The Puppeteers Cooperative Explained

The Puppeteers (or Puppeteers') Cooperative is an association of puppeteers, musicians, dancers, and singers, working to form community bonds through the medium of puppets, parades, and pageants.^{[1] [2]} It is an extremely loose affiliation - there is no membership as such, so that people are sometimes surprised to find themselves belonging to the group without having joined it.

History

The Puppeteers Cooperative was formed in San Francisco in 1976 by George Konnoff^[3] and Sara Peattie, two puppeteers formerly with the Bread and Puppet Theater.^[1] It was incorporated as a non-profit in Massachusetts1994.^[4] In 1993, Theresa Linnihan,^[5] then the director of the Newburyport Children's Theater at Maudslay State Park,^[6] met Konnoff, and joined in about 1997. George Konnoff died in 2001.^[3]

The Puppeteers Cooperative is known for its community outreach and education. The Cooperative has giant puppet pageants,^[7] community workshops^[8] that stress community involvement, and Free Puppet Lending Libraries^{[9] [10]} that make giant puppets available to the general public. It publishes an educational booklet called "68 Ways to Make Really Big Puppets: A Patternbook of Parades and Pageants,"^[11] web pages,^{[12] [13]} and videos, all of which share ways of making giant puppets and spectacles from simple techniques and everyday materials. As well as the Lending Libraries, the group includes The Back Alley Puppet Theater, which does pageants, parades, and puppet dances in the Boston area;^[14] The Construction Section, giant puppet makers;^[15] Hi-Art Productions, video makers;^[16] and Puppaganda, which performs short and small news shows.

Continuing events

• 1976 – present: the Back Alley Puppet Theater and later the Puppeteers Cooperative have participated in the First Night Boston Grand Processions.^[17] They also worked with other First Nights from around the country - Portsmouth, NH;^[18] Raleigh, NC; Pierce County, WA; St. Petersburg, FL; Pensacola, FL; Mobile, AL; State College, PA; Kingsport, TN; Owensboro, KY; Teaneck, NJ; Wilmington, DE;^[19] Jackson, MS;^[20] Hartford, CT; Binghamton, NY; Atlanta, GA;^[21] and Seattle, WA^[21] - to teach local puppeteers to make giant puppets and parades.
• 1994 – 2010: The Puppeteers Cooperative organized giant puppet pageants for the Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival, with the staff and students of the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center, and other community and senior groups. These were often based loosely on Shakespeare plays.^{[22] [23]}
• 1994 – present: The group organized, produced, and performed "The Rights (or Rites) of Spring," a free outdoor giant puppet pageant, in various states and venues.^{[24] [25] [26]} One of the earliest pageants – produced in 1994 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in cooperation with Antioch College – was credited with causing a temporary break in rainy spring weather.^[27]

References

• News: Rich . Barlow . Puppeteer ministers to faith, seeks it . . 30 October 2004 . B.2.
• News: Bina. Venkataraman. Christian Science Monitor. Bina Venkataraman. 16 July 2007. The Politics of Puppetry.
• News: Ira . Kantor . Puppetry International . 2008 . Creations from the Cooperative.

External links

• • https://decameron.puppetco-op.org/index.html
• https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2016/06/30/legendary-puppeteer-lends-puppets-for-free/7ZOzaPFPYcaFZUTACP4IjJ/story.html
  • https://huntnewsnu.com/70948/city-pulse/its-sweet-when-puppets-remain-alive-boston-puppet-library-animates-local-events/

Notes and References

1. Mindy Childress, The Antioch Record, May 10, 1996, "Parade! The Hounds of Spring are on Winter's Traces!"
2. Elijah Wald, The Boston Sunday Globe, April 23, 1994, "With help from JP students, puppets will usher in spring"
3. Web site: George Konnoff . The Puppeteers Cooperative . 2011-10-12.
4. Web site: PUPPETEERS' COOPERATIVE, LTD., THE Summary Screen . The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division.
5. Web site: Puppeteers' Cooperative and Its Puppet Free Lending Library in New York City . Littleviews Travel . Karen . Little . 20 November 2010. 2012-03-23.
6. Web site: Theater Company . Theater in the Open . 2012-03-23.
7. Book: Indian puppets . Sampa . Ghosh . Utpal Kumar . Banerjee . Shakti Malik / Abhinav Publications . New Delhi . 2006 . 81-7017-435-X . 2012-03-23.
8. Web site: Play Making . 2012-11-02 . 2013-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130104131010/http://www.gis.net/~puppetco/playmaking.htm . dead .
9. Web site: Amalgamated Puppet Libraries . Puppeteers Cooperative . 2011-10-12.
10. News: Michael . Weissenstein . Need an enormous puppet? Dozens on loan at weird Brooklyn 'library' . The Florida Times-Union . 8 June 2005.
11. Book: 68 Ways to Make Really Big Puppets: A Patternbook of Parades and Pageants . Sara . Peattie . Nicholas . Palmer . Puppeteer's Cooperative . 12 June 2000 . 978-0951360088 . 2011-10-12.
12. Web site: The Puppeteers' Cooperative Home Page . Puppeteers Cooperative . 2011-10-12.
13. Web site: For Your Edification and Amusement!. 2 November 2012 . The Puppeteers' Cooperative.
14. Web site: BAGOP Puppeteers' Directory . Boston Area Guild of Puppets . 2012-03-23.
15. Web site: Rose Sage . The Puppetry Home Page - Puppetry Building and Building Materials . Sagecraft Productions . 2012-03-23.
16. Theo . Davis . Peacework . October 1994 . The Puppeteer's Cooperative.
17. Web site: Best Family Events At First Night Boston 2012 . CBS Boston . 2011-12-16 . 2012-03-23.
18. News: Erin . Farrell . Foster's Daily Democrat . 4 August 1993 . Big puppets prepare for First Night.
19. News: Nan . Clements . The News Journal . 29 October 1994 . Pumped up for puppets.
20. News: Donnie . Snow . The Clarion-Ledger . 1 October 1999 . New year's party set for families downtown.
21. Web site: The Puppeteers Cooperative . https://web.archive.org/web/20160224205125/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-93135791.html . dead . 24 February 2016 . Whole Earth . 22 September 2002 . HighBeam Research.
22. News: Family Fare . Laurel . Graeber . 1 August 2003 . The New York Times.
23. News: Family Fare . Laurel . Graeber . 13 August 2004 . The New York Times.
24. News: Ellen Small . Davis . Newburyport Daily News . 1994 . A Triumph of Spring Spirit.
25. Celebrate Earth Day in Central Park . City Guide Magazine . 14 April 2009 . 2012-03-23.
26. Web site: Street Theater examples and ideas . democracyeugene [licensed for non-commercial use only] . Ruth . Miller . March 2011 . 2012-03-23.
27. News: Letter to the Editor . Yellow Springs News . 1994.