Puppets in University of Minnesota Calendar

This year the University of Minnesota turned 150 years old. One of the items that has been produced for this Sesquicentennial celebration is a large calendar for the year 2000. The University’s archivist, Penny Krosch, has selected 12 photos from the Archives collection of about 900,000. I was pleasantly surprised, upon receiving one of these calendars, to find that one of the 12 photos featured puppets, and a person many of us came to know and adore, Virginia Houghtaling (who was then Virginia Upson). The photo is used with the February calendar. The sidebar to the page says this:


Return to Resources Page			THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA'S SESQUICENTENNIAL CALENDAR
	This year the University of Minnesota turned 150 years old. One of the items that has been produced for this Sesquicentennial celebration is a large calendar for the year 2000. The University’s archivist, Penny Krosch, has selected 12 photos from the Archives collection of about 900,000. I was pleasantly surprised, upon receiving one of these calendars, to find that one of the 12 photos featured puppets, and a person many of us came to know and adore, Virginia Houghtaling (who was then Virginia Upson). The photo is used with the February calendar. The sidebar to the page says this:
		With a string for every action, the marionette presents a challenge to the operator and the wood-carver. Donald Cordry was skilled at both. Pictured here with Virginia Upson, Cordry displays his creations, the clown Kobolotzo with Dodo and the Dolly Sisters. Cordry, a gifted wood-carver, brought his marionette troupe and 22 other characters, “lady marionettes, gentlemen ruffians, and scalawags,” to the University in February 1934 for a week-long exhibition, including a performance of two original shows, “The Three Wishes” and “The Three Bears.” The program was jointly sponsored by the Departments of Theatre Arts and Music. Cordry’s marionettes were large--20 to 23 inches--and hand carved. During an interview, Cordry revealed that he had made marionettes in as short a time as seven days--working 10 to 12-hour days--and as long a time as six months. Cordry also designed and constructed all of the stage furnishings and sets for his marionette shows.