popular acts such as Kukla, Fran and Ollie lies a history of dedicated professionals intent on developing a distinct theater of puppetry. They have their own traditions and icons and yes, their own Stanislavski.
Rob Boehm, past president of the Puppet Guild of Long Island, walks us through the world of puppetry and puppet theater since the 1950s, including his early interests and later experiences as a puppeteer. Both he and our own Connie Currie studied with Carol Fijan, the Great Neck-based master puppeteer who greatly influenced the development of puppet theater. They discuss Carol’s teachings and writings, her early days with the WPA and the enduring challenges of bringing puppets to life.
Further Research
- Books by Carol Fijan (via WorldCat)
- Puppeteers of America
- Sergei Obraztsov
- “Bill Baird and his Marionette Theatre“
- In His Own Word: Bob Clampett on “Time for Beany”
- An Introduction to Burr Tillstrom
- A Tribute to Lea Wallace
- Shari Lewis
- Paul Vincent Davis
- [Frank] Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry
- International Puppetry Museum
- Mike Manteo
- Joseph Cashore
- Andre Tahon
- Steve Axtell
- Petra Puppets
- Jim Henson
The Long Island History Project 