Lisa Sturz

Last updated

Lisa Sturz
Sturz Cain RoboCop 2.jpg
Born
Lisa Aimee Sturz

(1955-02-02) February 2, 1955 (age 71)
Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
Education University of California, Los Angeles (MFA in Puppetry, 1985)
University of Connecticut (MA in Experimental Theater, 1978)
Grinnell College (BA in Theater and Religious Studies, 1976)
OccupationPuppeteer
Years active1974—present
Notable work works
Spouse(s)Francois Manavit (1991—2020)
Mark Blessington (2021)
ChildrenManon I. Manavit
Theo L. Sturz
Website www.redherringpuppets.com

Lisa Aimee Sturz (born February 2, 1955) is an American puppeteer, arts educator, and founder of Red Herring Puppets, a national touring company established in 1988. Sturz's puppeteering career has spanned more than five decades. [1] She puppeteered in Howard the Duck , [2] [3] RoboCop 2 , [4] and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III . [5] She was puppet master for The Ring Cycle at the Lyric Opera of Chicago [6] [7] [8] and The Magic Flute at the Jacobs School of Music and the Atlanta Opera. [9] [10] Her production of My Grandfather's Prayers received a Telly award, [11] and her touring show Aesop's Fables received an UNIMA Citation. [12]

Contents

Early life and education

Sturz was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the youngest of two daughters. [13] Her parents were Helaine (née Glickstein), a teacher, [14] and Melvin Sturz, an insurance broker. [15] They were both of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Sturz's maternal grandfather was Izso Glickstein and the subject of Sturz's TV show My Grandfather's Prayers. [16]

Sturz attended Bayonne High School where she graduated in 1972. She proceeded to Grinnell College and obtained a BA in Theater and Religious Studies in 1976. After her sophomore year, she had a summer internship in props and scenery at the Guthrie Theater, and later became prop master at Grinnell. For the first semester of her junior year, she was selected for a joint program with the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center for acting, directing, and puppetry. At the Center she apprenticed with puppeteers Rufus Rose and his wife Margo who made and performed many of the puppets on The Howdy Doody Show . Sturz graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1978 with an MA in Experimental Theater. She went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she received an MFA in Puppetry in 1985. [17]

Early career

Puppeteers Sturz, Jim Gamble, Bil Baird, Burr Tillstrom, and Margo Rose Puppeteers Sturz, Gamble, Baird, Tillstrom, Rose 2.jpg
Puppeteers Sturz, Jim Gamble, Bil Baird, Burr Tillstrom, and Margo Rose

After graduating from UConn in 1978, Sturz toured as a puppeteer with Pickwick Puppets, founded by Larry Berthelson. [18] In 1980, Sturz was recommended by Bil Baird and staff at the Guthrie Theatre to serve as director of puppetry at the Haya Cultural Center in Amman, Jordan, which was under the patronage of Queen Noor. During her tenure, Sturz co-directed the production of Uncle Za'rour in 1981. [19]

While at UCLA, Sturz worked for Bruce Schwartz as an assistant puppet builder and performer. Schwartz had three UNIMA citations before Sturz started working with him. In 1984, Sturz worked as a Teaching Assistant at UCLA and on The Muppets Take Manhattan as an uncredited additional muppet performer.

Early in her career, Sturz also worked with or was mentored by Jim Gamble, Bil Baird, Burr Tillstrom, and Margo Rose.

Works

Hollywood film and television

After graduating from UCLA in 1985, Sturz worked in Hollywood. Her first project was Captain EO where she puppeteered the characters Hooter and Geex. [20] The film starred Michael Jackson, was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and its executive producer was George Lucas.

Lucas recommended Sturz for Howard the Duck. [2] [3] She manipulated Howard's hands in segments where puppets were used rather than a costumed actor. A list of Sturz's film and television credits is provided below.

Sturz working with Tim Rose on the set of Howard the Duck 4.Howard.jpg
Sturz working with Tim Rose on the set of Howard the Duck
Sturz working with fellow puppeteers on the set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III 5.Ninja.jpg
Sturz working with fellow puppeteers on the set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Sturz with fellow puppeteers on the set of Muppets from Space 3.Muppets.jpg
Sturz with fellow puppeteers on the set of Muppets from Space
YearProjectPuppeteer roleHiring studio
1984 The Muppets Take Manhattan Muppet crowd scenes Jim Henson Productions
1985 Captain EO [20] Hooter, GeexLucasfilm
1986 Howard the Duck [2] Howard's hands [3] Industrial Light and Magic
1987D.C. FolliesPuppeteer, puppet builderSid & Marty Krofft
198759th Annual Academy AwardsAudrey II for Little Shop of Horrors The Samuel Goldwyn Company
1988The Absent-Minded ProfessorFood marionettes Walt Disney Television
1988Who Framed Roger RabbitBrooms motion captureTouchstone, Amblin
1989Gremlins 2: The New BatchBackground movement Rick Baker Effects
1989 RoboCop 2 [4] [21] [22] Cain robot monster movement Phil Tippett Studio
1990 Muppet*Vision 3D Background, additional muppet performer Jim Henson Productions
1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III [5] Splinter's hands animatronics Golden Harvest, All Effects
1987-1990 Animal Crack-Ups [23] Reggie the Hedgie performerABC Prod., Vin Di Bona Prod.
1991 Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge Stop motion puppet effects David Allen Productions
1991Batman ReturnsPenguin puppet performer Stan Winston Effects
1992Land of IGabriel puppet performerTLC is Creative, Images in Motion
1992Fire in the Sky [24] Puppet riggingIndustrial Light and Magic
1993 Murphy Brown : "It's Not Easy Being Brown". [25] Sutrz performance starts at 15:50Murphy Brown Bear puppet voice and movement. 1992 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. Warner Bros., CBS
1994 The Flintstones Puppeteer on brontosaurus Universal Pictures
1994 The Puzzle Place Assistant puppeteer KCET
1994Pigasso's PlacePuppet designer and builder, Snail, Gabby, Tommy puppeteer The Kushner-Locke Company
1995Geo KidsPrincipal puppeteerNational Geographic, Lost Kitty
1995U to U: On the RoadShoe puppeteer Nickelodeon
1996ShrekMotion capture film test puppeteer DreamWorks Animation
1996Wee Singdom: The Land of Music and FunPuppet builder, Rose Cello puppeteer MCA/Universal Home Video
1998The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland [26] Additional Muppet Performer: Oscar's left hand Jim Henson Productions
1999Muppets from SpaceAdditional Muppet performer Jim Henson Productions
2007Trading Spouses: Cramer/Manavit-Sturz [27] Reality TV episode where Sturz swaps with wife from a Chicago family for a week. Rocket Science Laboratories

Opera

Sturz was puppetmaster [28] for two opera productions: The Ring Cycle and The Magic Flute .

Ring Cycle for Lyric Opera of Chicago (1996, 2003, 2005)

Sturz directing Das Rheingold puppeteers to transform Alberich into a Dragon
Sturz building Fafner for the Lyric in her Fairview studio Sturz building Ring puppet in her studio.jpg
Sturz building Fafner for the Lyric in her Fairview studio
Sturz's Fafner puppet in prop room with a puppeteer harnessed inside the puppet Sturz Fafner Ring puppet with puppeteer inside 2.jpg
Sturz's Fafner puppet in prop room with a puppeteer harnessed inside the puppet
Sturz directing Siegfried puppeteers during a rehearsal Dragon reh.jpg
Sturz directing Siegfried puppeteers during a rehearsal

The Lyric Opera of Chicago began full performances (all four parts, 15 hours across multiple days) of The Ring Cycle on March 11, 1996 (its 41st season). It was the first time a full Cycle was presented within a year in Chicago since before WWII. All three 1996 Cycles (a total of 12 performances) were sold out months in advance. [29] [30] [31]

The artistic team included conductor Zubin Mehta, director August Everding, set and costume designer John Conklin, lighting designer Duane Schuler, [32] choreographer Debra Brown, [33] and puppetmaster Sturz. The cast for Das Rheingold (the first part of the cycle) included James Morris, Eva Marton/Jane Eaglen, Siegfried Jerusalem, Marjana Lipovšek, and Matti Salminen. The Lyric's Das Rheingold program credited Sturz as puppet master and for building Alberich's Frog. [7] Sturz also built and staged Fafner's Giant, the woodbirds, and Alberich's dragon.

As told by Fred Putz: "Lisa's appointment as Puppetmaster came as a result of her previous association with Debra Brown (the choreographer from Cirque du Soleil), who had already created the Rhinemaidens swimming through the air on bungee cords and Valkyries leaping through the clouds with the help of trampolines. Debra recommended that Lisa consult with John Conklin (set and costume designer) on the mock-up of the dragon for Siegfried. The Lyric was so pleased with her contributions that she was asked to stage the scene and was designated Puppetmaster." [34]

As Ring puppetmaster in 1996, 2003, and 2005, Sturz choreographed all puppet movements and trained puppeteers to perform them. She also introduced the black light approach for the Siegfried dragon in 2003 and 2005. Her Ring contributions were reviewed in nine articles.

  1. "Fafner the dragon is the most obvious design dilemma in Siegfried. The challenge is the same as the Ride of the Valkyries scene in Die Walküre and the swimming Rhine maidens who open Das Rheingold. Lyric's stage director, August Everding, and set designer John Conklin, along with lighting designer Duane Schuler, have to create visual images to match some of the world's most evocative music. They will be doing it with a puppet, a massive but lightweight aluminum skeleton that will fill Lyric's 50-foot-wide stage. Lisa Aimee Sturz is the puppetmaster in charge of the five-minute scene in which Siegfried slays Fafner and seizes the magic ring the dragon is guarding." [35]
  2. "Like the anvil scene, Siegfried's battle with Fafner is one of those places in which Wagner's dramatic music can overpower the stage action. Conklin and puppetmaster Lisa Aimee Sturz solved the problem superbly with a massive figure resembling a dinosaur skeleton. Manipulated by 16 black-clad handlers, Fafner was truly terrifying, with claws that loomed over Siegfried like the prehistoric beasts in Jurassic Park. The battle was exciting, with Siegfried being squeezed by the dragon's tail. [36]
  3. "Small wonder that much of the curiosity about the current production of Siegfried, seen in its fourth performance on Wednesday evening, was focused on the representation of the giant Fafner as dragon. And the contraption devised for the purpose by John Conklin, the set and costume designer, must have satisfied even the wildest expectations: a huge skeletal puppet consisting of segmented skull and tail, manipulated from below by 16 people. If the dragon did not steal the scene entirely, it was only because the dancer appended to the origami Forest Bird took a Peter Pan flight over the stage to close the second act." [37]
  4. "Lyric's Fafner, the creation of puppetmaster Lisa Aimee Sturz, is a gigantic reptilian skeleton requiring some 16 black-clad acrobats to manipulate its vertebrae and massive fanged jaws and head. The Woodbird is a simple origami bird held by a dancer who flies magically off like Peter Pan with Siegfried in pursuit. In Act 1, the furnishings of Mime's hut include a rocking-horse dragon which Siegfried rides from time to time. The bear episode is handled deftly, economically, and effectively." [38]
  5. "If the audience remembers anything about the visual design, it will be the bungee-jumping Rhinemaidens and trampoline-bounding Valkyries as choreographed by Debra Brown, also the oversized dragon and giant puppets by Lisa Aimee Sturz, striking creations all". [39]
  6. "Puppet master Lisa Aimee Sturz brings back her nifty dragon, a large skeletal Fafner with snapping steel jaws and mean-looking claws operated by black-clad supers". [40]
  7. "The success of Lyric's production of The Ring was due to the combination of Wagner's well-played music, imaginative set design, creative lighting, sophisticated choreography, and the magic of puppetry". [34]
  8. "One notable visual improvement is the Fafner scene. The Lyric's skeletal dragon created quite a stir when it debuted in the 1993-1994 season. Now, Fafner is more fearsome than ever, thanks to creative 'black' lighting and phosphorescent makeup, which helps to obscure the 15 black-costumed puppeteers (choreographed by Lisa Aimee Sturz) that bring the monster to life. It's a wonderful solution to one of the more problematic scenes to pull off convincingly in the Ring cycle." [41]
  9. "The theatrical puppeteer Lisa Aimee Sturz created the huge skull, the skeletal segmented tail, and giant talons, expertly manipulated in time to Wagner's music by sixteen people hidden underneath. I regret not having seen the actual performance but have studied the photographs and corresponded with Lisa." [42]

The Magic Flute (2009-10, 2017-2018, 2024)

Director Tomer Zvulun reviews puppetmaster Sturz's new dragon and choreography during a 2009 Magic Flute rehearsal Tomer & Dragon.jpg
Director Tomer Zvulun reviews puppetmaster Sturz's new dragon and choreography during a 2009 Magic Flute rehearsal
Zvulun reviews Sturz's bird puppets and choreography during a 2009 Magic Flute rehearsal MF - Birds in rehearsal.jpg
Zvulun reviews Sturz's bird puppets and choreography during a 2009 Magic Flute rehearsal

Sturz was puppetmaster for a co-production of the The Magic Flute . It premiered at Indiana University Opera Theater's Musical Arts Center in Bloomington in November, 2009. [9] The artistic team included conductor Mark Gibson, stage director Tomer Zvulun, and set and costume designer C. David Higgins. [43] As puppetmaster, Sturz's Red Herring Puppets built and choreographed the puppets, then Sturz directed the puppeteering. A promotional video was posted on November 11, 2009, for the launch. It featured the artistic team, student performers, and the puppets Sturz built. [44]

Arts reviewer George Walker reviewed the debut immediately afterward. (The currently available recording and transcript was published in 2019.) In the review he addressed Sturz's work:

One of the highlights of this production is the bird and animal puppets created by Lisa Sturz. They are wonderful whimsical creations and some of the best acting in the show comes from the feathered folk. They fly about, comment on the action, bill, coo, scrap and even eat out of the bird catcher's hand. Later the menagerie is expanded with a giraffe, a kinkajou and just the cutest little porcupine that you can imagine. Parents or grandparents who're looking for a first opera for a child might want to think about the first act of "The Magic Flute" as a wonderful introduction. The singing is in German, but the dialog and most of the humor is in English, it's very active and the puppets are great. [45]

Peter Jacobi also reviewed the production: "And to help satisfy the fairy tale elements of the story, there's a huge and squiggly dragon. There are birds that nibble and peck. There are full-sized, huggable animals. All, of course, are make-believe and brought to life by puppeteers, these trained by an imported master of that craft, puppet creator Lisa Aimee Sturz." [46]

The co-production then moved to the Atlanta Opera to conclude its 2009/2010 season with conductor Arthur Fagen, [47] Zvulun and Higgins. [10] A review of the Atlanta production by Pierre Ruhe references Sturz's dragon: "It helps, too, that they had a good dragon. Puppets are in vogue in theater and opera these days, and this Magic Flute, which premiered in Indiana in November, is wonderfully whimsical without being hollow -- a difficult balance." [48]

Seven years later, Sturz's Magic Flute puppets were refurbished for the Atlanta Opera Studio Tour, which reaches 12,500 students a year. The Flute tour started in October 2017 and repeated in January and May 2018. All performances were fully booked. The Center for Puppetry Arts also hosted the Studio Tour's Magic Flute in January 2018. [49] [50]

The main stage production of The Magic Flute was mounted again by the Atlanta Opera in November 2024 with Fagen, Zvulun, and Higgins. Sturz is credited for the original puppets, and her refurbished bird puppets are featured in a playful promotional video for the production: Puppet Take-Over. [51] [52]

Symphony

Sturz has supported three symphony productions with puppetry: Petrushka, Pictures at an Exhibition and Peter and the Wolf.

Petrushka (2008)

Petrushka puppets performing with the Asheville Symphony Petrushka img 136.jpg
Petrushka puppets performing with the Asheville Symphony
Petrushka puppeteers rehearse movements for Ballerina jump Balerena jump rehearsal.jpg
Petrushka puppeteers rehearse movements for Ballerina jump

Sturz collaborated with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra to produce Petrushka on May 10, 2008, for their final Masterworks concert of the season. [53] Music director Daniel Meyer decided to present Petrushka, a ballet about puppets, in the 2007–2008 season, and executive director Steve Hageman brought in Sturz to collaborate with Meyer. [54] A behind-the-scenes and pre-show video of the co-production was published.

Stravinsky's Petrushka has four central characters: Petrushka the clown, the Ballerina (who is loved by Petrushka), the Moor (to whom the Ballerina is attracted), and the Magician who brings the puppets to life. Sturz's proposal was for conductor Meyer to play the Magician, use ten-foot rod puppets for the other three central puppets, and use projectors for background scenes and to present additional puppets.

The concept was accepted and Sturz's Red Herring Puppets built the puppets and background projections. Sturz was interviewed by Hageman for the season program and described her vision for the production:

The unique challenge with Petrushka has been sharing the stage with a full orchestra. Stravinsky's music is the driving force and the visuals must not compete with the energy and excitement of the score. I observed Daniel Meyer conducting at previous symphonic concerts and couldn't take my eyes off him. I knew his charismatic presence had to be part of the drama. I asked Daniel to double as the magician with the orchestra as the source of the magic and the spirit of the crowd as the Shrovetide Fair. [55] [56]

Sturz's puppetry team included a specialist in Russian ballet (Susan Paul) to help with choreography and a musical coordinator (Gwenn Roberts) to coach the team on moving to the score. The three rod puppets were performed by six puppeteers. Additional puppeteers performed the shadow puppets projected on a screen behind the rod puppets and orchestra. Gwenn Roberts also performed as a real-time shadow puppet imitating conductor Meyer as the Magician.

The 2008 Petrushka production was referenced multiple times in Asheville Symphony's 50th Anniversary publication celebrating past productions. [57]

Pictures at an Exhibition (2009)

Pictures at an Exhibition was performed at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center by the Huntington Symphony Orchestra on October 25, 2009. Sturz designed, built, choreographed shadow puppets performed on overhead projectors, and trained four puppeteers for the performance. In 2017, Sturz remounted the production for a performance at the Diana Wortham Theater with John Cobb performing the score on piano.

Peter and the Wolf (2012)

Peter and the Wolf was performed in March, 2012 at the Birmingham Children's Theatre. Forty-four members of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra accompanied the production. Dane Peterson was director and Fawzi Haimor was conductor. Sturz designed and built six four-foot tall rod puppets and eight puppeteers were trained by Sturz to perform them. [58] [59] [60]

Theater

YearProductionRoleCompany
1981Uncle Za'rour [19] Creative Director, puppetmaster. Work with local community. Identify folk characters. Tour rural villages throughout Jordan.Haya Cultural Center
1987 Little Shop of Horrors [61] [62] [63] Build and perform four distinct Audrey II puppets as the plant grew in size.La Mirada Theater
1987PH*reaks [64] Design and build puppet characters. Train puppeteers. Mark Tapper Forum
1989Pirandello's Wife [65] Design set, costumes, and makeup California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo theater and dance
1989The Book and the Stranger [66] Design and build shadow puppets for New York production La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
1992Terra FirmaPuppetmaster Mark Taper Forum
1993The Hand Behind the Face [67] [68] Design, create, and perform skeletal puppetsOdyssey Theater
1993 Romeo and Juliet Design and build portable puppet stage and puppets. Perform prologue.Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company [69]
1995The Puppetmaster of Lodz [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] Design and build marionettes. Train actor to manipulate them.Actors Alley Repertory Theater
1997Lulu Noire [75] Design and perform 6-foot marionette of lead tenor with 40-foot long strings. Spoleto Festival
1997In Xanadu [76] Perform shadow puppets on overhead projector.ShadowLight Productions
2001 A Wrinkle in Time Design and build visual effects including the "brain." Perform role of Aunt Beast.NC Stage Company
2003 Fiddler on the Roof Design and build giant puppets for nightmare sequence. Perform role of Yenta.Asheville Theater Company
2004 Beauty and the Beast [77] [78] Build teapot, wardrobe, candlestick and other costumes. Flat Rock Playhouse
2005 The Long Christmas Ride Home Design and Build three bunraku figures resembling the three main actors.Actor's Express
2016 Young Frankenstein Build 12-foot Frankenstein puppet and train puppeteers.Asheville Community Theater
201730th Anniversary ConcertDesign, build, and choreograph musical sequence for African Yemaha ocean goddess.Womansong of Asheville
2022Emergency [79] [80] Paint scenery. Build life-size skeleton puppet.Invisible Theater
2024AlibrejesBuild three 4-foot marionettes for blacklight stage. Puppetmaster.Borderlands Theater, Scoundrel and Scamp Theater
2025 Macbeth Design and build shadow puppet sequence.Scoundrel and Scamp Theater

My Grandfather's Prayers

Shadow puppet Sabbath scene from My Grandfather's Prayers. My Grandfathers Prayers sabbath scene.jpg
Shadow puppet Sabbath scene from My Grandfather's Prayers.

Sturz co-produced and created a movie with JLTV: My Grandfather's Prayers. [16] It was recorded at JLTV studios in Los Angeles and aired internationally. [81] The film is a multi-media theatrical performance based on the life of Izso Glickstein, a fourth-generation cantor, child prodigy, and operatic tenor. Background research included visiting officials at the Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest. One recalled Glickstein and pointed Sturz to the National Archives of Hungary. Sturz also visited Congregation Mishkan Tefila and reviewed their Glickstein archives.

Sturz used shadow puppets, scrolling backgrounds, marionettes, digital compositing, and rhyme to explore her own ancestry, artistry, spirituality, and social responsibility. Two solo klezmer fiddle tracks by Michael Levy from Echoes of the Shtetl [82] were used.

Before making the film, Sturz created a touring puppet show. Theater professional and documentary filmmaker Rebecca Williams was consulting director. The tour included Asheville, [83] Cleveland, [84] Iowa, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Boston, New York, and Tucson. At the Midwest Regional Puppeteers of America Festival in Iowa, the show was reviewed in the local newspaper: Puppeteer Lisa Sturz tells the story of her grandfather's life ... This was not a story to entertain children, and seeing the show was an experience much like seeing an Oscar-winning drama. [85]

Before it was performed in Asheville, a description of the production was published in a local magazine. [83] Then an interview with Sturz was published by Blue Ridge Public Radio about her background and the touring show. [86] Another segment of the tour was in Tucson, and a five-and-a-half minute segment about the film was aired on Tucson's ABC affiliate KGUN-TV. Sturz described how Glickstein's music inspired her to make the film. [87]

The film premiered on JLTV, January 25, 2020. [88] Just before it aired, a detailed interview with Sturz was published on Arizona Jewish Post. It described Glickstein's journey as a cantor, first in Europe, then in Boston. It also reviews Sturz's career. [89] Later, the film was described by Sturz in an article. [90]

The film won a Telly Award and a DeRose-Hinkhouse Award, [91] both in 2021. [11] [92]

Media

Four videos about Sturz's work have been published:

  1. From Arizona Public Media (AZPM), produced by Özlem Özgür [93] [1]
  2. From PBS for the show Arizona Illustrated (Sturz segments: 0:04-0:20, 4:28-14:50) [94]
  3. From AARP and Art State Arizona for a mini-documentary series Through the Artist's Eyes [95]
  4. From Ink & Staples in a mini-documentary Keeping the Art of Puppetry Alive | Lisa Sturz [96]

A two-minute version of the AZPM video on Sturz was published for State of the ArtZ 101 (Sturz segment: 8:16-10:10). [97] A 53-minute radio interview with Sturz was published on the talk show Tucson Business Radio X. [98] She was also interviewed for five minutes on TV about her movie My Grandfather's Prayers on Tucson's ABC affiliate. [87] Print articles about Sturz are summarized toward the end of this page (see: #Articles About Sturz).

Red Herring Puppets

Sturz with Eros and Psyche puppet LAS eros and psyche.png
Sturz with Eros and Psyche puppet

Sturz founded Red Herring Puppets in 1988. It provides puppet performances, puppet builds, and education. It has toured over 20 puppet shows created by Sturz. About half of these shows were based on legends, fables, history, and science. The others are original Sturz creations. Three were mounted for national fall-to-spring tours. Recently, Sturz produced bilingual shows in Spanish and English. Several Red Herring Puppets shows still toured at schools, libraries, and theaters in 2025. [99]

Sturz's process for creating a show was: research; storyboarding; script writing (often in rhyme); puppet design and building; portable stage and scenery design and building (to fit in a mini-van); sourcing music and voice talent; sound recording and mixing; sourcing puppeteer talent; training and rehearsing puppeteers; marketing (including article writing, participating in newspaper and TV interviews, etc.); securing grants, venues, and performance commitments; show logistics; and billing and accounting.

Sturz served as adjunct professor at Warren Wilson College in 2015 and taught a course on puppet slams, ending with a performance at White Horse Black Mountain. [100] Sturz is also an educator through classroom artist-in-residence programs (or residencies). [101] [102] [103] Starting in 2023, Red Herring Puppets' home venue has been the Scoundrel and Scamp Theater, where Sturz is an artistic associate along with Wolfe Bowart. [104] [105]

Apollo for Eros and Psyche production Apollo Eros and Psyche.jpg
Apollo for Eros and Psyche production
Callistro and Zeus from the puppet show The Big Dipper The Big Dipper Callisto & Zeus.jpg
Callistro and Zeus from the puppet show The Big Dipper
Loshi writing Chinese characters in the puppet show The Big Dipper The Big Dipper Loshi writing.jpg
Loshi writing Chinese characters in the puppet show The Big Dipper
BeeSting, shadow puppets about the hive, the declining bee population, and breast cancer BS-dead bee 2.jpg
BeeSting, shadow puppets about the hive, the declining bee population, and breast cancer
Sturz performing Little One Inch. LOILisahutbasket.jpg
Sturz performing Little One Inch.
Edison and Latimer from the puppet show Electricity! Latimer & Edison hi res.jpg
Edison and Latimer from the puppet show Electricity!
Pedro, Ana, and Tito from the puppet show 'The Friendly Chupacabra' CH Pedro Ana Tito.jpg
Pedro, Ana, and Tito from the puppet show 'The Friendly Chupacabra'
Two gods from the Blue Frog puppet show debate whether they should share chocolate with humans Blue Frog KK and TZ cu.jpg
Two gods from the Blue Frog puppet show debate whether they should share chocolate with humans
FDR puppet gives fireside chat in Greed! FDR in GREED.jpg
FDR puppet gives fireside chat in Greed!
Giant La Calavera Catrina puppet used in parades and various productions in Tucson, Arizona 2.La Calavera-Sandunga.jpg
Giant La Calavera Catrina puppet used in parades and various productions in Tucson, Arizona
YearProductionDescriptionNote
1978Life After Death [107] [108] Shadow puppets on overhead projectors. About abortion as a confrontation to the Great Mother archetype. It is based on dozens of interviews with women.Received a National Endowment for the Arts grant.
1979Here's Looking at Eu-clid [109] Ballet of geometric forms.With Rose and Thorn Puppet Theater for United Puppet Artists in Minneapolis production.
1979The Hungry Child [109] Tabletop marionettes were used to tell an old Irish folk tale.With Rose and Thorn Puppet Theater for United Puppet Artists in Minneapolis production.
1980Baba Yaga [110] [111] Show about a walking house, an enchanted hedgehog, a lost little girl, and Baba Yaga the witch.Built and performed show with Ray St. Louis [112] as part of Rose and Thorn Puppets.
1984Life of the BuddhaOverhead projector shadow puppets were used to accompany a special LACMA museum exhibit on Buddhist Art. [113]
1986Eros and Psyche [114] Bunraku style rod puppets, giant puppets, and black theatre sequence to tell ancient story of overcoming obstacles to love. Performed at UCLA and the National Puppet Festival.Received a Puppeteers of America Endowment [115] grant.
1992-OngoingAdventures in Folklore [116] [117] Hand puppets are used to tell four folktales: Jack and the Beanstalk with a Celtic rendition; Dogs and Masters is a light romp through Parisian parks; Kamala's Drum is a Himalayan folk tale about the spirit of generosity; and The Three Little Pigs is a fast-paced, rap version of the popular story.First track: Music and narration by world-renowned harpist Robin Williamson. Third track: original music by Lynn Anderson. The show's MC is Rowby, who charms the audience.
1994Facing Both Ways [118] [119] Bunraku style rod puppets, hand puppets, overhead projected shadows were used to explore the Celtic idea of lifting the veil between worlds. The show featured fairies, ancient Kings, female goddesses, and shape-shifters.Received a Puppeteers of America Endowment [115] grant and a Jim Henson Foundation [120] grant.
1996Still LifeThis shows used hand puppets and black light puppets. It was developed at the O'Neil. It is about realizing potential and is based on a dream of finding a live baby in the attic.Original music by Larry Siegel. Received a Puppeteers of America Endowment [115] grant and a Jim Henson Foundation [120] grant.
1997-OngoingThe Legend of La Befana [121] [122] The show uses over 50 puppets: rod puppets, marionettes, hand puppets, black light puppets, and an angel costume. The Legend is a favorite Christmas story in Italy. It is about an old woman who is visited by the magi and leaves her home and cat in search of the Christ-child.Original music by Cathy Riley.
1999 Guignol Hand puppets were used to tell a traditional French story.
2002The Mystery of theSalt Crystal [123] Rod puppets and character costumes were used to tell this Medieval legend about the historical importance of salt.Performed with Peter Baird. Original music by Cathy Riley.
2003-Ongoing Aesop's Fables [124] [125] [126] Tabletop rod puppets, a marionette, and a hand and mouth puppet are used to tell these classic tales: The Lion and the Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Owl and the Grasshopper, The Fox and the Crow, The Crow and the Pitcher, and The Stork and the Fox.Original music by Cathy Riley. Toured nationally.
2007-OngoingThe Big Dipper [127] Marionettes [128] and overhead projected shadows are used to tell four cultural legends. The show includes scientific facts to enhance the educational value of the show.Music by Lief Stevenson. Includes elaborate painted and sewn backdrops. Received a Puppeteers of America Endowment [115] grant.
2011-OngoingHansel and Gretel [129] [130] Marionettes and shadow puppets tell this popular fairytale of empowerment, determination, and triumph.
2012Beware of Deleware [131] Toy theatre, marionettes, and animated props are used to create a playful expose on the huge number of corporations registered in the tiny state of Delaware.A political puppet slam piece for adult audiences. Based on Deep Economics by Mark Blessington. Available on YouTube.
2012BeeSting [132] A lyrical outpouring of creative force, addressing the emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges of breast cancer against a backdrop of our declining bee population.Directed by Diane Tower-Jones and music by Layne Redmond.
2012GREED! [131] A set of multiple puppet shows using hand puppets, shadow puppets, marionettes, costume characters, giant masks, oversized props, and 2D cutouts. The vignettes elucidate the complexities fueling economic inequality and unrest.Based on Deep Economics by Mark Blessington. A political puppet slam piece for adult audiences.
2013-OngoingLittle One-Inch [133] Tabletop marionettes with authentic Japanese costumes tell this ancient legend of an old couple whose prayers are answered when they find a small baby by the side of the road.Received a Puppeteers of America Endowment [115] grant.
2014-OngoingElectricity! [134] Large Bunraku and rod table-top puppets and 2D paper puppet animations explain how historical figures and famous scientists used careful observation and built on each other's knowledge to invent the compass, the lightning rod, the battery, the motor, and the electric light bulb.Toured nationally.
2019-OngoingThe Chicken and the Egg: Life Cycles [135] Shadow and rod puppets reveal the life cycles of various plant and animal groups.Original music by Katherine O'Shea. Toured nationally.
2021-Ongoing The Ugly Duckling [136] An "ugly duckling" finds the place where he belongs. Sturz's version of this classical story is told in rhyme.Original music throughout by Brandon Leatherland. [137]
2021Three Sisters [138] All Souls Procession finale prformance. Performance and singing by Lisa Sturz, Elysia Hansel, and Katie Popiel.Music by Michael Egan, lyrics by Tom Jacobson, recording and instrumentation by Kevin Larkin. [139]
2021-OngoingLa Calavera Katrina [140] This 10-foot tall puppet is based on the popular female skeleton figure and iconic symbol of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico, known for her stylish clothing and feathered hat.Used in various Tucson Day of the Dead concerts and processions.
2022-OngoingThe Barking Mouse and The Blue Frog [141] A mother mouse wittily demonstrates the value of learning a second language by barking to scare away a threatening cat. The Blue Frog is the Mayan version of the legend of how the people of the Earth were gifted with chocolate. See promo video. [142] Both shows are bilingual.
2023-OngoingThe Friendly Chupacabra [143] The chupacabra is a source of fear and wonder in Latino countries and parts of the Southern United States. This bilingual story takes place in Puerto Rico where a brave girl and her goat tame the chupacabra beast with friendship. See promo video. [144] A bilingual show.
2024Soft RainsSturz collaborated with Noa Moquin and Luis Castillo Silva to create a shadow puppet show as part of a literary event sponsored by Biosphere 2 honoring Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles .Original music by Noa Moquin
1980s-OngoingAdult Puppet Slam NetworkOver several decades, Sturz has curated and produced Adult Puppetry Slams in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Asheville, and Tucson. Each slam is a collection of short vignettes with a variety of puppet styles created by multiple performers.Encourages non-professional participation.

Puppet design and fabrication

Sturz making an Ice Capades mascot Lisa IC mascot.jpg
Sturz making an Ice Capades mascot
Sturz in Asheville NC studio Lisa at bandsaw IMG 0650.jpg
Sturz in Asheville NC studio
Lionfish designed and built for the North Carolina Aquarium Lionfish shedd.jpg
Lionfish designed and built for the North Carolina Aquarium

Sturz started making molds at The Hand Prop Room in 1985 and then worked at Walt Disney Imagineering and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Some of her large-scale puppet builds were for Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History and the Shedd Aquarium.

YearClient or employerRole
1985The Hand Prop RoomMold maker
1986-1987 Walt Disney Imagineering Prop construction, character fabrication, puppetry consultant
1987 Sid and Marty Krofft Puppet builder and performer
1988The Character ShopPuppet fabrication
1990-2002All EffectsPuppet builder and performer
1991 Jim Henson's Creature Shop Dinosaur and creature costume fabricator, dresser
1992Pasadena Puppet ShopPuppet fabrication
1993 Industrial Light and Magic Creature Shop Puppet fabrication
1993-1994Universal Production Services: Costume ShopDepartment Head: Character Costume Division
1994-1996 Ice Capades Character Costume Department Head, Lead Patternmaker
1996 Biltmore Estate Design, build, and perform characters for Saint George and the Dragon
1999-2005 Shedd Aquarium Design and build giant exhibition figures: crab, shark, octopus, and stingray to promote their Wild Reef [145] exhibit [146]
2001UNC Asheville Drama DepartmentFabricate costumes for the Velveteen Rabbit
2002 Tennessee Aquarium Design, build, and install giant jellyfish
2004 Flat Rock Playhouse Build enchanted costumes for their Beauty and the Beast production
2005 Harrah's Cherokee Casino Design and build giant parade figures: Uk'tena, water beetle, buzzard
2005 Field Museum of Natural History Design and build giant exhibition figures: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops
2005-2006 North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher Design and build giant exhibition figures: lionfish, oyster reef
2007 UNC-TV Design, build, and perform puppets for Let's Go Shopping with Read-a-Roo
2008City of Asheville [147] Design, build, and install giant parade float figures: snowmen, nutcracker, reindeer, teacups
2008Blue Ridge Motion Pictures [148] Design and build figures for Uncle Rhubarb
2012Bubbleland LLCBuild Denton the Dragon [149] puppet. Work with illustrator Jerry Pope to build a large Denton puppet and other characters for short films.
2014 Parelli Natural Horsemanship Build horse heads
2016 Silver Dollar City (theme park)Design and build giant puppets and decorations for Christmas show
2020Children's Museum TucsonDesign and build giant scorpion, milk bottle, snake, outdoor fort, and cactus bean-bag game
2021 North Carolina Arboretum Design and build bird mobile for permanent educational installation

Commercials

Sturz was hired to create or perform puppets for a variety of commercials. She was a principal puppeteer for the 1987 Chevrolet Corsica ad with aliens in a spacecraft called The Collector. [150] It was shot in Douglas Trumbull's Showscan process which featured a unique visual style: 70mm film photographed and projected at 60 frames per second, 2.5 times the standard movie speed. The ad celebrated Chevrolet's 75th Anniversary.

The 1996 ad for Diet Snapple by creative director Richard Kirshenbaum, [151] The Ultimate Frontier, won a Paley award for Best Spots of April, 1996. [152] Sturz designed, fabricated, and operated the sock puppets for this commercial. [153]

Publications

Sturz wrote a book chapter: Puppetry and Virtual Theater (Chapter 7, with contributions from Tim Lawrence, Wendy Morton, Brad Shur, and Kirk Thatcher) in the book The Egyptian Oracle Project: Ancient Ceremony Augmented Reality by Robyn Gillam and Jeffrey Jacobson in 2015. [154]

Sturz has contributed 13 articles to The Puppetry Journal [155]

  1. Puppetry at UCLA: East-West Fusion with Carol Sorgenfrei, 1983 [156]
  2. On Camera with Mark Bryan Wilson, 1990 [157]
  3. Creating New Work for Adult Audiences with Michael Davis, 1995 [158]
  4. Constructive Criticism: Tell Me What You Think, 2003 [159]
  5. Three Giant Sea Creatures-You Want Them WHEN??, 2003 [160]
  6. Southeast (North Carolina) Festival Report, 2004 [161]
  7. Think Big, 2005 [162]
  8. Kinetic Steel: The Marionettes of John Payne (cover story), 2008 [163]
  9. Back to School – Reclaiming a Role in the Schools Through Curriculum-Based Performance, 2009 [164]
  10. BeeSting, 2011 [165]
  11. Puppet Evolution: Film and Technology with Jeffrey Jacobson and Tim Lawrence, 2013 [166]
  12. Full Steam Ahead, 2014 [167]
  13. My Grandfather's Prayers, 2018 [90]

Sturz has contributed three articles to Puppetry International [168]

  1. Lisa Sturz Thinks Big, 2007 [169]
  2. Savoring the Salt Crystal, 2016 [170]
  3. Puppetry in the Ring, 2021 [171]

Sturz published a second article with Mark Bryan Wilson in 1991: On Camera: SAG Puppeteers, The Modern Practice of an Ancient Art. [172] She also published an article about My Grandfather's Prayers in WNC Woman. [173]

References

  1. 1 2 "Red Herring Puppets". Arizona Public Media (AZPM). July 5, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Holston, Kim R.; Winchester, Tom (January 12, 2018). Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Sequels, Series and Remakes: An Illustrated Filmography, Volume II (1996–2016). McFarland. p. 137. ISBN   978-1-4766-2985-8.
  3. 1 2 3 Nowlan, Robert A. (February 15, 2025). The Films of the Eighties. McFarland. p. 271. ISBN   978-1-4766-1008-5.
  4. 1 2 Gillam, Robyn; Jacobson, Jeffrey (July 30, 2015). The Egyptian Oracle Project: Ancient Ceremony in Augmented Reality. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 174–181. ISBN   978-1-4742-4926-3.
  5. 1 2 Willis, John; Monush, Barry (February 1, 2000). Screen World 1994. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 35. ISBN   978-1-55783-202-3.
  6. ↑ Mathieson, Susan, ed. (1995). "Gotterdämmerung, 41st International Season, 1995–96 (program)". Stagebill. Lyric Opera of Chicago. pp. 47, 49.
  7. 1 2 Mathieson, Susan, ed. (1996). "Das Rheingold, Der Ring Des Nibelungen, 1995–96 (program)". Stagebill. Lyric Opera of Chicago. pp. 18, 25, 32, 53.
  8. ↑ Mayer, Susan Mathieson, ed. (2004). "Lyric Opera of Chicago, 50th Golden Jubilee, Das Rheingold (program)". Performance Media. pp. 24, 32, 36, 37.
  9. 1 2 "Where the Finest Productions Come Alive. The Magic Flute. A Co-Production of Indiana University Opera Theater and The Atlanta Opera" (PDF). Jacobs School of Music. November 13, 2009.
  10. 1 2 "The Magic Flute". The Atlanta Opera. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  11. 1 2 "My Grandfather's Prayers – 2021 Bronze Winner". Telly Awards. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  12. ↑ "2009". UNIMA-USA.
  13. ↑ Peiken, Matt. "Puppet Theater for Adults: Lisa Sturz Brings Dimension to Her Grandfather's Story", Blue Ridge Public Radio, August 27, 2018. Accessed December 23, 2025. "Sturz grew up in Bayonne, N.J., and came of age in the spirit of protest during the Vietnam War."
  14. ↑ "Helaine Sturz, 54, Inspired Students to Realize Potential" . The Jersey Journal. February 28, 1981. p. 16. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Melvin Sturz, President of Bayone Rotary, 61" . The Jersey Journal. March 1, 1985. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  16. 1 2 "My Grandfather's Prayers". JLTV. Retrieved December 1, 2025. A Cantor Izso Glickstein (1889–1947) invokes the transcendent power of music amid world war, religious persecution and personal heartbreak. His granddaughter Lisa Sturz tells his remarkable story with scrolling backgrounds, puppets and digital effects.
  17. ↑ John, Bell (September 28, 2011). "Rufus and Margo Rose | Ballard Institute and Museum".
  18. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/15/obituaries/larry-berthelson-60-a-master-of-puppetry.html
  19. 1 2 Akmeemana, Gamini (November 28, 1981). "Haya Center puppet play debuts today -- no strings attached". Jordan Times. p. 3. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  20. 1 2 "The Misadventures of Captain EO – Part One". July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  21. ↑ Amis, Martin (July 1990). "RoboCop Redux". Premiere. pp. 62–66.
  22. ↑ "RoboCop 2". Orion Pictures Corporation. 1990.
  23. ↑ "Animal crack-ups [Episode 241] / a production of ABC Entertainment ; executive producer, Vin di Bona ; producer, Bill Armstrong ; coordinating producers, Joseph Bellon, Greg Bellon ; associate producer, Melinda Albert-Zoldan ; directed by Ron de Moraes ; associate director, Nick Martino". researchworks.oclc.org. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  24. ↑ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Visual Effects. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  25. ↑ Bonerz, Peter; Heline, DeAnn; Heisler, Eileen (November 29, 1993). "Murphy Brown – S06E11 – "It's Not Easy Being Brown"". Internet Archive.
  26. ↑ Browning, John Edgar; Picart, Caroline Joan (Kay) (January 10, 2014). Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010. McFarland. p. 19. ISBN   978-0-7864-6201-8.
  27. ↑ Tinsel (August 27, 2019). Trading Spouses Cramer/Manavit-Sturz . Retrieved September 30, 2025– via YouTube.
  28. ↑ In opera and theater, Puppetmaster or Puppet Master refers to a member of the artistic team who choreographs and directs puppeteers, singers, actors or visual performers (like aerialists, acrobats) on how to perform puppet sequences. They may also design or build the puppets, which can be noted through additional production credits.
  29. ↑ "Lyric Opera History" . Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  30. ↑ Delacoma, Wynne (March 10, 1996). "Next Big Sings: Lyric Opera Takes the Plunge with Wagner's Complete Ring". Chicago Sun-Times . pp. 1, 10.
  31. ↑ Williams, Kevin M. (March 10, 1996). "Surviving All Those Hours: Some Practical Considerations". Chicago Sun-Times . p. B11.
  32. ↑ "Duane Schuler". www.lyricopera.org.
  33. ↑ "Debra Brown". Nipissing University.
  34. 1 2 Putz, Fred (Summer 1996). "Chicago Lyric Opera's Ring". Puppetry Journal. 47 (4): 2–3.
  35. ↑ Delacoma, Wynne (January 22, 1995). "Building the Perfect Beast for Opera" . Chicago Sun-Times .
  36. ↑ Delacoma, Wynne (January 22, 1995). "Siegfried Rings True" . Chicago Sun-Times .
  37. ↑ Oestreich, James R. (February 4, 1995). "Going Up Against the Dragon" . The New York Times . p. 11.
  38. ↑ Shackelford, William (May 1995). "The Dragon Business" . Opera: 534 – via Extract Editions.
  39. ↑ von Rhein, John (March 15, 1996). "Siegfried as Soothing as a Fairy Tale" . Chicago Tribune .
  40. ↑ von Rhein, John (March 18, 1996). "Team Effort Makes Lyric's First Complete Ring Cycle Glitter" . Chicago Tribune .
  41. ↑ Gowen, Bill (November 7, 2003). "Lyric's Siegfried a Monster Gem". Daily Herald . Palatine, Illinois.
  42. ↑ Mayor, Adrienne (2022). "Siegfried and the Dragon". Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws: And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities. Princeton University Press. pp. 140–142. doi:10.2307/j.ctv25c4zp1.19.
  43. ↑ "C. David Higgins Tribute to a Master" – via iumusicmarketplace.mybigcommerce.com.
  44. ↑ "Introducing Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)". IU Opera and Ballet Theater. November 11, 2009 – via Facebook.
  45. ↑ Walker, George (October 28, 2019). "Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'". Indiana Public Media. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  46. ↑ Jacobi, Peter (November 16, 2009). "Set, costumes are stars of The Magic Flute" . The Herald-Times .
  47. ↑ "Arthur Fagen: Current: Faculty: Jacobs School of Music: Indiana University Bloomington". Jacobs School of Music.
  48. ↑ Ruhe, Pierre (April 26, 2010). "Review: The Magic Flute charming and whimsical" . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
  49. ↑ "The Atlanta Opera Presents Mozart's The Magic Flute at The Center for Puppetry Arts". The Peach Review. December 7, 2017.
  50. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (December 4, 2017). "Atlanta Opera to Present Abridged Magic Flute". OperaWire.
  51. ↑ Viagas, Robert, ed. (2024). "The Magic Flute (program)". Encore Magazine. p. 9.
  52. ↑ "The Magic Flute". Atlanta Opera.
  53. ↑ "Asheville Symphony 2007-2008 Season Program. Daniel Meyer, Music Director". pp. 3, 13, 18, 19, 70, 72, 73.
  54. ↑ Clark, Paul (May 4, 2008). "Puppet Petruschka". Asheville Citizen-Times . pp. 29, 38.
  55. ↑ Hageman, Steve. "Interview with Puppeteer Lisa Sturz". Asheville Symphony 2007-2008 Season Program. Daniel Meyer, Music Director. pp. 18–19.
  56. ↑ "Lisa Sturz / Petrushka with the Asheville Symphony, from an Interview with Lisa Sturz, conducted by Steve Hageman". The Puppetry Journal. 59 (2): 5. 2007.
  57. ↑ "50 Years with the Asheville Symphony". ISSUU. January 6, 2023. pp. 18, 37, 61.
  58. ↑ "Past Productions". Birmingham Children's Theatre. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  59. ↑ "Alabama Symphony to Join Birmingham Children's Theater Production of Peter and the Wolf". Birmingham Mom. February 28, 2012.
  60. ↑ "TYA Marquee 2011-2012 Season Directory" (PDF). 2011. p. 9.
  61. ↑ O'Connor, Thomas. "'Little Shop' Could Use a Bit More Comic Bite". The Register.
  62. ↑ Brand, Warren (May 15, 1987). "'Little Shop' Blossoms in La Mirada". Daily News. Whittier, CA.
  63. ↑ "Little Shop of Horrors. A New Musical (program)". Performing Arts. Performing Arts Network, Inc. 1987. pp. 27, 28, 34.
  64. ↑ "PH*REAKS: The Hidden History of People with Disabilities". www.dorisbaizley.com.
  65. ↑ Schmidt, Julie (May 4, 1989). "'Roger Rabbit' Vet Designs Set for Play". Mustang Daily. pp. 3–4.
  66. ↑ "The Book and the Stranger". Playbill LA MAMA E.T.C. ANNEX. Vol. 89, no. 2. Playbill Magazine. 1989. pp. 31, 38.
  67. ↑ Trabitz, Randee (October 14, 1993). "The Hand Behind the Face". LA Weekly.
  68. ↑ Stayton, Richard (1993). "'Hand Behind the Face' a Wild Paranoid Excursion". Los Angeles Times.
  69. ↑ "Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company". www.kismetgirls.com.
  70. ↑ Meeks, Christopher (June 20, 1995). "The Puppetmaster of Lodz". Variety . Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  71. ↑ "A Tale of Love and Denial : Puppetmaster of Lodz, inaugurating Storefront Theatre at El Portal, explores a survivor's view of the Holocaust". Los Angeles Times . June 2, 1995. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  72. ↑ Foley, Kathleen (June 7, 1995). "Puppetmaster a Mostly Bloodless Parable". Los Angeles Times .
  73. ↑ Hernandez, Martin (June 9, 1995). "Theater Picks of the Week: The Puppetmaster of Lodz". LA Weekly .
  74. ↑ Cohen, Paul B. (June 23, 1995). "The Puppetmaster of Lodz". Los Angeles View . Vol. 9, no. 47.
  75. ↑ "Environment Is Added As a Spoleto Performer". The New York Times. May 4, 1997.
  76. ↑ "In Xanadu". ShadowLight Productions. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  77. ↑ Kiss, Tony (June 20, 2004). "Beast: Musical a Mammoth Production". Asheville Citizen-Times. pp. I1–I2.
  78. ↑ McCraw, Amy (June 20, 2004). "Flat Rock Playhouse's Production of 'Disney's Beauty and the Beast' Uses a Team of Experts to Create the Costumes". Times-News. pp. 1E, 8E.
  79. ↑ "Invisible Theatre Presents: Emergency – Entertainment Magazine". www.emol.org. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  80. ↑ Star, Kathleen Allen Special to the Arizona Daily (February 10, 2022). "Review: A ghost slave ship prompts tales in Invisible Theatre's Emergency". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  81. ↑ "MY GRANDFATHER'S PRAYERS". Red Herring Puppets.
  82. ↑ "Michael Levy – Composer for Lyre – Albums for Solo Klezmer Fiddle". ancientlyre.com.
  83. 1 2 Calder, Thomas (June 14, 2017). "Local puppeteer strings together a family tale". Mountain Xpress .
  84. ↑ Carroll, Ed (July 14, 2017). "Puppeteer to Bring 'Grandfather's Prayers' to Life at Maltz Museum". Cleveland Jewish News.
  85. ↑ "Puppet's Paradise: The Great Plains Puppet Train Stops in West Liberty". West Liberty Index. September 20, 2018.
  86. ↑ Peiken, Matt (August 27, 2018). "Puppet Theater for Adults: Lisa Sturz Brings Dimension to Her Grandfather's Story". BPR News. Blue Ridge Public Radio.
  87. 1 2 Tucson JCC and Lisa Sturz present My Grandfather's Prayers. KGUN-TV. February 3, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2025– via YouTube.
  88. ↑ "My Grandfather's Prayer". JLTV Facebook page. January 25, 2020. Lisa Sturz tells the remarkable story of her grandfather, Cantor Izso Glickstein (1890–1947), using shadow puppets, scrolling backgrounds, marionettes, digital compositing, and poetic text to explore her own ancestry, artistry, spirituality, and social responsibility.
  89. ↑ Campbell, Debe (January 24, 2020). "Local artist brings 19th century cantor to life in 'My Grandfather's Prayers'". Arizona Jewish Post.
  90. 1 2 Sturz, Lisa (2018). "My Grandfather's Prayers". Puppetry Journal. 69 (1): 24–26.
  91. ↑ "DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards".
  92. ↑ Sturz, Lisa; McCandless, Jon; Pomerance, Brad (2021). "DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards | Religion Communicators Council". DeRose Hinkhouse Awards. Religion Communicators. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  93. ↑ Media, Arizona Public. "Özlem Özgür – AZPM". Arizona Public Media.
  94. ↑ "Puppets, Tiny Homes". PBS. July 9, 2023.
  95. ↑ Art State Arizona (October 27, 2021). AARP Through the Artist's Eyes| Lisa Sturz PUPPETS & STRINGS . Retrieved October 2, 2025– via YouTube.
  96. ↑ Ink & Staples (August 31, 2021). Keeping the Art of Puppetry Alive | Lisa Sturz – Mini Doc . Retrieved October 2, 2025– via YouTube.
  97. ↑ AZPM (October 22, 2023). State of the ArtZ 101 . Retrieved October 2, 2025– via YouTube.
  98. ↑ Harrell, Sam (September 28, 2019). "TMBS w/ Lisa Aimee Sturz, Red Herring Puppets, Ep 17". Lisa Sturz has 40 years' experience working in film, television, theatre, and educational settings.
  99. ↑ Fischer, Howard (July 26, 2022). "Live From Planet Earth". Arizona Daily Star. p. B1.
  100. ↑ McCormick, Fred (December 17, 2015). "The Serious Side of Puppets: Show at White Horse Shows Puppets in a Different Light". Black Mountain News. pp. 3B.
  101. ↑ Hootman, Barbara (April 8, 2004). "Black Mountain Primary Students Learn with Puppets". Black Mountain News. pp. 13, 24.
  102. ↑ "Red Herring Puppeteer Conducts Workshop at East Franklin". The MAcon County News & Shopping Guide. Vol. 32, no. 21. October 16, 2014. p. 14.
  103. ↑ "Red Herring Puppets science residency at Vance Elementary". Red Herring Puppets YouTube channel. July 14, 2012.
  104. ↑ "The Scoundrel and Scamp Presents: Red Herring Puppets". Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  105. ↑ "Scoundrel & Scamp Staff". Scoundrel and Scamp. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  106. ↑ "Little One-Inch". Red Herring Puppets.
  107. ↑ Loynd, Ray (November 27, 1992). "'Icons' a Challenging Adult Puppet World". Los Angeles Times. p. F18.
  108. ↑ Hill, Beth (December 11, 1992). "Icons and Other Strangers". Reader (Los Angeles's Free Weekly). Vol. 15, no. 9.
  109. 1 2 Sturn, Suzanne M. (1981). "An Evening of Adult Puppet Theater in Minneapolis, A Review". Puppetry Journal. 32 (5).
  110. ↑ Conte, Alison (November 10, 1980). "Baba Yaga Russian Cast Cuts Capers in Mid-Air". Community Times Nokomis News. Vol. 1, no. 28. Minneapolis, MN.
  111. ↑ Steele, Mike (January 25, 1981). "Twin Cities Puppetry is not Kid Stuff". Minneapolis Tribune. Minneapolis Star and Tribune Company. pp. 1–2, 6–11.
  112. ↑ "Ray St Louis Obituary March 12, 2023". Bradshaw Funeral.
  113. ↑ "Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art Across Asia | LACMA". www.lacma.org. January 13, 2022.
  114. ↑ Schnupp, Alvin (1993). Theater: A Model of the World. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. p. 10. ISBN   978-0-8403-8434-8.
  115. 1 2 3 4 5 "Puppeteers of America – Past Endowment Recipients". www.puppeteers.org. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  116. ↑ Heffley, Lynne (October 20, 1994). "No-Frills Red Herring Puppets Full of Charm". Los Angeles Times. p. F6.
  117. ↑ "Adventures in Folklore". Red Herring Puppets. Enjoy multi-cultural tales hosted by Rowby, a friendly green alien who loves sharing stories he collects from Planet Earth.
  118. ↑ Scaffidi, Richard (October 20, 1994). "Icons Revisited". Drama-Logue.
  119. ↑ "Icons Revisited". The Los Angeles Reader. Vol. 17, no. 3. October 28, 1994.
  120. 1 2 "2000 – The Jim Henson Foundation" . Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  121. ↑ McGee, Melanie (December 17, 1997). "The Many Faces of Puppetry. Ted Herring Puppets Presents The Legend of La Befana". Mountain Express. p. 34.
  122. ↑ "The Legend of La Befana, a holiday treat". Red Herrting Puppets. The Legend of La Befana is a children's favorite in Italy. It is a story of an old woman who is visited by the magi and leaves her home and cat in search of the Christ-child. Befana travels the world and encounters many new cultures and ideas.
  123. ↑ "A Little Science, a Lot of Fun with Puppets". Asheville Citizen-Times. January 10, 2003. p. E14.
  124. ↑ Reinhardt, Carol (June 10, 2012). "Live Theater Performances Feature Red Herring Puppets". Gaston Gazette. p. 2E.
  125. ↑ Motsinger, Carol (April 30, 2013). "The Magic of Puppeteers". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. B4.
  126. ↑ "Aesop's Fables". Red Herring Puppets. Red Herring Puppets was awarded an UNIMA citation of excellence (the highest honor in American puppetry) for its production of Aesop's Fables. It is an original, rhymed version of the classic tales, told with original music by Cathy Riley and large table-top puppets.
  127. ↑ Clark, Paul (September 3, 2007). "Imagine a World of Puppets. Series Includes an Emperor, Animals, and the Big Dipper". Asheville Citizen-Times . p. C1.
  128. ↑ "Here's Lisa Sturz demonstrating one of her marionettes from the Red Herring Puppets show, The Big Dipper: Calendar, Compass, & Clock" – via Facebook.
  129. ↑ Coutlakis, John (June 29, 2012). "Fun with Puppets". Asheville Citizen-Times. pp. B3.
  130. ↑ "Hansel and Gretel". Red Herring Puppets. This popular fairytale of empowerment, determination, and triumph is brought to life with traditional marionettes and classical music. Hansel and Gretel get lost in the forbidden forest while looking for food.
  131. 1 2 "GREED! Puppet Shows: Details". Deep Economics. 'GREED!' examines American history from multiple perspectives to help audiences learn from the past, make connections with the present, and inform their views for a better tomorrow.
  132. ↑ Marshall, Alli (January 24, 2012). "An Edge Piece for Everyone. Asheville Fringe Arts Festival Celebrates Ten Years". Mountain Xpress. pp. 40–43.
  133. ↑ "Little One-Inch". Red Herring Puppets. "Little One-Inch" was my favorite story growing up. My Dad, who was stationed in Okinawa during World War II, passed on to me his deep love of the Japanese language, people and culture. He read this story to me. I was enchanted by the magical elements, inspired by the idea that a little person could achieve great things, and reassured that love can blossom in unlikely circumstances.
  134. ↑ "Electricity!". Red Herring Puppets. Puppets portray historical figures and famous scientists who employ the process of careful observation and build on each other's knowledge, to make related discoveries in various parts of the world resulting in the invention of the compass, the lightning rod, the battery, the motor, and the electric light bulb.
  135. ↑ "The Chicken and the Egg: Life Cycles". Red Herring Puppets. The Chicken and the Egg is a lively shadow puppet play about the life cycles of the various plant and animal groups. The stage is an inflatable chicken with an egg-shaped shadow screen. Animated shadow sequences are introduced with original songs and colorful puppets.
  136. ↑ "The Ugly Duckling". Red Herring Puppets. Red Herring Puppets created an original musical version of the classic folktale. An "ugly duckling" finds the place where he belongs.
  137. ↑ "Brandon Leatherland". Backstage.com.
  138. ↑ "We're celebrating World Puppetry Day with a flashback to the All Souls Procession Finale 2021. "Three Sisters" by Red Herring Puppets Puppets by Lisa Sturz Puppetry by Lisa Sturz, Elysia Hansel, and Katie Popiel Song recording and instrumentation by Kevin Larkin | Red Herring Puppets" – via www.facebook.com.
  139. ↑ "Facebook".
  140. ↑ "CALAVERA". August 11, 2025 – via YouTube.
  141. ↑ "The Barking Mouse and the Blue Frog". Red Herring Puppets. The Barking Mouse wittily champions the value of learning a second language. The Blue Frog is the Mayan version of the Legend of Chocolate.
  142. ↑ "The Barking Mouse and The Blue Frog promo". August 26, 2022 – via YouTube.
  143. ↑ "The Friendly Chupacabra / El Chupacabra Amigable". Red Herring Puppets. The Chupacabra is a source of fear and wonder in several Latino countries and parts of the Southern United States. Our bilingual story takes place in Puerto Rico where a brave girl, Ana and her goat tame the beast with friendship.
  144. ↑ "The Friendly Chupacabra / El Chupacabra Amigable". February 12, 2024 – via YouTube.
  145. ↑ "Wild Reef | Shedd Aquarium". www.sheddaquarium.org. December 20, 2025.
  146. ↑ Esposito, Michael (April 11, 2003). "Shedd's new Ocean view". Chicago Tribune (published August 21, 2021).
  147. ↑ Wilson, Ashley (December 1, 2008). "Vance Theater Shows Off New Celestial Theme". Asheville Citizen-Times. pp. B1-2.
  148. ↑ "Lights, camera ... not so much action – Mountain Xpress".
  149. ↑ "Amazon.com".
  150. ↑ "1987 Chevrolet Corsica Alien Commercial – 35mm – HD". July 21, 2018 – via YouTube.
  151. ↑ "Richard Kirshenbaum". SWAT by Kirshenbaum.
  152. ↑ "Diet Snapple: The Ultimate Frontier; AdWeek: Best Spots of April 1996". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  153. ↑ "Diet Snapple Sock Puppets In Space Commercial". November 13, 2021 – via YouTube.
  154. ↑ "Mixed Reality Theater and the Egyptian Oracle Project" , The Egyptian Oracle Project : Ancient Ceremony in Augmented Reality, Bloomsbury Academic, 2015, doi:10.5040/9781474217101.ch-005, ISBN   978-1-4742-3415-3 , retrieved September 20, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  155. ↑ "Puppeteers of America – About the Puppetry Journal". www.puppeteers.org.
  156. ↑ Sorgenfrel, Carol; Sturz, Lisa (1983). "Puppetry at UCLA". Puppetry Journal. 35 (2): 17–18.
  157. ↑ Sturz, Lisa; Wilson, Mark (1990). "On Camera". Puppetry Journal. 42 (1): 2–5.
  158. ↑ Lisa Aimee, Sturz; Davis, Michael (1995). "Creating New Work for Adult Audiences". Puppetry Journal. 46 (3): 12–15.
  159. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2003). "Constructive Criticism: Tell Me What You Think". Puppetry Journal. 54 (4): 28–29.
  160. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2003). "Three Giant Sea Creatures-You Want Them WHEN??". Puppetry Journal. 54 (4): 32–33.
  161. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2004). "Southeast (North Carolina), Report". Puppetry Journal. 56 (1): 7–8.
  162. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2005). "Think Big". Puppetry Journal. 57 (2): 14–16.
  163. ↑ Sturz, Lisa; Ford, Hobey (2008). "Kinetic Steel: The Marionettes of John Payne". Puppetry Journal. 60 (1): 2–3.
  164. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2009). "Back to School – Reclaiming a Role in the Schools Through Curriculum-Based Performance". Puppetry Journal. 60 (3): 4–6.
  165. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2011). "BeeSting". Puppetry Journal. 63 (1): 16–18.
  166. ↑ Sturz, Lisa; Jacobson, Jeffrey; Lawrence, Tim (2013). "Puppet Evolution: Film and Technology". Puppetry Journal. 65 (2): 12–19.
  167. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2014). "Full Steam Ahead". Puppetry Journal. 66 (2): 20–27.
  168. ↑ "PUPPETRY INTERNATIONAL". UNIMA-USA.
  169. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2007). "Lisa Sturz Thinks Big". Puppetry International (22): 36–37.
  170. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2016). "The Mystery of the Salt Crystal". Puppetry International (39): 48–49.
  171. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2021). "Puppetry in the Ring". Puppetry International (50): 12–15.
  172. ↑ Sturz, Lisa Aimee; Wilson, Mark Bryan (Summer 1991). Locher, Mark (ed.). "On Camera: SAG Puppeteers, The Modern Practice of an Ancient Art". Screen Actor. Screen Actors Guild. pp. 14–18. ISSN   0036-956X.
  173. ↑ Sturz, Lisa (2017). "Father's Day Premier: "My Grandfather's Prayers"". WNC Woman. No. June. pp. 51–52.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.