BOOKS STEVE ABRAMS Amazing Performances Inspire Theater Audiences Out of the Shadows:


The Henson Festivals and Their Impact on Contemporary Puppet Theater Leslee Asch


Inform Press, 2020, 248 pages T


he Henson International Festivals of Puppet Theater (1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000) were landmark events in American puppet theater that are now elegant-


ly documented in Out of the Shadows. With over 75 color photo- graphs of contemporary puppetry artists, this will surely become a valued reference. The cover photo of Peter and Wendy by Mabou Mines evoked a smile and a warm memory of one of my very favorite works of pup- petry. Browsing the pages, the reader will find a deeply apprecia- tive view of puppet theater.


Over the span of the five festivals, nearly 100 artists presented mainstage productions offering 136 dif- ferent productions. Sandglass Theater (Eric Bass), Roman Paska, Janie Geiser, Hanne Tierney, Ronnie Burkett (Cana- da), Paul Zaloom, Jonathan Cross, Dan Hurlin, Theodora Skipitares, Hystopolis Puppets, Ralph Lee, Handspring Pup- pets (South Africa), Neville Tranter (Netherlands), Philippe Genty (France), Gioco Vita (Italy), Faulty Optic (United Kingdom), and Hugo and Ines (Peru) all performed at more than one festival, and all are represented by excellent photos. The author noted, “We had planned to present the finest puppet theater for adults. But the more we thought about the combination of the name ‘Henson’ and the word ‘puppet,’ the more we real- ized that we needed to offer some shows specifically for children,” and so George Latshaw, Paul Vincent Davis, Yang Feng, Hobey Ford, Paul Mesner, Carter Family Marionettes, and Figures of Speech (John and Carol Farrell) were all Henson festival performers. Leslee Asch served as the producing director of the festivals, alongside executive director Cheryl Henson. Asch had an intern- ship with Bil Baird just after graduating from college. She worked for the Jim Henson Company for 24 years, starting in 1976 building puppets for Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. She spent 13 years as director of exhibitions. As the dream of international festivals in New York City became a reality, she was right at the center of the action. She offers fascinating details about the devel- opment of the festivals. Out of the Shadows chronicles parts of modern puppet history, before, during, and after the Henson festivals. A 1974 snapshot in Cheryl Henson’s foreword includes Rufus and Margo Rose, Bil Baird, Dick Myers, George Latshaw, and Jim and Jane Henson and


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family all gathered together, clearly indicating Jim Henson’s fond- ness and respect for earlier generations of puppeteers. During the 1970s and 1980s, when Jim Henson was soaring to international fame, he always had time to promote the art of puppetry. Asch writes about the 1980 international festival in Washington, DC, the founding of the Henson Foundation in 1982, and the Henson documentary series on puppet artists from six countries. In the 70s and 80s, there was growing recognition of puppetry in the downtown New York experimental theater scene, and some of that background is missing from Out of the Shadows. Bread and Puppet Theater, Charles Ludlam, and Mabou Mines were all rec- ognized with off-Broadway Obie Awards, and from 1982 to 1987, Little Shop of Horrors was an off-Broadway hit.


The central core of this gorgeous book is the 90-page account- ing of the festivals. There is a complete listing of every festival performance, including documentation of all the “late night” performers.


In chapter nine, “Where Are They (We) Now?,” Asch begins to assess the “impact on contemporary puppet theater” since the last festival. There is absolutely no doubt that the Henson Festivals had an impact. The Henson Foundation grants and the work of the National Puppetry Conferences at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre also have been major factors in the contemporary puppetry landscape. However, it is quite difficult to note all the threads contribut- ing to puppet theater of the last 20 years. There will always be differing opinions. Viewing the contemporary scene through the filter of the very notable work of the Henson Foundation provides a slightly incomplete picture. Asch highlights the work of Julie Taymor on Lion King and the opera work of William Kentridge and Robert Lepage. She omits the 16-year run of Avenue Q (2003–2019), Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy (2014), and the


Tony Award–nominated Hand to God (2015). The puppetry in the Metropolitan Opera’s Madama Butterfly began in England with the work of Blind Summit Theatre, and War Horse was developed at the Royal National Theatre in 2007 before moving to Broadway in 2011.


The selection process is never easy. Perhaps it is inevitable that photos of important contributors to contemporary puppet theater are missing. The last two chapters present marvelous photos of ex- ceptional artists, including Basil Twist, Dan Hurlin, Janie Geiser, Roman Paska, Hanne Tierney, Elizabeth King, Ping Chong, Eric Bass, Heather Henson, Michael Curry, Nick Lehane, Duda Paiva (Netherlands), Plexus Polaire (France), Chris Green, Amanda Villalobos, Suzy Ferriss, Shayna Strype, Robin Frohardt, Alex Vernon and Sarah Olmsted, Sandy Spieler, Manuel Moran, and Blair Thomas. The book chronicles a very rich and intriguing mix of established artists, as well as blossoming talent.


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