"In marriage there are no manners to keep up, and beneath the wildest accusations no real criticism. Each is familiar with that ancient child in the other who may erupt again.... We are not ridiculous to ourselves. We are ageless. That is the luxury of the wedding ring." ~Enid Bagnold, Autobiography, 1969
When people ask me what I do, they are instantly excited when I tell them. I suppose it is refreshing not to hear, "IT Specialist" or "Marketing." (not that there is anything wrong with either of these occupations, but I think we can all agree that they aren't in the minority) People even stay interested while I explain a little bit about puppet history, the state of puppetry in the US today, puppetry in education. But if I progress any more, perhaps into the lives of my characters, forget it. Eyes glaze over, some seem a bit frightened. It's nice to have a partner who totally gets it.
There seem to be innumerable husband and wife puppetry teams. Go ahead, google it. Many years ago, puppeteering families were not uncommon, primarily because of logistics, as they lived itinerant existences. But this tradition has continued, and I wonder if it is because of the necessary acceptance of an odd fantasy life.
It doesn't seem to matter, however, if the husband was the original puppeteer, and led the woman into the adventure, or vice versa. And, there are plenty of cases of puppeteers who meet on the job. Bil and Cora Baird, the famous marionettists known to the mainstream as the artists responsible for the "Lonely Goatherd" scene in The Sound of Music, fell into the-husband-brings-wife-into-the-fold category. Cora Baird graduated from Hunter College with a degree in the theatre, studied with Martha Graham and was a member of the Group Theatre when Bil heard her "do voices." Four weeks later, they married, and that was all she wrote: for the next thirty years, they were magical. Allie Scollon of Scollon Productions and Columbia Marionette Theatre, was a puppeteer from childhood, and introduced her boyfriend (and then husband), Bill, to puppets. They made marionettes in their one-bedroom apartment while working full-time jobs, eventually opening their own production company, and later, theatre. Mark Carrigan and Michelle Smith-Carrigan were both puppeteers at the same puppet company, married, and when the company folded, opened their own, the successful New York company, The Puppet People.
It is lovely and important in a marriage to be safe from ridicule. In puppeteering, it is essential. You are creating funny voices, climbing over one another, living in a vibrant fantasy life. Maybe the sanctity of marriage creates a two-fold safety net.
Disclaimer: I am in no way intentionally ignoring the many LGBT puppeteers in working marriages, I just cannot find any examples at this moment. Also, my use of the word "marriage" is completely ecumenical.
When people ask me what I do, they are instantly excited when I tell them. I suppose it is refreshing not to hear, "IT Specialist" or "Marketing." (not that there is anything wrong with either of these occupations, but I think we can all agree that they aren't in the minority) People even stay interested while I explain a little bit about puppet history, the state of puppetry in the US today, puppetry in education. But if I progress any more, perhaps into the lives of my characters, forget it. Eyes glaze over, some seem a bit frightened. It's nice to have a partner who totally gets it.
There seem to be innumerable husband and wife puppetry teams. Go ahead, google it. Many years ago, puppeteering families were not uncommon, primarily because of logistics, as they lived itinerant existences. But this tradition has continued, and I wonder if it is because of the necessary acceptance of an odd fantasy life.
It doesn't seem to matter, however, if the husband was the original puppeteer, and led the woman into the adventure, or vice versa. And, there are plenty of cases of puppeteers who meet on the job. Bil and Cora Baird, the famous marionettists known to the mainstream as the artists responsible for the "Lonely Goatherd" scene in The Sound of Music, fell into the-husband-brings-wife-into-the-fold category. Cora Baird graduated from Hunter College with a degree in the theatre, studied with Martha Graham and was a member of the Group Theatre when Bil heard her "do voices." Four weeks later, they married, and that was all she wrote: for the next thirty years, they were magical. Allie Scollon of Scollon Productions and Columbia Marionette Theatre, was a puppeteer from childhood, and introduced her boyfriend (and then husband), Bill, to puppets. They made marionettes in their one-bedroom apartment while working full-time jobs, eventually opening their own production company, and later, theatre. Mark Carrigan and Michelle Smith-Carrigan were both puppeteers at the same puppet company, married, and when the company folded, opened their own, the successful New York company, The Puppet People.
It is lovely and important in a marriage to be safe from ridicule. In puppeteering, it is essential. You are creating funny voices, climbing over one another, living in a vibrant fantasy life. Maybe the sanctity of marriage creates a two-fold safety net.
Disclaimer: I am in no way intentionally ignoring the many LGBT puppeteers in working marriages, I just cannot find any examples at this moment. Also, my use of the word "marriage" is completely ecumenical.
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