Let’s Celebrate!

After two issues about relevant though emotionally heavier topics, the environment (issue #52) and war (issue #53), we decided to bring attention to the festive side and focus on puppetry and celebration from around the world. Puppetry has long been featured in numerous types of celebrations. For this issue we are embracing an expansive definition that includes holidays, recurring religious and secular events, private and public rituals, personal and communal happenings and the experience of a puppet as a joyful thing that comes to life. Celebrations in this vein also include anniversaries and jubilees of companies, institutions, and individuals who exemplify and uplift puppetry practice and performance. In line with this idea, we are launching a new recurring section, “Who’s Who,” with a feature about the indomitable Ellen Stewart, founder of La MaMa etc. based in New York City and long time advocate and presenter of puppetry from around the world.

We start our journey with a peek into Jewish and Muslim celebration in the Northeast United States with three articles. Chad Williams reflects on his experiences performing for diverse Jewish communities throughout New York City during holy days. Jenny Romaine, also in NYC, shares the ethos and community building of the Great Small Works and FiHI Ma FiHI collaborative Iftar feasts held during Ramadan. And finally Matthew Cohen offers an insightful and detailed article about the creation of his Wayang Purim play developed in 2021. We then expand out into festivals and projects aimed at community building and re-imagining with Andrew Periale’s article about the work of Sara Peatie in Erie, PA; Ana Lorite’s transnational, multi- year investigation of puppetry and human connection that took her around the world; Paulette Richard’s insightful expose about the role puppets played in the making of Disney’s Little Mermaid; Mari Boyd’s performance review about a puppet piece that celebrates the life of a counter cultural Japanese artist; and Frans Hakkemars report on the 17th biennial international festival of puppetry at Saguenay in Quebec, Canada. Threaded in each of these articles is a keen awareness that it is both people and puppets that together create meaning. In this issue we also celebrate some of the people who have been so important to our art: Ralph Lee and Ellen Stewart from the United States, and The Guérin family from Bordeaux, France currently celebrating 170 years. The celebration of many things puppet continues with a recent explosion of publications about puppetry, four of which are reviewed here. And finally we honor this year’s UNIMA-USA citation awardees.

Note: The theme for this issue and its articles were chosen prior to the current escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette) was first formed in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1929 and, after its rupture during WWII, was re-activated. Our founders knew puppetry could lead to greater understanding and healing despite the grim politics of that “Cold War” period. UNIMA-USA’s mission has always been “to promote international understanding and friendship through the art of puppetry.” We stand by that mission and support peaceful outcomes in all conflicts.

— Alissa Mello