| | |
Puppeteers | Frequently Asked Questions | What People are Saying | |
| INTRODUCING
PINOCCHIO'S KEY TEAM MEMBERS | |
.jpg) |
DAVID EATON (Founder, Artistic Director, Writer, and Puppeteer) David was a former actor/puppeteer with New York's Nicolo Marionettes, Bil Baird's Show-Go-Round, Sid and Marty Krofft's Les Poupees de Paris. He also had the fun of puppeteering with The Muppets for a Walt Disney World TV special. While living in New York David was a resident actor with the popular children's theater touring company, The Prince Street Players. For
eight years David appeared on Ohio television as Bozo the Clown, and as the producer/host
of The GoodTime Invention. He wrote and produced a puppet play on behalf of the
Indian Government, and has taught puppetry skills to grade school children. David
has acted in and directed over sixty plays and musicals in professional theaters
and dinner theaters throughout the mid-west. He is a past President of the Puppetry
Guild of Central Florida, and the founder, past President, and the original Artistic
Director of the community theater, Celebration Players. |
 |
PADY BLACKWOOD (Master Puppeteer, Marionette Maker, and Consultant) Pinocchio's is extremely fortunate to have Pady Blackwood as a resident Guest Artist. The marionette puppetry of Pady Blackwood has been seen both on Broadway in Alice in Wonderland and off Broadway in Les Poupees De Paris, on television, in feature films, and on concerts stages with symphony orchestras around the world. Pady is currently the official puppeteer for TV's legendary Howdy Doody. He has had long associations with virtually all of the premiere puppet companies in the USA including the Krofft Brothers and Bil Baird's marionette theater in New York. Muppet creator, Jim Henson, called Pady, "one of the most gifted and innovative artists in the field of puppetry." In additional to his expert skills at operating
marionettes, Pady also creates hand carved marionettes in the European Tradition.
Pady has made many of the custom marionettes for Pinocchio's. |
 |
KENT SMITH (Composer and Orchestrations) Kent started writing music when he was six years old. At eight years of age he had his first composer's symposium, and was the youngest contributor to the New Mexico Composers Guild. Kent is in full time demand by international stage, recording, television, film and corporate clients including Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, CBS and ABC. |
 |
JOHN CORBITT (Puppet Designer and Maker) John is an in-demand graphic artist by profession. His unique and whimsical art appears regularly in national magazines such as Time, Newsweek and Business Week. John has designed and/or built most of the marionettes for Pinocchio's productions of The Wizard of OZ, Peter Pan And Wendy, Jack And The Beanstalk, and Rumpelstiltskin. |
 |
TOM BLASCO (Puppet Designer and Maker) Tom is a full time make-up artist for film,
television, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and he is the puppet builder
for the City of Orlando's PuppeTroupe. Tom has built most of the wonderful animal
marionettes for Pinocchio's productions including Belle the cow, kittens Jasmine
and George, Dorothy's Toto, the crocodile in Peter Pan and Wendy and many others. |
 |
DALE ALMUND (Set Designer and Scenic Artist) Dale has designed and painted the delightful sets for seven of Pinocchio's productions. He is a much sought after set designer, scenic artist, and theme park show designer for clients including Universal Studios, Walt Disney World and the University of Central Florida. He taught design and theater arts at Rollins College for three decades. |
 |
ELAINE CORBITT (Costume Design and Construction) Elaine is an accomplished costumer of marionettes all of which have very special needs. She has a great sense of musical comedy style and color while still maintaining period accuracy. A stickler for detail, Elaine costumed all of the marionettes for Pinocchio's productions of Cinderella, Jack and The Beanstalk, and Rumpelstiltskin. |
 |
MICHAEL KENT (Set Construction) Michael is well known for his meticulous and often innovative set construction skills. His work is regularly seen on area stages, in theme parks, TV shows, films and commercials. |
 |
VERONICA MUÑOZ (Birthday Parties Manager, Box Office and Administrative Assistant) Veronica is close to completing her studies to become a CPA. She is in charge of managing all the details for our popular Birthday Party Celebrations. Veronica, who speaks English and Spanish, is also the person most likely to answer our phone for taking reservations and providing information about Pinocchio's weekly performances, plus she assists with administrative duties. |
 |
HELAINE SCHNEIDER (Sculptor, Producer) Volunteer Helaine is a successful artist whose sculptures sell nationally. She created the Sun, Moon and Star for Jack and The Beanstalk. She also sculpted and painted the heads for our productions of Cinderella and Peter Pan and Wendy. Helaine has taken on the demanding role of Producer from time to time. She is passionate about her interests, and has the knack of quickly solving production problems whenever we mount a new show. |
|
PINOCCHIO'S VOICE ACTORS
Pinocchio's has been fortunate to find outstanding voice talents to speak the lines and sing the songs for the dozens of characters in its productions. In alphabetical order they are: Pady Blackwood, Fred Bugg, Brett Carson, Nicole Carson, Jamie Donmoyer, David Eaton, Richard Hudnall, Nita Laca, Sharon Lewis, Jen Mercer, Michael Paulauski, Paul Ricketts, Kent Smith, Susan Williams, and Timothy Williams. PINOCCHIO'S MARIONETTE THEATER Pinocchio's Marionette Theater began as touring marionette company named Puppet Celebration, Inc. in May of 1999. As a touring company Puppet Celebration, Inc. performed marionette shows in elementary schools, civic auditoriums, libraries, the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art and as Guest Artists at the National Puppeteers of America Festival in 2002. In that same year the 501c3 not-for-profit corporation changed its doing-business-as name to Pinocchio's Marionette Theater when it opened a permanent theater in the Central Florida's Orange County, at the edge of the city of Winter Park. The multiple goals of Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater are to help preserve the art and craft of marionette puppetry, to introduce children to the theater, and to teach theater etiquette. As Pinocchio's consistently pursues its goals, it combines high performance standards with uplifting cultural values for family audiences. Pinocchio's popularity has been heartwarming to the small paid staff, volunteers, and independent contractors who make its existence possible. What started with a modest three performances per week has grown to as many as twenty each week during peak seasons. Pinocchio's is a full-time marionette theater company and currently has nine titles in its ever-expanding repertory of shows. In the order they were written by Pinocchio's Founder and Artistic Director, David Eaton, the titles are: Pinocchio! Virtually without exception, parents, educators, and critics agree that Pinocchio’s productions are highly professional. To that end, Pinocchio's is fortunate to have a production team chosen from the finest theater talent in Central Florida. It's writer, composer, director, puppeteers, voice actors, set designers, scenic artists, orchestrator, and lighting and sound engineer are all recognized professionals in their respective fields. The positive impact Pinocchio's has made in the lives of young children has been both real and rewarding. Before Pinocchio's, most of Central Florida's children had ever seen a marionette performance. When they visit with us after the show, their expressions and comments let us know they are enthralled by what we are able to create in our "candy box" theater. For many children, a Pinocchio's performance is their first encounter with the lively arts. It is more than gratifying that these same children and their parents return to experience marionette magic time and time again. PINOCCHIO'S BOARD OF
DIRECTORS (in alphabetical order) Mr.
Pady Blackwood Founder and Artistic Director General Manager Master
Puppeteer For
Birthday Parties and Reservations, | |
