Debbie Lutzky Allen of Jamesport is spotlighted in the current issue of Country Woman, a national country lifestyle magazine. The Country Woman article is reprinted here.
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Puppet Power
The instant the curtain rises, Debbie Lutzky Allen has the audience in the palm of her hand…with a little help from her friends.
"My husband, Peter, and I are professional puppeteers," says Debbie. "We teach and perform year-round. Our shows are based on everything from fairy tales and folk legends to fanciful Christmas adventures."
Debbie’s path to puppetry began with a college class on storytelling—the puppets had a dramatic effect on her. She went on to earn a master’s degree in children’s theater and puppetry. Now, 30 years later, she’s literally up to her elbows in her playful career.
"Peter and I met at an international puppetry convention," she says. "Two years later, we married and formed our own performance company, Parasol Puppets.
"In 1997, we moved to our 8-acre farm. We figured it’d be a perfect place to raise our son, Kyle, and a central location to come home to after occasional coast to-coast tours."
Their farm is definitely full of "character," Debbie says. "We have a large barn we converted into a workshop where we create our own puppets. Peter builds the heads out of papier-mache and paints them. Meanwhile, I sew their underbodies and costumes ranging from princess dresses to Santa suits.
"If there’s a lot of action in a story, we use hand puppets," she says. "Other tales are better told by marionettes. For fantasy segments, we like to use shadow puppets, flat figures held between a light and a translucent screen. The result is magical!
"We also have several stages that Peter built—including a bag stage, which the puppeteer actually wears. Legs and feet are visible as the stage moves around the performance space. I pitch in making scenery and props and sewing backdrops and stage curtains."
Working as a team, the Allens brainstorm stories, taking turns making up dialogue and songs for their lighthearted, family-oriented shows. All are filled with lively sound effects and music.
"Our aim is to get the audience so involved that the puppets come to life before their eyes. Soon, we have 200 people laughing and talking to the characters.
On my own, I’m usually too shy to get up and perform for a crowd. So, I put the puppets in the spotlight to do it for me."
At present, Debbie and Peter are packing their jolly entourage for a series of Christmas performances at schools, libraries, private parties and even community theaters.
"Our latest show, The Gingerbread Man’s Christmas, features a cookie who decides he doesn’t want to be eaten and hops off the baking sheet for a holiday adventure,"Debbie says. "Another favorite is our telling of the Nativity story, with puppets representing sheep, wise men and the Holy Family.
"Much of our winter is spent holed up in the barn building new shows. We also plan workshops we teach on puppeteering for all ages.
"For the past several years, we’ve directed PuppetFest Midwest. During this in-depth seminar each July, puppeteers from across the country assemble in the nearby town of Trenton to learn and perform.
"It’s rewarding to know we’re passing on the traditional skills of puppet theater to a new generation."
But there’s one group of prodigies with whom Debbie has been particularly impressed.
"Peter and I are having a wonderful time introducing our grandchildren to puppets," she says.