When I was starting out in puppetry I interned at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA. On the wall, was a poster of a puppet from the Little Angel Theatre. I was surrounded by puppets, historic puppets, but this was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
The Center also had this fantastic library of puppetry books. In it, I discovered Rod, Shadow and Glove: Puppets from the Little Angel Theatre
Considering that I’ve never had the opportunity to see a single show, Little Angel Theatre had a surprising impact on my development as a puppet designer.
The theatre is turning 50 this year. There’s a wonderful article in the Guardian about the company and its founders.
A long time ago, in a land far away, there was a little girl who made puppets. “I made them myself,” recalls Lyndie Wright. “I filled my mother’s oven with papier-mache.” One day, a touring puppet company came through Pretoria, in South Africa, where the little girl lived. She went to a show and was spellbound. “There is a picture in the archives somewhere, showing me in the audience,” she says.
Read the full article The family that pulls strings at The Guardian.
(Hat tip to Marc Gascoigne)
