Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:36:21 -0800
From: "Randy Ross" <gloreeeah-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] WW II puppets


That is so cool! Do the Estonian puppets still preform in Manhattan, even
occaisionaly?


On Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 9:31 AM, <robertrogers-AT-robertrogerspuppets.com>
wrote:

> Alan mentioned puppets made by Estonian refugees that might be in New
> Jersey.  Well, the Lakewood, NJ area has a large Estonian community, and
> an Estonian church as well.  Back in the 1980's I visited that church to
> have a look at a large trunk filled with wooden marionettes made in
> Estonia during the 1920's.  They were the work of Oskar Seliaru, who came
> to this country, worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant, and died before
> he could establish himself as a puppeteer.  The trunk of puppets were kept
> in a disheveled room of books - no particular order, but called a library.
>  There was also a scrapbook of Seliaru's career in Estonia.
>
> An elderly man looked after the place and he gave me the puppets - about
> 50.  "Here, bring them to life."  He kept the scrapbook.
>
> Later that year, I performed a play based on an old folk tale with those
> marionettes at the Estonian House (a kind of social club) on East 34th
> Street in Manhattan.  It was very well attended, and I was thanked
> profusely.
>
> I had an article written for an Estonian newspaper, asking for more
> information about Oskar Seliaru.  No one responded.  I still have the
> marionettes.
>
> Robert Rogers
>
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