From: Linda Elbow <breadpup-AT-together.net> Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 08:13:36 -0400 To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Roberto Lago Thanks a lot for sending this, Alan. You have a wonderful memory. I remember meeting him after his performance at the DC festival. He seemed like a very nice and modest man, and certainly very dedicated to the work we all share. Thanks again, Linda On May 20, 2009, at 4:41 PM, Alan Cook wrote: > I first met Roberto Lago at the 1948 National Puppetry Festival in > Oklahoma City, which was held at the Skirvin Towers and the Skirvin > Hotel--the hotels were connected by a tunnel which ran under a street > > In those days the Puppeteers of America was somewhere around > 250-350 total in membership. At that Fesival you could meet at > least half of the most important puppeteers of North America in one > room. > > Many Junior Leaugues had active puppet programs in many parts of > the United States, providing puppet shows for school assemblies and > other audiences as part of community service and enrichment > activities. The Leagues regularly sent delegates to Puppet > Festivals, and sometimes they'd hire professional puppeteers to > come to their towns to direct and train volunteer puppeteers whose > names appeared in local newspaper society columns. Jean Starr > Wiksell and Al Wallace were two of the professional puppeteers who > were advisors to the Leagues. > > The Skirvin Towers Hotel was the newer hotel, boasting air > conditioning and higher rates. I was on a budget, and stayed at the > old Skirvin Hotel. > > To get there from Los Angeles, I went by Trailways Bus from > Downtown Los Angeles to Downtwn Oklahoma City. The family suitcase > purchased ten years earlier for a train trip to Philadelphia, > Valley Forge, West Grove PA, and Chicago, contained my coat & tie--- > Festivals were more formal when it came to wardrobe (so were > "Sunday Best" clothes you wore to church or synagogue or concerts > or theater---things have changed a lot). Anyway, I had a few > dollars set aside to get my coat pressed on arrival. I planned to > reach the hotel at 8 pm the night before the Festival began. > However, bad weather and highway detours added 100 miles to my > trip. I got there at 1 a.m.---the air was steamy. I hung up the > coat and I fell in bed. > > When I woke up, the coat had pressed itself with help from high > humidity. Sure different from California weather. > > Roberto Lago, Director of Teatro Nahual (Mexico City) and Lola > Cueto a distinguished artist and puppet designer/puppeteer were > scheduled to perform but the puppets and stage were still stuck at > the border with Customs Officials, and never did arrive---a big > disappointment. But they had a few hand puppets in their suitcases, > so we could get an idea of what we missed by not seeing them > perform. These were older, repainted puppets which were available > for purchase and I bought one. I practiced my high school Spanish a > bit, though Roberto was proficient in English and French (he had > family in France, and his daughter worked for Air France in Mexico > City by the time I visited Mexico City circa 1955.) > > At that time, Roberto was kind of an unofficial Ambassador for > Mexican puppetry. He performed in 1940 or 1941 at the Southwest > Museum in Los Angeles (a show I did not see) and knew Walton & > O'Rourke, possibly as early as the 1930s? > > He travelled all over Mexico with Teatro Nahual at government > expense, teaching hand puppetry to school teachers who used puppets > to enliven their classroom lessons. Teatro Nahual toured widely as > part of the national literacy campaign known as the "ABC > Campaign" (Each citizen who could read and write was encouraged to > teach another person--"each one teach one" was the slogan in vogue. > Their version of "Red Riding Hood" demonstrated the advantages of > literacy---when Red (Capercita) meets the wolf in the woods, she > says. "Oh, I've READ all about you". > > In one isolated town visited by Teatro Nahual, it was necessary to > widen the entry road so the show truck could get there. This also > meant that the little town would finally have access to the outside > world. An impromptu Fiesta was thrown in celebration of the wider > road. > > While visiting a weekly oudoor market with Roberto in the mid > 1950's I was amazed at how often people would come up to him to say > hello. They were teachers who had learnt puppetry from him and his > staff. > > He saw Bread & Puppets in their New York City days, he went to > Puppet Festivals in Europe. > > He was a liason for Mexico with a great part of the rest of world > puppetry. He wrote a book or two, maintained a wide > correspondence. and in some ways was kind of a Mexican Tony Sarg in > the sense that through him, thousands of people were introduced to > puppetry. > > I brought Roberto and his then assistant Pepe Diaz & Pepe's young > son Pepito to California in 1981. To pay for his trip to the > National Festival at Asilomar (near Monterey CA) I was able to book > his performances at two movie theaters (San Bernardino & Claremont > CA), another appearance at the Phlosophical Research Library and a > 4th of July Picnic in Los Angeles. at the La Jolla Art Museum, and > two East Los Angeles Food Market parking lots. We had a two week > window for bookings which accounts for the odd venues--whatever I > could get at the last minute. > > At the Festival, we all met Jim & Jane Henson (and their young > daughter) when there were only two puppeteers comprising the Muppet > Company. > > Teatro Nahual performed at Asilomar Festival with me as the third > hand, presenting LAS BODAS DE LA CUCARACHITA MONDINGA and musical > varieties (Spanish Lagartarana dances, Sailors and an encounter > with a whale, a Dutch Dance complete with arotating windmill prop. > Roberto & Pepe also conducted a popular workshop on "hand puppet > choreography" at the Fest. > > He was active in Mexico into his nineties. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Linda Elbow > Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 3:03 AM > To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Rod Young > > Please tell some stories about the Mexican puppeteer, Roberto Largo. > We saw him at a festival in DC a long time ago. Must have been early- > mid 80's. He did a three man show with no set, no disguises - him, > another older man and a young man in between them. I barely remember > the puppets, but the simplicity of the performance has stuck in my > brain. We also received a newsletter from him for a long time. > > Thanks, > Linda > > On May 20, 2009, at 7:37 AM, Alan Cook wrote: > >> IF he'd let you do that interview, it would have been a good one >> with you & Elise. >> >> Olga Stevens had a ton of amazing stories. Sadly I remember just >> one of them, cuz when she told them she & others were passengers in >> my old VW bus, & I had to concentrate on driving. >> >> You got some great info from George Latshaw! >> >> Alan >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: BNathanson-AT-aol.com >> Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 8:17 PM >> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org >> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Rod Young >> >> Alan, >> During the last few years of his life, Elise and I repeatedly >> asked >> that Rod grant us some time to do a video history with him. He >> adamently >> refused to appear on video. We then tried to get him to just >> answer questions >> and talk into a tape recorder, which he also refused. After he >> died, we >> attended his memorial service. Yes, his PGOGNY newsletters were >> treasures, >> and they and he, are sorely missed. >> Bob Nathanson >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ************** >> An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy >> Steps! >> (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221823248x1201398651/aol? >> redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx? >> sc=668072&hmpgID=62& >> bcd=MayExcfooter51609NO62) >> _______________________________________________ >> List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org >> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit >> Archives: http://www.driftline.org >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org >> Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit >> Archives: http://www.driftline.org > > _______________________________________________ > List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit > Archives: http://www.driftline.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit > Archives: http://www.driftline.org _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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