The Art Form Where
Wood and Cloth Walk and Talk Part One
Showcase interviews Omnipresent Puppet Theater
Founded in 2003 in Phoenix, Arizona, Omnipresent Puppet Theater moved to Bakersfield in 2006. Since then under Artistic Director and head puppeteer Don Kruszka, it has delighted the lower San Joaquin Valley with shows at libraries, schools, community events, and theaters. We asked Don about the state today of one of the truly unique of the lively arts.
Showcase: Puppetry is one of the oldest arm forms. Why puppetry in the 21st century?
Kruszka: There’s room for puppets today. They are still used in movies, and Sesame Street is still popular. Puppets are still featured in live shows at the major theme parks. If the story is engaging and fun, the audience will like it. And seeing a live show is a great experience for kids to discover.
Showcase: Do you have adult audiences as well as children, or children primarily?
Kruszka: I have performed for adult audiences. I have a puppet named Blaster who hosts adult puppet nights on occasion and I’ve done short shows for adults at festivals and puppet slams. But most of my audiences are all-ages.
Showcase: Marionettes or hand puppets? Do you make your own?
Kruszka: The type of puppet varies with the needs of the show. I do have a lot of hand puppets and rod puppets, but I also use some tabletop marionettes, shadow puppets, and masks. I like to mix and match. I have a production of “Anansi’s Rainbow” about Anansi the Spider where I use all of these types. I do try to make my own.
Showcase: Tell us something about your workshops and puppetry-building services.
Kruszka: I have been hired to create puppets and props for various shows. Locally, I made a talking moose head for a production of “Evil Dead: The Musical” and a robin for “The Secret Garden.” I built a Bunraku-style crane for a production of “The Crane Wife” in Scottsdale, AZ. I also constructed a Pelly Pelican puppet for author Shirley Castro to use when she promotes her stories in libraries. Most of the puppets I make are for me, but I get approached on occasion.
My workshops have been mostly for classes and summer camps, although I have also worked with college students. I walk the kids through building and manipulating a simple puppet, and we sometimes stage little productions where the students work on scripts, as well. It’s always amazing to see the characters the students come up. It’s a lot of fun.
See the rest of our interview
under Interviews in next month’s showcase.
Read more about Omnipresent Puppet Theater
at www.omnipuppets.org.