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The
organization's mission
is to link puppeteers nationally and internationally, publish
information on and for the field, offer support and technical
assistance for professional puppeteers through seminars,
conferences, and symposia; stimulate the general public's
interest in the art of puppetry; and promote the visibility
of American puppeteers all over the world.
Vince
Anthony, General Secretary
Meghan Fuller Newberry, Director of
Membership Services
Lisa Rhodes, Controller
UNIMA-USA, Inc.
1404 Spring Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30309-2820 U.S.A.
Phone (404) 873-3089
FAX (404) 873-9907
unima@mindspring.com |
Union
Internationale de la Marionnette is an organization
in which all those people in the world concerned with the
Art of the Puppet Theatre associate voluntarily in order
to serve through their art the idea of peace and of mutual
understanding without distinction as to race, political
ideas or religion.

UNIMA-USA, founded in 1966, is the North American Center
of Union Internationale de la Marionnette, the oldest international
theatre organization in the world, founded in 1929. The organization's
mission is to promote international understanding and friendship
through the art of puppetry.
UNIMA-USA fulfills its mission in a range of formal and
informal ways, but especially by encouraging and providing contacts
to North American puppeteers traveling throughout the world
and providing the same courtesy to international puppeteers
traveling through North America.
UNIMA
UNIMA (Union Internationale
de la Marionnette) was formed in Prague, Czechoslovakia,
in 1929 by an enthusiastic group of representatives from
14 countries. After a hiatus during and after World War
II, UNIMA was re-activated and in 1957 a new constitution
was drafted.
UNIMA
was adopted as a member of the International Theatre Institute
in 1959, making it a member of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
With
over 40 National Centers and representatives from more than
40 countries, the Council of UNIMA has, since 1972, been established
with more than 60 members and an 18 member executive committee
which meets every year. The Council meets every four years
at each UNIMA World Congress.
UNIMA-USA
Romain Proctor, Nancy H. Cole and Mollie Falkenstein first
ran the affairs of UNIMA in the United States as a clearinghouse
through which Americans could join, participate in and receive
benefits from international UNIMA.
In
1966, with more than one hundred members of UNIMA in the United
States, UNIMA-USA was formed with Jim Henson as its first
chairman.
Jim
Henson led a UNIMA-USA committee of Frank Ballard, Bil Baird,
Nancy Staub and Allelu Kurten in incorporating UNIMA-USA into
a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, UNIMA-USA, Inc., in
1979.
©
Copyright 1996. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission
is prohibited.
Prepared
March, 1996 by Debra Cayz, Mark Levenson, Allelu Kurten, Bonnie
Periale, Andrew Periale, and Linda Rye. |