She reports that their season ticket holders are hanging on, but they have had to refund all prepaid school performances. Lee Armstrong of Images in Motion (So- noma, CA). See Puppetry Journal cover story. Permanent puppet the- aters and puppet centers have been hit particularly hard as they have lost the ability to host income- producing shows while expenses, such as rent and wages, continue. The Jim Henson Foundation announced “Emergency Funding for Puppet The- aters 2020.” Four of the grants went to theaters covered by Scene West. Bob Baker Marionette Theater (Los Angeles) reports the loss of $350,000 in revenue after only 5 months in their new Highland Park location. Molly Cox wrote, “While our physical doors have been closed, we have expanded the theater’s digital presence. This includes a robust web store and YouTube chan- nel, and on our website and social media channels, we offer At Home Happiness, a program that’s designed for families to learn, play, and create in ever-evolving ways. Through these offerings, imagination dwells at home via puppet-making tutorials, PSAs to inspire kids to 'have fun being healthy,' and twice-weekly filmed puppet numbers, all offered free to our audience around the world. Beginning mid-May, we are offering Zoom puppetry performances for birthdays and special occasions. These private, digital performances cost $150, and with an additional fee can include a contactless delivery or pickup of the hallmarks of a Bob Baker celebration: ice cream, a puppet of one’s own, and a 'solid gold' adjustable crown. This allows our audience to have a personalized BBMT experience while also providing revenue. In partnership with radio station KCRW, the theater has presented weekly episodes of Bob Baker Radio Hour, in which our mari- onettes reenact iconic radio bits. We have also begun a poetry program where puppets read classic children’s poems narrated by a wide array of voice actors—simultaneously introducing young audiences to live performance and poetry!” The Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s response to the Henson grant: “I can tell you without a doubt that support from the Jim Henson Foundation helped to generate so much excitement and passion for people who remembered their best experiences


with puppetry. Your gift also inspired additional matching gifts that were made throughout the day, which kept the momentum going.” While Phoenix’s


COVID-19 video: shooting the handwashing sequence. Photo courtesy of Images in Motion


Great Arizona Pup- pet Theater is dealing with lost ticket revenue as expenses continue, their creativity remains undaunted. Lisa Has- selbauer described a puppet slam done in their parking lot, where the audience stayed in their cars and watched puppets and their shadows on the exterior wall of the theater, with a local DJ providing the musical soundtrack to each car through the


radio. Different performers’ stages were set up ahead of time with appropriate safe distancing, and the audience was encouraged to blink their headlights for applause. Dmitri Carter, Northwest Puppet Center (Seattle) says the theater is dark and the puppet exhibits are closed. He notes, “This break from the public has actually given Northwest Puppet Center a moment to tackle some time-consuming projects. Over the years and with major contributions of books, including The Cook/Marks Collection, The Lettie Connell Schubert Collection, and The Josie Robbins Collection, Northwest Puppet Center has become one of the most extensive puppetry research libraries in the country. Reorganization of the library is underway to make the books more readily accessible when visitation becomes possible again. For the museum collections, conservation work and planning of future exhibits remain ongoing.” Dmitri’s parting words: “Some predict live theater with audiences in venues will not be possible for two years.... We should all prepare for a long haul. For an organiza- tion, it requires long-term vision and a willingness to hunker down through hardships to keep overhead costs manageable.” Dmitri Carter’s thank you for Henson emergency funding: “Many thanks for your leading gift to help us weather this storm. Northwest Puppet Center is committed to continuing. With a sense for history, it is clear that puppetry will still be here when this virus subsides. By looking at the past, we can gain resolve. Looking into the eyes of historic puppets, it is possible to imag- ine the World Wars, famines, plagues, internment camps, and pandemics that the puppets have been through. Sadly, not all the puppeteers always survive, but the puppets persevere.”


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