W Puppetry’s Role
I am proud to say that the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre has been racially integrated since 1941, very uncommon during that time. However, when I first came to the Marionette Theatre in the mid 1970s, I remember an uncomfortable incident. Several people of color on staff happened to be in the upstairs sewing room. One of the white puppeteers came in and nonchalantly said, “Oh, the Cotton Club.” Some of the older people on staff felt it was an overt racist statement. Minimally, it was insensitive. What this puppeteer thought was witty was offensive. As director of the Marionette Theatre, I have been asked if I am a puppeteer. I started to think that maybe they believe I got the position based on a quota system, not considering my qualifica- tions. I have come to realize that many black and white people alike are not used to seeing people of color in puppetry. They are guilty of unconscious biases.
As much as possible after performances, when the puppeteers are introduced, I make my presence known. Not for the applause,
e have all witnessed the many peaceful demonstrations and occasional looting following George Floyd’s brutal killing at the hands of the Minneapolis police. All police are not rogue, but too often, rogue police are detailed to minority communi- ties and target black and brown
people. Their violent actions are carried out with impunity as a result of an outdated criminal justice system and some unjust police unions and government policies. “Enough is enough!” is the clarion call from worldwide crowds of protesters. People of all races, religions, and sexual orientations are marching together in global outrage. The 2020 civil unrest is unprecedented, dwarfing all previous protests. The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affecting black people is underlining and focusing attention on this country’s 400-year history of economic and social discrimination. As part of the healing process, I would like to share my personal experiences of systemic racism and unconscious biases. One day leaving the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, I was stopped by two undercover police officers in an unmarked car. If it weren’t for my colleague, the late Patric Epstein, screaming out the Mari- onette Theatre window “Leave him alone!” I would have surely been detained and put through the criminal justice system. A white lady had to intervene. The typical response of a police of- ficer was, “You look like a suspect”—an offensive statement imply- ing we all look alike and a tacit excuse to arrest people of color. Hailing a taxicab as a black man in New York City can be a painful reminder of systemic racism. All too often while working for the Marionette Theatre, I have tried to hail a cab from down- town Manhattan only to be passed by to pick up a white person. Even with laws in place to rectify the situation, after hailing a cab to go home to Harlem, I was asked to get out. I refused. He did eventually take me home, but I was furious. Clearly, economic success or academic prestige does not make us immune to racism. Harvard graduate and bird watcher Christian Cooper was racially profiled in Central Park. CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was ar- rested while covering a protest after the murder of George Floyd.
but because I realize my place as a role model for children of color. Children black and white, their parents, caregivers, and teachers all need to see that a person of color can be a puppeteer—and also a puppeteer in a leadership position.
Puppetry through history has been at the forefront of political protest. Throughout history, puppetry has been used to chastise and satirize unjust authority. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the government established the Works Progress Admin- istration (WPA) to build roads, buildings, parks, and more. The initiative to restore the economy included public arts projects and puppetry. After the race riots of the late 1960s, New York City Mayor John Lindsay established the Mobile Recreation Program. It included several puppet mobile units dispatched from the Swed- ish Cottage Marionette Theatre. The goal was to help restore civility to a city in need of healing. Does all of this sound familiar? In the early 1990s, I created my one-man show Harlem River Drive to reach an underserved population and community. Its message,
We are on the forefront of being an agent of change. Congratulations to UNIMA-USA and Puppeteers of America, who have now elected women of color to their boards. The puppetry community must do a better job of attracting, recruiting, and training young people of color with potential in puppetry.
story, music, and history about a world-famous black neighbor- hood still resonates with diverse audiences today. During my ten- ure as artistic director of the Marionette Theatre, I will continue to mount productions that are often reinterpretations of classic fairy tales, whenever possible including technology, multicultural elements, and characters of color.
Puppetry should continue to be a tool for change. The future success of puppetry depends on its accessibility and broad ap- peal. My fear is that puppetry will become an esoteric profession for a very select audience. I am proud to be the first person of color to be appointed to the Henson Foundation board. We are on the forefront of being an agent of change. Congratulations to UNIMA-USA and Puppeteers of America, who have now elected women of color to their boards. The puppetry community must do a better job of attracting, recruiting, and training young people of color with potential in puppetry. The Jim Henson Foundation has great criteria in place for awarding grants to quality performances and venues. If I had to make any changes, my advice would be to consider performances and venues that address, call out, and deconstruct systemic racism and unconscious biases. We must do our part through puppetry to make the systematic changes needed to make our country a truly multicultural democracy.
7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
