Marionette Theater
The Federal Theatre Project was responsible for creating an audience for marionette theater with its 22 Units presenting an average of 100 show each week. Venues for the popular performances included theaters, schools, and hospitals, as well as major city parks, which drew vast crowds of the young accompanied by adults who very likely enjoyed the performances as much as their young charges. Production workshops were set up in several cities, including Washington, D.C., where skilled craftsmen created a vast array of sophisticated marionettes. Young audiences were often treated to view behind-the-scenes activities, and classes were given in handling and building of marionettes and puppets. While children’s classics, such as Alice in Wonderland, were a major genre for puppet theater, some shows were targeted at adult audiences, such as actor and puppeteer Ralph Chesse’s (1900–1991) marionette production of Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones.
The Federal Theatre Project was responsible for creating an audience for marionette theater with its 22 Units presenting an average of 100 show each week. Venues for the popular performances included theaters, schools, and hospitals, as well as major city parks, which drew vast crowds of the young accompanied by adults who very likely enjoyed the performances as much as their young charges. Production workshops were set up in several cities, including Washington, D.C., where skilled craftsmen created a vast array of sophisticated marionettes. Young audiences were often treated to view behind-the-scenes activities, and classes were given in handling and building of marionettes and puppets. While children’s classics, such as <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>, were a major genre for puppet theater, some shows were targeted at adult audiences, such as actor and puppeteer Ralph Chesse’s (1900–1991) marionette production of Eugene O’Neill’s <em>The Emperor Jones</em>.