Bruce Cannon, Artistic Director of historic Marionette Theater in Central Park, discusses representation in puppetry

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Creatures of various fur levels, from human to bird to puppet, recently gathered on the lawn in Central Park outside the Swedish Marionette Theater on March 20, World Puppetry Day, to break ground on $10 million dollars in renovations to the historic structure that houses puppetry performances and has been a valuable part of New York City’s artistic landscape since 1876. Bruce Cannon, the theater’s artistic director, was joined by puppets Garth and Gino Vino, performed by puppeteers Tau Bennett and Sebastiano Ricci, and a host of city politicians and community members to celebrate the groundbreaking which will provide much needed infrastructural improvements to the theater for the first time since 1997. “Investing in the Swedish Cottage is an investment in the city’s cultural future,” said Heather Lubov, executive director of City Parks Foundation. “These improvements will allow us to continue introducing young theatergoers to the magic and craftsmanship of marionettes, while also expanding the capacity of this gem of a building — in the heart of the city’s most visited park — to reach more audiences and present a wider array of performances, including readings, musical showcases, lectures, intimate rehearsals, and so much more.”

Johnny Knollwood photos

Cannon has kept puppetry alive in NYC for over five decades. The puppeteer, who has worked on big budget films like “Muppets Take Manhattan,” and who serves as a board member for the Jim Henson Foundation where he oversees grant applications, has spearheaded puppetry productions in the city for much of his career, shifting with the times, and bringing new viewpoints into the medium that has fascinated viewers of all ages for thousands of years. “I think the big change since I first got here is social media … nowadays the kids like a little more visual stimulus,” Cannon told the AmNews in an exclusive onsite interview, reflecting on his decades long career as a puppeteer in NYC. “We still have that attraction that we had back then — puppets and children is like a marriage made in heaven; they just love it. As you saw out there, puppets can say anything and do anything and get away with stuff that even humans could not get away with.” Throughout his career, Cannon has demonstrated a commitment to diversifying the stories told on the puppetry stage in NYC. “We know that parents and teachers like fairy tales — but for us it was important — particularly for me — that we made the fairy tales more multicultural,” Cannon explained to the Amsterdam News. “For instance, we did a story called “The Princess, the Emperor, and the Duck,” which was three Hans Christian Andersen stories. It was “The Princess and the Pea,” which we set in Africa, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” which we set in China, and “The Ugly Duckling,” which we set in Central Park. That’s the kind of thing we like doing because I feel that it’s important that audiences see — in the puppets and the puppeteers — people that look like them.” Cannon understands the importance of representation across mediums. “When I’m in the building I always come out at the end of the show — and I don’t come out just because I need adulation, I come out because I think it’s important that Black and Brown children see that there is an artistic director of color, and this is something they can aspire to be.”

The theater’s current production “Little Red Riding Hood,” will play on select weekends only throughout the renovation. Cannon can’t announce what productions lie on the horizon but expressed excitement. “We have an exciting new show — it’s a new version of a classic story and it’s going to be done like you’ve never seen before.” You can stay up to date with the Swedish Marionette Theater, get tickets to upcoming performances, and donate to the renovation at cityparksfoundation.org