A small collage of Lettie Schubert’s Amazing Historical Puppetry
Lettie Connell Schubert, who grew up in a San Francisco theater during the Depression and rose to become a well-known figure in American puppetry, died in 2006 at age 77. At the time, friends and family recalled Schubert’s playfulness and exuberance, dazzling smile and oversize glasses. They spoke of her inspiration and warmth. They told stories about her puppets, including a hilarious German dog.
Mrs. Schubert was a third-generation San Franciscan whose love of puppetry began when she was a child. She began performing regularly during junior high school.
“She was one of the sweetest people anyone would ever meet. She listened to people,” Gage Schubert said. “She was fascinated by puppet activity as a child because her father and mother had a theater on Macondray Lane on Russian Hill during the Depression. She grew up in that basement theater environment. … She went from that background as an only child into puppetry theater.”
In 1968, Mrs. Schubert moved with her family to Mill Valley. She was involved with the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival for 30 years with her husband. She also exhibited her paper and cloth figures for the Artisans Gallery.
In 1974, Mrs. Schubert self-published a booklet titled “Hand Puppet Manipulation” in which she tried to teach novices the craft of bringing puppets to life. “Lettie has been a wonderful friend to many puppeteers on this side of the Atlantic; she made numerous visits to the U.K. — popping up in all sorts of places,” wrote British puppeteer Ray DaSilva in a memoriam posted on the Web site of Puppeteers UK. FULL STORY ABOUT LETTIE SCHUBERT
But as is often the case in Mill Valley’s never-ending creativity – see Steve Coleman’s amazin g set designs across many, many years – historical puppetry isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s got a new, amazing creative style that engages people across all age groups.
Matthew Purdon’s Woander Store officially opened earlier this year. It’s a family play store featuring family friendly games and storytelling products that opened in downtown Mill Valley at 73 Throckmorton in April. Purdon has create a series of amazing puppetry characters from the The Wylding Woods.
