Puppeteers
Puppeteers are wonderful entertainers who delight us by magically adding character and personality to the puppets they manipulate. They are able to transform any type of puppet into a character that appears to be very real. In most cases the puppeteer is behind the scenes so they don’t get the recognition as other performers do for their work.
The first recognized puppeteer was Sergey Obraztov who loved to entertain people with the use of finger puppets. He was able to use his fingers to manipulate seven different puppets at one time so that they appeared to be dancing.
Most puppeteers who make a living from this art form or who do it as a hobby belong to the Puppeteers of America association. This is a National non profit organization that has been in place since 1937. The goals of the organization include providing members with information, supporting their performances, and allowing them to learn from each other.
All members of Puppeteers of America get free magazine publications every three months with information on upcoming puppet performances, pictures, technical tips, new books and movies on puppets, and various puppet festivals they may be interested in attending.
There are various Regional and National puppetry festivals that most puppeteers find exciting to participate in. They are located in different places each year so that make travel arrangements easier in most cases. In honor of their efforts, puppeteers are honored each year on April 28th. This is the National Day of Puppetry.
