Columbia Marionette Theater in Slovenia
by Karri Scollon
(edited by Donald Devet)

With funding provided by a grant from the American Embassy in Slovenia, the staff of CMT (John Scollon, Karri Scollon, Lyon F. Hill, Jason Laramee, Cooper Hill) packed up and shipped an original show, The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, to Slovenia, then flew themselves on October 1, 2011. In addition to performing Poe, CMT participated in workshops, attended performances in Slovenia's puppet theatres, gave interviews with the local media and took a day to sightsee before returning on October 9th.

The tour was sponsored by the US Embassy in Ljubjana, Slovenia. CMT was asked to come over on a cultural grant and tour the country, promoting puppetry arts and goodwill. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring an American puppetry show to Slovenian audiences, who have a significant puppetry tradition of their own. It was also a wonderful opportunity to represent America as goodwill ambassadors, promoting artistry and culture that we can share.