he produced a puppet, Cinderella. Tomie graduated from Pratt, worked with artist Ben Shahn, and spent six months in a Benedictine monastery. In 1970, he illustrated Eleanor Boylan’s How to Be a Puppeteer. In 1972, he staged a hand pup- pet nativity at a gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From 1973 to 1976, Tomie taught theater, designed for the stage, and directed children’s theater at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, New Hampshire. He had discovered Bunraku puppet- ry, and while at Colby he created Rainbow Nativity in Bunraku style. The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin, 1966, was the first book that Tomie both wrote and illustrated. At Colby, this became his second puppet production. Wait a Minute, Man and a tour- ing puppet production of Rumplestiltskin were the other two puppet shows from the years at Colby. In 1976, his book Strega Nona was a Caldecott Honor book. He created Oliver Button Is a Sissy in 1979, which was one of the first children’s books to obliquely reference being gay. Oli- ver (based on Tomie as a child) did not like sports. He liked to draw and dance and to dress up in costumes. He was teased and bullied but continued his dance lessons. In 1981, Winston Press published The Christmas Pageant, A Christmas Cut Out Stick Puppet Book. In 1985, Tomie revived Rain- bow Nativity at Colby and offered the show as a gift to the com- munity. Puppetry Journal, Summer 1986, reported on his puppetry work in an article by Lettie Connell Schubert. He won the Newbery Honor Award in 2000 for 26 Fairmount
Avenue. In 2001, The Jim Henson Company produced 26 epi- sodes of Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola. The program aired on the Hallmark Channel.
Hetty Paërl 1931–2020
n 2016, Hetty Paërl, a cheerful, versatile, driven, and above all modest advocate for puppetry, was awarded honorary membership in UNIMA by the international UNIMA board. Hetty was an illustrator, painter, and musi- cian, as well as a writer of a great many books on puppetry. A citizen of the Netherlands, her specialty was Jan Klaassen, but her interests included Jan Klassen’s cousins, including Punch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADeq1mKVCwY
I
Tova Ackerman 1942–2019
T
ova Ackerman was an extraordinary and inspirational teacher. She founded Puppetry in Practice in 1980, when she was teaching at Brooklyn College. Tova earned degrees
in early childhood education and special education, and her PhD from New York University was in the field of teaching English as a second language (TESL). She taught in the New York City schools, and in 1980 she began teaching at Brooklyn College and founded Puppetry in Practice. Through Puppetry in Practice, Dr. Ackerman worked with teachers and students throughout all the boroughs of New York City. In recent years, her interest in technology, and the role it can play in engaging children to support their acquisition of lan- guage skills, became a major factor in many residencies.
Since Tova’s passing, Michael Perreca now serves as execu- tive director of Puppetry in Practice. Jason Leinwand serves as education director, and resident master artist Xun Ye serves as art director. They are committed to honoring the legacy of Tova Ackerman, deepening school partnerships, and building strong connections within school communities.
Pat Brymer March 17, 1950–April 12, 2020 P
atrick James Brymer, well-known puppeteer and builder, passed away after a long illness. Pat was best known as the builder of the “new and improved” version of Lamb Chop
for Shari Lewis’s show Lamb Chop’s Play-Along (1992–1997). Lamb Chop, Shari, and Pat were on Broadway in 1994. Pat also created versions of Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse. After Shari Lewis passed away in 1998, Pat continued to make puppets for Shari’s daugh- ter, Mallory Lewis.
Pat was born in Highland Park, Illinois. He studied theater at Il- linois State University. Right after graduation, he moved to St. Louis to work at a Sid and Marty Krofft theme park. He was principal pup- peteer on the Kroffts’ TV program Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters (1980–1982) and The Patti LaBelle Show (1985). He also worked on projects for Hanna-Barbera, including The Hanna- Barbera Happy Hour (1978).
Photo: Alex U. Griffin Pat was beloved for his performance of the infamously impish go-
pher in Caddyshack (1980). Pat opened his own company in 1982. He was principal puppeteer on Team America: World Police (2004). He continued to be active on stage as both a puppeteer and an
actor. He was in several versions of Thom Fountain’s The Crayon Court. His character King Royal Purple was especially memorable. Pat was extremely generous with his time and knowledge. He taught exceptional puppet-building workshops. He was creative and generous, and he had a delightfully wicked sense of humor. Pat is survived by his husband of 47 years, Jimmie McDermott; his sister; and many nieces and nephews. Watch a 45-minute interview with Pat Brymer,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUChgBODlJM Edited from Puppet Life, the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry newslet- ter, with thanks to Christine Papalexis.
Kenneth Bonar October 22, 1948- April 4, 2020 K
en Bonar was the co-founder of the Great Arizona Puppet Theatre, in Phoenix. He was born in Los Angeles and after high school he did two tours of duty in Vietnam. After the war he met Nancy Smith and they began building puppets together. Ken was a remarkable craftsman, designer, sculptor, and puppeteer. He played a major role in renovating the theatre’s his- toric home in downtown Phoenix. His long time partner, Nancy Smith, and daughters Laura and Gwendolyn Bonar survive Ken.
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