Where Do We Go From Here?


By Jamie Donmoyer


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Aretta Baumgartner, Education Director at Center for Puppetry Arts, teaching a class.


n 1976, when Nancy Smith and Kenny Bonar started touring shows to schools in Florida, they had no idea that nearly 45 years later it would be those very puppets that would allow Great Arizona Puppet Theater to reach audiences in a brand-new way. “In those days, we were booked in schools that had no stages,” Nancy recalls, “so we had to make large rod puppets and a set that the children


could see. We made sure to build them well, so they are still in great shape today.” With six salaried puppeteers on staff, a theater space to maintain, and a loss of 80% of their income due to shutdowns caused by the pandemic, Nancy and daughter Gwen, now artistic directors of Great Arizona Puppet Theater, had to ask themselves questions common to so many of us: How will we stay connected to our audiences and still be able to make revenue?


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