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Merry Wives of Windsor at Cal Shakes :: April 27, 2006.
Performances and Workhops ONLINE NOW :: April 26, 2006.
April Guild Meeting reminder :: April 20, 2006.
Video Puppetry Workshop
Host by Images In Motion
Kamela Portuges, Mike Wick & Lee Armstrong,
Sunday, April 23rd, 2-5 pm
720 Ladera Dr., Sonoma 707 996-nine474
Don't miss the April Guild meeting on Sunday, April 23rd at Images In Motion. Images In Motion has a video studio especially designed for puppet shoots. It has been used for a number of children's puppet and music videos. It will be set up for a hands-on workshop, performing in front of the TV camera. Puppets will be available, or BYO puppets. Kamela, Mike and Lee will cover basic manipulation, then how to put it all together in a scene.
Kamela and Mike have just completed another round of the popular Round Table Pizza ads. Lee is returning from 5 months in Vancouver, shooting the PBS series "Mustard Pancakes" (Parent's Choice Gold award.) Images In Motion is currently puppeteering, building puppets and writing scripts for a number of TV shows. Clients include Cartoon Network, Leapfrog Toys, PBS, etc. More info on IIM can be seen at www.imagesmedia.com. There will be lots to see and do. There will also be an opportunity to view puppet videos. If you have a short clip you'd like to show (3-5 min), call 707 996-9four74 to get on the program.
Images In Motion is in Boyes Hot Springs, just north of the town of Sonoma, on your way to Santa Rosa. (Come early and explore this beautiful area) Use your favorite way of getting to the town of Sonoma.
Arriving in Sonoma, you will be on Broadway St., looking at the Town Hall in the Square. We are 3.5 miles from downtown.
Turn Left on W. Napa St - go 0.9 mi on W. Napa St/#12 through town
and continue on it as it turns north, 1.2 miles, Pass Verano Ave (McDonald's & Denny's at corner)
Look for SFBAPG signs
Turn Right at Calle del Monte (Boyes Springs Food Center at corner)
(If you pass the Sonoma Mission Inn on Boyes Blvd, you've gone too far)
Turn Left on Central Ave. (Calle del Monte ends here)
Go 2 houses. Take first Right (Calle del Arroyo)
Take first Left (Ladera Drive)
720 Ladera Drive is the blue house on the left. The studio is to the left,
behind the house.
Parking space is limited. Please carpool. There are a few spaces in front
of the house, and a few down the driveway of the studio, on the right side
of the house. Please don't park opposite our house as it makes it difficult
for our neighbor. You may want to park on Central, or Calle de Arroyo.
If convenient, please bring finger foods or drinks for the refreshment table. Permanent link to this entry.
Reg'l Festival Update :: April 19, 2006.
If you haven't already registered for Mucho Ado About Puppets, jump
on the bandwagon now! On May 1st the fee for registration goes up
from $156 to $181.
Go to http://www.muchadoaboutpuppets.org and download your registration form!
August 4-7, 2006
University of Puget Sound, near Tacoma Washington
It's a BEAUTIFUL time of year up in Washington! Permanent link to this entry.
PuppetFest MidWest :: April 19, 2006.
Here's the latest installment of good things happening at this year's
annual PuppetFest MidWest, July 11-16, 2006 in Trenton, Missouri.
Paul Mesner will be returning with a workshop and a performance!
Workshop:
ROD PUPPETS AND PERFORMANCE with Paul Mesner of Paul Mesner Puppets
In this workshop, you will build simple rod puppets, learn to
manipulate them and create a short performance piece, ready to
perform by the end of the week. As a performer and director, Paul
Mesner has a unique sense of movement, dramatic timing and humor.
Don't leave your imagination at home, you will need it.
Performance:
SLEEPING BEAUTY with Paul Mesner Puppets
Have you ever wanted to sleep late? Like for 100 years? Well that is
what our heroine does in this production. Paul Mesner pulls out all
the stops in this hilarious one-man tour-de-farce. Set in a tall,
majestic castle, this is the classic fairy tale you already know,
retold with some slightly quirky twists. Besides Beauty's fateful
curse, good and evil fairies and a dashing Prince battling a dragon,
Mesner includes two finicky Royal chefs, a helpful hound who does
tricks, a fortune-telling frog, a tuneful Royal trumpeter, a cooing
and curious baby Princess, a Queen who loves to take baths and a King
who can't get enough of his pet polo pony!
More details at our website at http://puppetfestival.org/.
Don't forget that we offer up to four scholarships every year
to PuppetFest MidWest. The deadline for applying for a scholarship is
Monday, May 1st, 2006. You can find that information on the website
as well.
Please help us to spread the word about this year's PuppetFest MidWest.
Thanks, Debbie Permanent link to this entry.
Vent Dummy Needed :: April 18, 2006.
We are looking for a Ventriloquist puppet to rent for Annie presented
by South Valley Civic Theatre in MOrgan Hill. It would represent
Charlie McCarthey. Would you know where I could find such an item. He
will be needed from May 15th - June 10th (closing show).. That
includes 10 shows, and 1 week of rehearsals. We could work out some
advertising in exchange. Thank you for your time with this matter.
"Kimberlie Kehrer" mac dot com> Permanent link to this entry.
newsletter deadline :: April 17, 2006.
Greetings,
Happy sunshine and income tax day.
It is not too soon to send your submissions for the May newsletter to your newsletter editor (mail  magicalmoonshine dot org )-
Newsletter deadlines are usually the 25th of each month.
Send in:
Memories of Lettie Schubert
Calendar listings
Reviews of puppet shows, books, films
Articles
How-to tips
Classifieds
Letters to the Editor and commentaries
Anything else you want to share with the guild
REMEMBER: I AM JUST THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR. IN ORDER TO DO MY JOB, I NEED SOMETHING TO EDIT AND THAT COMES FROM YOU! SHARE WITH YOUR FELLOW GUILD MEMBERS.
THANKS,
MICHAEL Permanent link to this entry.
Open Studio,workshops with Japanese Urushi artist :: April 14, 2006.
This message comes from Sha Sha Higby:
May 13 &14 Open Studio at 3 Spring Ave at Park in Bolinas
Sha Sha will be having a guest Master
Urushi Lacquer artist from Japan,
Nagatoshi Onishi,come to give these various
activities. He will also share open studio with
Sha Sha May 13 & 14th
NAGATOSHI ONISHI
Master Artist’Urushi Lacquer Works
May 13-18, Claudia Chapline Gallery
Claudia Chapline
P.O. Box 1117
3445 Shoreline Highway
Stinson Beach, CA 94970
Demonstration:
Saturday, May 13, 5:30-6:30 P.M.
Reception: Sunday, May 14, 4-6 P.M.
Hours: 11-5, Fri-Sun & by appt
415 868 2308 www.cchapline.com
www.urushi-gansen.com
Lecture/Demonstration: Tuesday, May 16, 6-8 P.M.
The Japan Society of Northern California
500 Washington St., Suite 300,3rd flr. SF, 94111
415 986 4383 www.usajapan.org
( $10 members, $15 nonmembers, elevators)
Workshop:
Wednesday, May 17 6:30-9:30 P.M.
Richmond Art Center
2540 Barrett Ave, Richmond, CA 94804
510 620 6772 www.therichmondartcenter.org
($25 racmembers, $30 nonmembers)
also more of Onishi’Urushi works can be seen at
Sha Sha Higby's open studio, 3 Spring at Park Ave
in Bolinas, May 13 &14, 10:30-3:30 PM.
Marin Open Studios is in West Marin that weekend.
For any other questions about these events call
415-868-2409, www.shashahigby.com
"This is a rare opportunity into the aspects of a
highly refined and 7000 year old craft of working
with the almost magical sap of the Urushi tree.
Famed as a traditional adhesive and coating in
Asia and Southeast Asia, the urushi processes
demonstrated can be used to apply an incredibly
durable, transparent or colored opaque surface to
a wide range of materials. It can be used to
build up sculptural forms, or develop an
extraordinary palette of decorative finishes with
gold powder, leaf, or and shell for decorative
makie techniques.
Nagatoshi Onishi will demonstrate basic handling
and drying techniques, such as opaque texture of
Sitaji coating, and gold leaf application .There
will be time for questions.. This informative
workshop will broaden your understanding of
adhesives, and a peak into the richness and depth
of this incredible art form, perhaps wet your
palette for further study in Japan.
This workshop is targeted mainly to working
artists who want to apply the urushi sap to their
own work and have knowledge of the hazards of art
materials in general. Urushi is actually
non-toxic, is more of an herb, but is of the
poison sumac family and can cause skin rashes if
not handled properly. Nagatoshi Onishi will show
a safe method. But it will not hurt you, and is
safer than most art materials. If you get a
little rash, it is considered a blessing in
Japan. Urushi sap is alive, a living substance.
Space is limited so please reserve early to avoid
disappointment.
Things to bring for the workshop: bring a sample
of whatever material you would like to coat:
metal, wood, reed, paper, cloth or perhaps a
small item to gold leaf that has a handle, a
lidded plastic food container box or cardboard
box or the purpose transporting and drying your
piece, a notebook, apron, long sleeved shirt,
sandpaper, toilet paper, latex gloves, face
cream, piece of soft cloth, little dish Permanent link to this entry.
S.F. Ventriloquist, Steve Kay, has died :: April 09, 2006.
STEVE KAY: 1954-2006
Ventriloquist found value in 'a quality day'
In online chronicle, S.F. entertainer shared his struggles
Marianne Costantinou, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, April 9, 2006
On that Friday, his last Friday, the hospital bed arrived, the
deliverymen fretful that it wouldn't fit in the tiny San Francisco
apartment. His sister flew in from Oregon. His best friend in the
whole world called him from Orlando. A friend gave him a really
great foot massage; another made him a smoothie. Others worked on a
schedule to keep vigil through the night.
It was getting harder and harder to breathe, he reported. His legs
were wobbly, and it took all his energy to climb out of bed. The
insomnia would kill him if the lung cancer and AIDS didn't. He took
16 drops of morphine for the pain and a couple of pills to ease his
anxiety and help him sleep.
All in all, he concluded in the online daily journal he had started
three months earlier to keep family and friends posted, "It was
another quality day."
It would be his last.
The next day, Saturday, there was no entry under "My Update Page" at
www.stevekay.com . It was the first time he had failed to write.
There was no entry the next day, Sunday.
On Monday, came this:
March 27, 2006
This will be the last update
Steve passed away peacefully
this afternoon at 1:05 p.m.
Steve Kay was 52 years old.
Many have crossed paths with Mr. Kay over the years. A ventriloquist
with a sassy wooden dummy named Jerry Jay, he haunted Fisherman's
Wharf and was a regular on the cruise circuit. In the '90s, he was a
cabbie and later owned a town-car service with the license plate
MRLIMO. He was an extra in about 10 films, including "So I Married
an Axe Murderer," "The Rock" and "The Joy Luck Club."
Despite his public roles, Mr. Kay was far from famous. Or even well
liked. His father loved him, but even he admits that Mr. Kay was
often annoying, even alienating. He was a fussbudget. He was
demanding. Everything had to be his way.
He was, in other words, like most people, far from perfect.
Diagnosed with AIDS in June 2004, and with lung cancer last November,
Mr. Kay reveals in his journal what's important in life as a man
faces his death.
There is no more talk of becoming a star, the ambition that had
consumed him since he was about 8, when his parents got him a
ventriloquist dummy from Mervyns.
There is no more talk of making money, his obsession in recent years
as he parlayed a used limo into a thriving fleet.
Instead of focusing on what he is going to accomplish in life, Mr.
Kay worries about how he would be remembered in death. He gives
friends and social service aides a DVD featuring an interview with
him and his dummy.
The only plans he makes are for his funeral.
It is a familiar rhetorical question that many ponder from time to
time: "What would you do if you had only three months to live?"
Mr. Kay's journal belies the expected answers.
He has no energy for that exotic trip folks always promise themselves
before they die but keep putting off for the right time.
He has no thought of that last romantic fling to top all flings.
Mr. Kay does not ponder the Big Question one might imagine: "What's
the meaning of life?"
In the end, at least from Mr. Kay's vantage, it all suddenly becomes
clear: All he wants in life is "a quality day."
In his entry for Jan. 1, he writes: "I am coming to the realization
that my body is declining and even though my spirit is still strong.
I am aware of things not functioning correctly."
Suddenly, the things taken for granted are moments to cherish. A
bowel movement becomes a momentous event. Taking a bath becomes a
daily highlight. Time becomes measured by the arrivals and
departures of friends and social service aides. This person was late
and this one made a surprise visit. She sat in the Blue Chair, and
he sat in the Black Chair.
With little time left, Mr. Kay takes pleasure in simple things:
playing online video poker (he makes $181 million in play money at
last report); running an errand with a friend; watching "Law &
Order" with his dad; a foot massage; and a fruit smoothie.
In his last entry, March 24, his only wish is to live till April 1,
to attend the baptism of his godson, the child of an employee to
whom he had sold his limo business for the price of the vehicles. It
would be another unrealized goal in his short life.
Mr. Kay was born in Oakland and grew up in Fremont, the oldest of
four. His father sold canned fruit. His mom stayed at home to raise
the children. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, and he
went to live with his father and stepmother.
At Mission San Jose High in Fremont, Mr. Kay played a bit of football
and performed in the school musical, in the role of Herman in the
play "Gypsy."
But Mr. Kay's love was his dummy. He locked himself in his bedroom to
perfect the art of ventriloquism.
"Steve loved attention," said his dad, Richard Kay of Roseville,
about 20 miles northeast of Sacramento. "He always wanted to be a
star."
For college, Mr. Kay entered Cal Polytechnic State University San
Luis Obispo in 1973 with the intent of becoming a math major. Five
years later, he was still a student but also a part-time real estate
agent. He decided to chuck it all and follow his dream, to become a
professional ventriloquist.
By then, Mr. Kay had bought a custom-made wooden dummy that he named
Jerry Jay. Mr. Kay hitchhiked to Las Vegas and performed like a
wandering minstrel among the slot machines at the Flamingo Hotel,
sidling up to players to entertain them and take their minds off
their losses.
After a year in Vegas, Mr. Kay returned briefly to San Luis Obispo
before heading to San Francisco, where he performed for nearly a
decade around Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. He then got a six-year
gig aboard cruise ships as an entertainer.
Around 1993, Mr. Kay decided to seek land and work as an actor. To
supplement the income he made as an extra in films, he starting
driving a taxi. Seeing how lucrative the business was for the cab
owner, Mr. Kay decided to start his own town-car business. Within a
few years, his one used limo grew into a fleet of nine, including
several new stretch limousines.
When Mr. Kay discovered he had AIDS in June 2004, he sold his fleet
and most of his belongings, and prepared to die, he said in his
journal. The medications, however, slowed his disease and he found
himself living longer than expected. The diagnosis of lung cancer
came last fall. He declined chemotherapy.
Mr. Kay's father learned his son was gay when his son was in his 20s,
he said. They became estranged for a short while, but his father
said he called him and told him: "I don't approve, but I accept. I
want us to be friends."
His father and he did become friends, though Mr. Kay's personality
made it an uneasy relationship, his dad said. His relationship with
his siblings seemed further strained. In his journal, Mr. Kay chides
his sister for wanting him to pay her travel costs to visit him.
There is no mention of visits from his mother, two brothers or any
former lovers. As far as his dad knew, he had no long-term romantic
relationships.
Services have passed, and Mr. Kay's father is in town this week
packing up his few belongings. Jerry Jay will be shipped to a
ventriloquist's museum in Tennessee.
In addition to his father, he is survived by his mother, Elizabeth
Kay of Santa Rosa; his stepmother, Jean Kay of Roseville; his
brothers Kenneth of San Diego and Kelly of Corte Madera; a sister,
Nancy Smith of Gold Hill, Ore.; and two stepbrothers, Joe Maher of
Orangevale (Sacramento County) and Jeff Kay of Danville, Pa. Permanent link to this entry.
Invitation to the 5th annual Pageant Puppetry Workshop in northern Italy - June 17-25, 2006 :: April 08, 2006.
Dear Friends,
Thought some of you might be interested in this. We have attended
this workshop for two years and are intending to go for the festa
this year (we'll be in Italy for other reasons!).
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us!
Olivia and Talib Huff
Tinker's Coin Productions
Pageant Puppetry
in the mountains of Northern Italy June 17 - 25, 2006
Morinesio’s 5th Annual Midsummer Pageant
Join us for a one-week workshop in pageant puppetry, culminating in a
community celebration of Midsummer and the Feast of Saint John the
Baptist. Collaborate with international participants and local
residents to create an event grounded in the ritual traditions of
Morinesio, a remote village in the Piedmont region of the Italian Alps.
Master Puppetmakers Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles (designers for
New York’s Village Halloween Parade) will lead the workshop, drawing
inspiration directly from the folklore and oral histories of the
village. No previous experience is necessary. Participants will learn
how to design and construct giant puppets, masks, banners, lanterns
and musical instruments. Working collaboratively, we will develop and
perform ritual processions inspired by traditional observance of the
Summer Solstice (or the Feast of St. John the Baptist), in tandem
with regional musicians and other local residents.
The workshop will be hosted by Christa Gaebler at Casa dei Fiori, a
newly restored complex of traditional stone houses. Christa, an
international chef, will introduce participants to the tastes of
Northern Italian summer, with daily gourmet meals prepared from local
produce and cheeses.
The workshop runs from Saturday June 17 to Sunday June 25. The fee
per person is 1450 to 1950 Euros* depending on accommodations, and
includes the following:
• Workshop tuition and materials
• Transfer from Bus/ Train station in Cuneo
• Apartment in Casa Dei Fiori or room in nearby B&B
• Daily regional breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Guided tour of local cheese farm
• Bread-baking day at the village’s communal oven
For more information or to make reservations, contact
In Europe: Christa Gaebler (+39)0171.999303
email casadeifiori dot com
In U.S.: Pia Petruzzi: (203)756-two517
virtualpia earthlink dot net
or visit our website: superiorconcept.org or casadeifiori.com Permanent link to this entry.
Puppet Soirée April 16th - North Oakland :: April 05, 2006.
Sunday, April 16th, come to a Puppet Soirée and desert Potluck at the
Genoa Street House. Come show off a work in process or just come and
hang out with other puppeteers and puppet fanatics. There will be a
show with visiting puppeteers from DC, and a lively puppet open mic.
The space has a mid-size stage, a sound system etc, a piano and a
varity of lighting options.
The Genoa Street House is at 5716 Genoa St. in North Oakland between
Adeline and MLK off of 57th, near Ashby BART.
Call or email if you have any questions 415-24O-6672 or
firecircus hotmail dot com.
Puppet escort required. Permanent link to this entry.
Lettie Schubert in the L.A. Times today :: April 05, 2006.
Lettie C. Schubert, 77; Puppeteer and Mentor to Future Muppet Performers
By Valerie J. Nelson
Times Staff Writer
April 5, 2006
In the display window of a San Francisco portrait shop, a feather and a canine hand puppet became a tourist attraction in the 1960s. The playful wisp of a drama caused so many sightseeing buses to double-park that the city threatened to shut down the nightly shows.
The gloved hand that brought crowds and whimsy to Grant Street belonged to Lettie Connell Schubert, whose talent for organizing regional and national puppet festivals and teaching workshops made her a leading figure in American puppetry.
"She was a tremendous force and a major part of our history," said Alan Cook, curator of the Conservatory of Puppetry Arts in Pasadena. "She was a really inspired performer and the best person at critiquing that I ever met."
Schubert, who was diagnosed with cancer six months ago, died of liver failure March 21 at her home in Mill Valley, north of San Francisco, said her husband, Gage. She was 77.
When she wasn't performing with her two favorite alter egos — a dog named George and a fairy called Twinkle — she was often mentoring up-and-coming performers.
Among those who benefited from her gentle critiques was a teenage Frank Oz, the future voice of Cookie Monster and Miss Piggy. Oz told The Times that Schubert was "one of the influential people" in his life.
"She had a marvelous attitude about her, the kind you could learn from in a very easy way," said Oz, now a movie director who at 19 jumped from the Oakland-based puppet troupe Schubert directed to Jim Henson's Muppets in New York. "She was great at bringing people along and also had a wonderful show of her own."
More Muppet history was made at a 1961 festival she oversaw near Monterey, Calif. Henson met and hired another of Schubert's puppeteers, Jerry Juhl, who eventually became head writer for the iconic troupe.
As a performer alone, Schubert would have made a huge impact, Cook said. "She was heavily influenced by Marcel Marceau, and she funneled that way of thinking into the puppet community. I have never seen anyone better at hand-puppet mime," he said.
Her spirit of fun was also evident in her display-window routines, when she would startle passersby by making the puppet move at just the right moment.
"It was charming and unsettling," said Lewis Mahlmann, a puppeteer who first met her in 1955.
During the 1950s and '60s, Schubert worked with puppet master Ralph Chesse on "Brother Buzz," a weekly San Francisco television show that used marionettes to teach children to be kind to animals. She also performed on other live TV shows in San Francisco, including "Willy and the Baron" and "The Looking Glass Lady."
"Manual of Hand Puppet Manipulation," a 20-page booklet Schubert self-published in 1974, is still considered one of the best guides to learning how to bring a glove puppet to life.
A third-generation San Franciscan, Schubert was born Frances Electa Orton Connell in 1929.
As a teenager, she worked in a mannequin factory before studying recreation at City College of San Francisco and puppetry at San Francisco State.
From 1954 to 1960, Schubert ran the Oakland recreation department's Vagabond Puppet Theater, which performed in public parks and playgrounds. She also did hand-puppet shows at the White House department store in San Francisco.
Hired to perform at a portrait studio called Happy Things, Schubert brought her mime puppetry to the display window.
"Lettie was famous for shows that were warm and fuzzy, that could be sad and playfully poignant," said her husband, who was managing the shop when he met her.
One lighthearted show made up of three small acts was called "Moods for Small Minds."
The Schuberts eventually took over the studio, which by then had become a "hip toy shop" that closed at 11:30 p.m. and served as a gathering place for creative people, including Carol Channing, who would sit in the shop's swing and shriek song lyrics, Gage Schubert said.
After a few years, they closed the store and opened Schubert's Toy Square on Union Street.
When the puppeteer moved to Mill Valley to raise her family in 1968, she turned away from performing. By then, Schubert had discovered a talent for mentoring and began pursuing other creative outlets, including making brooches and cloth figures that looked strikingly similar to puppets.
In addition to Gage, her husband of 45 years, Schubert is survived by a son, David, of Concord, Mass.; a daughter, Rebecca Smith, of Novato, Calif.; and two grandchildren.
A memorial gathering is planned for 3 to 9 p.m. June 11 at the Fort Mason Center on the San Francisco waterfront. Permanent link to this entry.
June 11 Memorial Tribute to Lettie Schubert :: April 04, 2006.
A Memorial Tribute to Lettie Connell Schubert
A Celebration of Her Life
Friends and family of Lettie are all welcome.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
3:00 to 8:30 p.m.
(set-up is 2:00 to 3:00)
Golden Gate Room
Building A
Fort Mason Center
(This is the same place the Guild had its 40th Anniversary Celebration)
Members of the SFBAPG and its allies are preparing a wonderful
celebration of Lettie's life!
Lewis Mahlmann and Randal Metz will perform the puppet production
"Mrs. Witherspoon's Busy Day" with Lettie's recorded voice as Mrs.
Witherspoon. The show was written and designed by Lettie and she
started performing it in 1963. Thirty eight years later, in 2001,
Lettie oversaw the revival of the show for Children's Fairyland.
Lynne Jennings is enlisting her high-tech enlarging equipment to
create a Memorial Wall featuring photos, written stories and
thoughts. The Wall will travel to this summer's puppet festivals in
Washington and Missouri, as well as the 2007 national festival in
Minnesota.
Luman Coad is scouring his collection of past Puppetry Journals to
capture more information on Lettie's career as a puppeteer.
Alan Cook is writing about Lettie's life as a puppeteer and has been
passing information to the Los Angeles Guild and various newspapers.
The L.A. Times interviewed Alan today. Several members of the Los
Angeles Guild will be traveling north to attend the Celebration.
Lee Armstrong (Images in Motion) is preparing a big-screen video
montage which will incorporate video excerpts of Lettie's life,
including her 70th birthday party; an interview of Lettie done by
Anita Coulter and Sam Hale; and Lettie's work on the 1950s "Brother
Buzz" TV show.
The foundation that sponsored the "Brother Buzz" show has promised to
supply video footage featuring Brother Buzz and Miss Busy Bee,
puppeteered by Ralph Chesse and Lettie Connell.
An employee at the Oakland Parks and Rec Department has dug up a
veritable gold mine of slides depicting the Vagabond Puppeteers which
Lettie directed for several years.
-:-:-:-And there will OPEN MIC for us to tell our stories.-:-:-:-
-:-:-:-And there will be wonderful food, generously provided by
Lettie's husband, Gage Schubert.-:-:-:-
Each SF Guild member is kindly requested to bring A DESSERT PLATE
which will feed at least 10 people.
**********
Would you like to be part of the Memorial Wall? If you have written
thoughts or stories of Lettie's life, please contact Mary Decker:
marydeck earthlink dot net or 650-361-131O.
Do you have any quality photos? Please contact Lynne Jennings:
LynneJenn aol dot com or call her at 1-619-427-8O88. Permanent link to this entry.
SFGate: Lettie Connell Schubert -- pre-eminent puppeteer :: April 02, 2006.
Sunday, April 2, 2006 (SF Chronicle)
Lettie Connell Schubert -- pre-eminent puppeteer
Jim Doyle, Chronicle Staff Writer
Lettie Connell Schubert, who grew up in a San Francisco theater during the
Depression and rose to become a well-known figure in American puppetry,
has died at age 77.
The fabled puppeteer died of liver failure on March 21 at her Mill Valley
home. She had been fighting cancer for six months.
Friends and family recalled Mrs. Schubert's playfulness and exuberance,
dazzling smile and oversize glasses. They spoke of her inspiration and
warmth. They told stories about her puppets, including a hilarious German
dog.
"She was a force of major importance," Alan Cook, curator of the
Conservatory of Puppetry Arts in Pasadena, wrote in an e-mail. "I call her
a catalyst. Her contributions to the field were wide ranging locally and
even internationally. Her own performance talents were among the best, but
she also encouraged many other talents."
Mrs. Schubert was a third-generation San Franciscan whose love of puppetry
began when she was a child. She began performing regularly during junior
high school.
She worked with the puppet master Ralph Chessé, handling marionettes on a
long-running Bay Area television show called "Brother Buzz," and playing a
character called Miss Busy Bee. She also worked on other live TV shows
during the 1950s, including "Willie & the Baron" and "The Looking Glass
Lady."
She directed Oakland's Vagabond Puppet Theater, which visited Oakland
public parks and playgrounds during the summer. Her various assistants
included Robert Edward Darling and Dahl Delu. She worked closely with
Jerry Juhl, who later went on to become a puppeteer and script writer for
the Muppets.
Mrs. Schubert was a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area
Puppeteers Guild and directed the first regional puppet festival in San
Francisco in 1960. She also organized a national puppet festival in
Asilomar (Monterey County) and other events in the Los Angeles area.
She had leadership roles in local, regional, national (Puppeteers of
America) and international (UNIMA -- Union Internationale de la
Marionnette) puppetry organizations for many years.
She lived for years on Green Street in San Francisco and plied her trade
everywhere, hosting puppet shows in local department stores and at library
exhibits. She made dolls for craft fairs, and once sold pictorial rubber
stamps with puppet themes.
In the 1960s, she staged informal puppet shows in the display window of a
portrait shop on upper Grant Avenue called "Happy Things," delighting
tourists and passers-by. The shop was operated by puppeteer and children's
author Wolo, which was short for his real name, Wolf George Anton Erhardt
Trutzschler von Falkenstein.
Lettie Schubert met her future husband, Gage, at the shop. They took over
the business until its closing a few years later and later owned
Schubert's Toy Square on Union Street.
"She was one of the sweetest people anyone would ever meet. She listened
to people," Gage Schubert said. "She was fascinated by puppet activity as
a child because her father and mother had a theater on Macondray Lane on
Russian Hill during the Depression. She grew up in that basement theater
environment. ... She went from that background as an only child into
puppetry theater."
In 1968, Mrs. Schubert moved with her family to Mill Valley. She was
involved with the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival for 30 years with her
husband. She also exhibited her paper and cloth figures for the Artisans
Gallery.
In 1974, Mrs. Schubert self-published a booklet titled "Hand Puppet
Manipulation" in which she tried to teach novices the craft of bringing
puppets to life.
Mrs. Schubert traveled extensively and was an avid collector of art and
puppetry. She was also a member of the British Puppet & Model Theatre
Guild and conducted a workshop there.
"Lettie has been a wonderful friend to many puppeteers on this side of the
Atlantic; she made numerous visits to the U.K. -- popping up in all sorts
of places," wrote British puppeteer Ray DaSilva in a memoriam posted on
the Web site of Puppeteers UK.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Schubert is survived by a son, David
Schubert, of Concord, Mass., and a daughter, Rebecca Smith, of Novato. She
also is survived by two grandchildren.
A gathering of Mrs. Schubert's friends and well-wishers is planned for
June 11 from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Golden Gate Room at the Fort Mason Center.
Donations may be made to the Puppeteers of America or the American Cancer
Society. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2006 SF Chronicle Permanent link to this entry.
Performance list for bi-regional festival :: April 02, 2006.
Performances are lined up for the Much Ado About Puppets bi-regional
festival! More to come!
Much Ado About Puppets takes place August 4-7 at the University of Puget Sound near Tacoma.
Check out this wonderful list and then REGISTER for the festival! Go
to www.muchadoaboutpuppets.org and get your registration forms!
"Harlequin's Cloak" by Luman Coad.
Otome-Bunraku by Manami-san (Japan). Manami will present a NEW work,
as well as the one she did here in 2005.
"The Tall Tales of Paul Bunyan" by Roger Mara.
"The Wacky Adventures of Lewis and Clark" by Amy Gray/Zing Productions.
Mallory Lewis, Shari Lewis' daughter, will present a retrospective of
Shari Lewis' work AND treat us to a solo performance with Lambchop.
"Frog Lake" by Thistle Theater. Think "Swan Lake" with frogs and
real ballerinas!
Magical Moonshine Theater/ Little Blue Moon Theater will perform Late
Night Adult Theater -- TBA
"Lovesick Sea Play" by Janaki Ranpura. Late night Adult Theater.
The Saturday Night Gala will feature Peter Allen (Missouri) and Scott
Land (Los Angeles)!
-:-:-:-:-:-:-It's time to REGISTER! -:-:-:-:-:-:-
Permanent link to this entry.
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