Last week I taped an episode of "Between the Lions" to show to my puppet class.  The Marionettes used are from this history of the Manteo Family MArionettes.  Does anyone know of an official link to learn more about this family, it's work and history?

http://www.library.nashville.org/Newsevents/Press%20Releases/Peeko_marionettes.htm

"Last December Nashville’s Main Library became that home when it was given the entire Peeko Puppet collection, including more than 70 hand puppets and marionettes, each hand-crafted by Logan and Reed in a process that took about 150 hours to make just one marionette."

In an earlier post - I mentioned my mom took us to the Nashville Library Marionette Shows.  Thought I'd share this info' I found today. 

Last week I taped an episode of "Between the Lions" to show to my puppet class.  The Marionettes used are from this history of the Manteo Family MArionettes.  Does anyone know of an official link to learn more about this family, it's work and history?

Between the Lions is a fun show. I haven't had a chance to watch any episodes in awhile, but it really is quality children's programming, in my opinion. One of the head guys on the show used to post on the Puptcrit list, but I can't remember his name right now.

I've seen footage of a Sicilian marionette performance on TV before, but I'm not sure if it was while watching Between the Lions. I've spent hours on Google over the last few years seeking web sites with information about Sicilian marionettes and the traditional Orlando Furioso cycle of stories. I don't have an "official" link, (if by that you mean the family's own web site - if they have one), but I got a few hits on Google searching for "sicilian marionettes" and "manteo," just plain "marionettes" and "manteo", and a few using the specific name of the the family theater, "Manteo Sicilian Marionette Theater"...

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22sicilian+marionettes%22+manteo

http://www.google.com/search?q=marionettes+manteo

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Manteo+Sicilian+Marionette+Theater%22


Famous puppeteer and puppetry historian Bil Baird's classic book, "The Art of the Puppet," (which is unfortunately long out of print), has a whole chapter devoted to Sicilian marionettes. It features Agrippino Manteo and his descendants, and the coming of Sicilian marionettes to America, with photos of the family and their puppets, including a behind-the-scenes photo of them working on a show.

Here's a pretty readable article from 1935 about the family's theater, written for a high school literary magazine - which mentions the abrupt and unexpected disappearance of the theater from its old neighborhood...

http://newdeal.feri.org/magpie/docs/3505p44.htm


I'll let you know if I find an "official" web site for the Manteo Sicilian Marionette Theater, but so far I haven't found one while googling around. In the meantime, here's a page from the excellent Canadian Museum of Civilization site, which has an extensive collection of puppets...

http://www.civilization.ca/arts/ssf/sici_e.html

More on the museum and their puppets...

http://www.civilization.ca/arts/ssf/ssf00eng.html


Hope that bit of investigation helps...

 

Ron G.

you 'da man!  Thanks so much - - wonder where I can get a copy of Bairds book?  I've also been researching his marionettes.  I've got that portion of The Sound of Music clipped for one of our lessons - and the bonus DVD that came with the sound of music has a feature where they tour Austria and visit one of the local marionette theaters (not bairds) but marionettes apparently are a part of Austrian history, too.

you 'da man!  Thanks so much - - wonder where I can get a copy of Bairds book?

Got my first copy at a library book sale, lost it somewhere in storage, and replaced it via eBay.

I've also been researching his marionettes.  I've got that portion of The Sound of Music clipped for one of our lessons - and the bonus DVD that came with the sound of music has a feature where they tour Austria and visit one of the local marionette theaters (not bairds) but marionettes apparently are a part of Austrian history, too.

That's a great scene in The Sound of Music. The Salzburg Marionette Company fron Austria is an old, well-established troupe that frequently goes on tour. They visit the Center for Puppetry Arts down in Atlanta every year or two, but the tickets are pretty expensive...

 

Ron G.

Atlanta isn't that bad of a drive for us - especially if it's something we really want to do.  Please let me know about cool things in your area!  Thanks again,
ab

There's nothing all that cool in my area, (which is rapidly being turned from a quiet, rural county into a sprawling bedroom community for people who commute 40 or 50 miles each way into Atlanta everyday), but down in Atlanta there are some fun things to do. I rarely go down there though because I hate Atlanta traffic - it really is that bad. On our twice-yearly trips to visit my dad in Florida the traffic on the interstate passing through downtown Atlanta and its suburbs is always horrible, usually the worst of the entire trip - and there's really no practical way to avoid it.

I've still made the trip down to the Center for Puppetry Arts a few times since we moved here though - both with my family and on my own when I had to go into Atlanta on work/school days and they couldn't come along. If traffic weren't so bad, or public transportaion here was more user-friendly, I'd probably renew my membership at the Center and visit several times a year. When I was single and living in the DC area I used to take the train downtown two or three times a month and hit the museums on my day off.

Here's a link to the Center's web site...

http://www.puppet.org/

 

Ron G.

i am a direct decendent from the manteo family. i know that there are many web sites about my family and i have a lot of newspaper articles about Papa Mike. if there is anything specific you want to know, let me know. we have some puppets in the smithsonian and i know that the discovery channel did a show on us.

WOW!!! 

That is soooooooo cool!!!  I am a HUGE fan of this style of puppetry as well.  The first time that I had heard of this type of marionette was on Between the Lions, too!!!  I even have the episode saved onto my computer from my Tivo box.  The story I have saved is the one about Icarus.  I watch it on a regular basis.

Would be great if you can show us some pictures or enlighten us on any information that you may have on them.  I have tried to research more myself on this type of puppetry but there is not much on them.  I keep running into standard marionettes.  I like the mixture of rod and string puppetry with this art form.  I hope that I will get a chance to see a performance live.

Aloha,
Nikole

we have some puppets in the smithsonian and i know that the discovery channel did a show on us.

I would love to know the title or a direct link to it because I have ordered videos from past shows on the discovery channel before.  The last show I had sent to me on DVD from the channel was like $45...not cheap but worth it.  I would definitely be interested in a DVD on this type of puppetry.