Puppeteers

Ronnie Burkett awarded the Order of Canada

By June 28, 2019 January 20th, 2020 No Comments
Photo credit: Jeremy Mimnagh / Luminato

Ronnie Burkett – one of Canada’s most talented and successful puppetry artists – has been appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour.

Ronnie began his career at the age of 14, after famously discovering puppetry while browsing through his parent’s copy of the World Book Encyclopedia as a child. After spending most his teenage years doing the usual circuit of shows at shopping malls, birthday parties and the like throughout his native Alberta, he made his way to New York City and began performing with the famous Bil Baird Marionette Theater in the late 1970s. He went on to found the Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes in 1986, and has been performing on major stages across Canada and abroad ever since.

Precious little footage of Ronnie manipulating puppets exists for those who haven’t had the opportunity to see him perform live, so it was a special treat to see this video of Canadian arts reporter Brad Wheeler receiving a introductory lesson in marionette puppetry from the master himself during a recent studio visit:

Ronnie just finished earning stellar reviews for the premiere of his new immersive theatre show Forget Me Not, at the 2019 Luminato festival in Toronto. He will be performing his hit show The Daisy Theatre in Quebec later this year (see his touring schedule for details). Forget Me Not is anticipated to tour internationally in 2020 and beyond.

Via the Globe and Mail.