For more than half a century, the Puppeteers of America, founded in the '30s, have assembled during the summer from across the continent in various locations to share performances, exchange ideas, and renew long-timeacquaintances. Their first National Festival of the third millenium was held earlier this month in Florida at the University of Tampa, a unique campus across the river from downtown centered around a turn-of-the-century luxury hotel done in Moorish style like something out of the Arabian Nights. Largely an older crowd, - with a few notable exceptions - during the week, the puppeteers see four or more diverse shows a day, afternoon and evening, sometimes quite late into the night. Mornings are given over to workshops, symposia, and meetings. Sleep becomes optional.
This year's program was featured a gamut of styles and subjects, from shows normally presented in public schools to professional stage productions, from presentations which have toured the world for several years to efforts new this season. Performances began on Sunday night with RichardBradshaw's one-man shadow show, Super Kangaroo.This Australian master puppeteer was first seen here in the '70s and was featured in one of the documentary videos created by Jim Henson in the '80s. By contrast, the next evening featured Martin P. Robinson's ad hoc company in a full-length version of Jackstraws in the Wind , an avant-grade piece exploring the process of evolution featuring internally lighted abstract puppets, which warmed up with a short off-Broadway run in June. Robinson, an AADA Graduate, best known as Telly Monster on Sesame St. , got his start as Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. Marty runs the Puppet Anarchy workshop forthe National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Center, trains international Sesame St. puppeteers abroad ,and creates unique sculptural puppets for various projects. His company included Mary Robinette Harrison andJodi Eichelberger - part of the Other Hand Theatre from Seattle, Jim Napolitano who worked on the last season of "Between The Lions" while creating his own shows, Scott Hitz currently developing a show for the New Jersey State Aquarium, Cathy McCullough, finishing her MFA atUConn's Puppetry program, a puppeteer for "The Book of Pooh" plus Annie Evans, a Sesame St. writer and Playwright in Residence for Puppetry at the O'Neill. Music was created and performed (somewhat simultaneously) by Bobbie Nidzgorski, the Conference's General Manager with an MFA from the IPA Program of Connecticut College, plus a percussionist and Marty himself on the Theremin. In a sense, Bradshaw's solo show, which includes a piece from the repertory of itinerant 19th century showmen, and Robinson's theatrical experimentation using current technology and teamwork, represent the poles between which contemporary puppet theatre is practiced world-wide.
International puppetry troupes are seen only rarely across much of this country, so puppeteers from abroad are usually sought out for PofA events. even though the Henson International Festival in New York has previously sponsored tours in the years it is held. The next Henson has been announced for Sept. 2002, but the Festival's structure and scope may change. In Tampa,Los Titiriteros de Binefar from Aragon presented their current project Gypsies, a raucous street entertainment made up of hand-puppet folk-tales, a departure from their last tour when the trio told a poignant tale of a fox and an old farmer using intricate rod-puppets. Companyia Jordi Bertran, from Barcelona, on the other hand, performed a table top show using a cast consisting entirely of foam letters of the alphabet accompanied by their sounds and occasional live music. Solo mime-puppeteer, Carlos Alvarez from Medillin, Columbia, romped through a mixed bag of street acts, each a gem in its own right. Not really foreign visitors, since the Puppeteers of America include members and groups from both Canada and Mexico, the Puppetmongers Powell from Toronto, brought their upgraded Brick Bros. Circus with added Cirque de Soleil parodies. All the puppets in this variety show are real bricks, purchased locally and costumed for the occasion.
Styles of puppetry throughout the week ranged from Toy Theatre in the English tradition to an almost X-rated late night piece put on by Orlando Furioso, puppeteers working for Disney - and an exotic dancer. Robert Poulter from Kent, England, who often performs his complex miniature shows in association with major museum exhibits, presented an excerpt from his version of ErwinPiscator's Konjunctur with music by Kurt Weill. Orlando Furioso's The Torture Chamber of Dr. Bear by Sean Keohane featured Jeff Conover as a puppeteer alone in a seedy motel who's forgotten that he's not really a giant bear on a kid's health show. A number of shows were presented by performers from various areas of the country who tour from school to school. The best were by UNIMA award winning duos from New England; the Perry Alley Theatre from New Hampshire, whose Puss in Boots features a rapping, break-dancing cat; Crabgrass Theatre from Connecticut, whose Anansi Spiderman adapts traditional Gold Coast designs into a stunning contemporary performance; and Tanglewood Marionettes from Massachusetts, with a recently mounted retelling Perseus and Medea, featuring scrolling scenery and exciting manipulation. UNI's, given by UNIMA-USA, the American branch of puppetry's international organization, are the highest recognition in the country for excellence in puppetry.
The development of graduate level puppetry programs and other professional training has led to an increase of serious theatrical puppet presentations in this country. The more outstanding performances at the Festival included Richard Termine's production of Gogol's The Diary of a Madman. Termine is the Artistic Director of the O'Neill Puppetry Conference; this adaptation was developed over the last decade with Lenny Pinna, the Conference's dramaturg. The show was presented at last fall's Henson Festival in NYC. At the festival, the lead role was taken by UNIMA cited Daniel Fergus Tamulonis. Female roles were handled by Kathryn Mullen, an experienced television puppeteer now a creator, director, and performer on "Between the Lions". The third puppeteer was John Finch. a UConn graduate who has appeared in both New York and San Francisco. Another crowd-pleaser -and befuddler- was Blair Thomas's one-man version of Garcia-Lorca's Don Cristobal, presented in an open-work booth and self-accompanied by a one-man band. Thomas, an instructor at the Art Institute, co-founded Chicago's Redmoon Theatre, a leading avant-grade group seen several times at HensonFestivals.
One of the most interesting evening shows was a retrospective of personal works created by participants in the O'Neill Conference over the past ten years, produced by Cathy McCullough, introduced by Marty Robinson using the followspot as a "puppet" from the balcony. Many of the particpants also performed Robinson's full length piece earlier in the week. Additionalperformers included Deb Hertzberg, CeiliClemmons, Gretchen Van Lente, Lisa C.Abbatomarco, all with UConn connections; Kurt Hunter, an O'Neill conference marionetteer; Heather Henson - whose dance company is now based in Florida; LanceWollen - the third member of The Other Hand, which incidently won an UNIMA Citation for "The Old Man Who Made Trees Bloom", which was performed that night; MarkPetrosino - a member of New London's Flock Theater, and Pam Arcerio - who performs Grungetta among others on Sesame St., teaches college, and acts on stage and TV. The hit of the evening, after Richard Termine'sTango, performed using miniature dress dummies dressed in vintage dancewear by Arciero, Petrosino, and Evans, was the recreation of the climax of this year's Anarchy workshop where the entire group tries to operated a single, seated marionette, each pulling one string with McCullough calling the signals. A meme has entered the puppetry world.
The Festival ended on a high note with New York's own Brewery Troupe doing The Crowtations, whose high energy rap and Motown revue remains an icon for African-Americanpuppeteers and a crowd-pleaser par excellence. Miles and Charley Parker join three street dudes who alternate with the Crows, backed by non-stop Motown classics and jazz. This is a e r o b i c puppetry! The solo puppeteer and even the traditional husband-and-wife team is being overshadowed by theatrically trained companies of three or more, working in several mediums, aiming to be part of contemporary theatre, no longer confined to community and educational bookings.
As the puppeteers dispersed, already planning next year's Regional Festivals - which happen in off-years - there was much to digest and little to regret. The NorthEast/MidAtlantic event will be next July at Bryn Mawr outside Philly. This four day event will include a variety of late-night adult oriented shows by East Coast puppeteers. Regional's only last Thursday through Sunday, but their programs are even more overflowing. Sleep is not an option.