Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 17:28:49 -0400
Subject: PUPT: Puppet theaters
From: Christopher Hudert <heyhoot-AT-mindspring.com>


This talk of puppetry careers had me thinking and I was just wondering...
 The Puppet Co. in Glen Echo, MD (a wonderful place to work or visit, IMHO)
is nearing compleation of their new theater built from the ground up
exclusively for Puppet Theater. I know there are theaters presenting
puppetry and quite a few puppet theaters across the U.S. as I have been
fortunate enough to visit and/or work in some of them over the years. But I
was just curious how many - if any - others in operation today (or even in
the past for that matter) have been built from the ground up for just
puppetry? I can think of a few outdoor ampatheaters that are doing just
puppets but I am not sure that they were constructed for that use, adapted,
or for general performances which became just used for puppetry. How about
the Hitchcock in San Diego or the theater in central park. Were they built
for puppetry or adapted to it? The Puppet Co. has already outfitted two
spaces over their years that were adapted for puppet theater, but this
marvelous new space is being designed and constructed from the hole in the
ground to the last patch of roofing and everything in between, all for
puppetry performances and study. I'm not much of a puppetry historian, but I
think this is rare if not unique in today's world, particularly in the U.S.
Can some of you historians fill us in on the others, past and present, and
their locations?


 Now this was not intended to be a pitch, but as long as I am singing the
praises of the Puppet Co. and their new space I will mention that they are a
non-profit and are still in need of further funds and other donations in
outfitting the new theater. If you are in a position to give or know someone
who is, no matter how little or how much < no donations too large ;o) >
please contact the Puppet Co. Their web address is thepuppetco.org and I bet
there is info there on how to contribute to the capital campaign. If not,
get back to me off list and I will connect you to them.

Christopher



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