Luman Coad
(2024)
Luman Coad has served puppetry as a performer, editor, author, and Puppeteers of America festival director (1986). He became director of Storybook Puppet Theater at Oakland Fairyland (1963-1966), then in 1966 co-founded the award-winning company Coad Canada Puppets with Arlyn Hill Coad. He has toured innumerable schools and presented at festivals and other venues throughout North America, and beyond—performing in Australia, Asia, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. He received eight citations of excellence from UNIMA-USA (1975 [2 shows], 1979, 1980, 1983, 1999, 2004, and 2008). He has written extensively on puppetry, including Marionette Sourcebook: Theory and Technique (1993) and Theatre Art of Coad Canada Puppets (2023). As founder of Charlemagne Press he publishes important works illuminating the history and practice of puppetry in North America. His film credits include Ninja Turtles: the Next Mutation (1997), Being John Malkovitch (1999) and others. His work has been commended by the Puppeteers of America—President’s Award (1980) and Trustees’ Awards (1997) (both with Arlyn Coad), and the George Latshaw Award (1997). The Coads were inducted into British Colombia Hall of Fame in 2006.
Kathy Foley
(2024)
For decades Kathy Foley has generously served our organization at the national and international levels. As a regular member, committee chair, president, international councilor and representative to international commissions her many contributions are distinguished by her profound commitment, clarity of thought and ultimate influence. She is a trailblazing scholar and teacher, director and performer, who has inspired enthusiasm for the puppetry, shadow and mask theatre of East and Southeast Asia across our country and the world. Seeking to promote academic excellence she founded and coordinates the Nancy Staub Awards, and for the rest of us she initiated and hosts quarterly Zoom events showcasing practitioners in the fields of puppetry and mask.We cherish all that she has done and her abiding friendship.
Carol Sterling
(2023)
Carol Sterling has served as President of UNIMA-USA, as Advisory Board Member of The Puppetry Journal, as Education Consultant for Puppeteers of America, and on the boards of The Jim Henson Foundation, the Puppetry Guild of Greater NY and the Penny Jones Early Childhood Puppet Theater. She advocated worldwide for including the puppetry arts as a strategy for teaching kindergarten-grade 12 curriculum and life skills. As a Fulbright Program Specialist in Educational Puppetry, she led training courses in Uganda and India and has also shared her skills in nine other countries. She has trained classroom teachers, librarians, and visual, performing, and literary arts educators. She champions puppetry for teaching creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and curiosity.
UNIMA-USA recognizes her service as a luminary of puppetry in education.
Paul Vincent Davis
(2023)
Paul Vincent Davis directed the Repertory Puppet Theater in Washington, co-directed the National Theater of Puppet Arts in New York, and served as artistic director of Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline (Massachusetts), where he continues as Resident Artist Emeritus mentoring younger puppeteers. He has presented numerous workshops, performances, and trainings at national and regional festivals.
He won five Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA, received the Puppeteers of America’s President's Award (2021), and the National Capital Puppetry Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. He is an
Artist par Excellence of American Puppetry.
Marianne Tucker (2022)
Marianne Tucker has served the field of puppetry with enormous energy, perseverance, musicality and craftsmanship, maintaining the highest standards as a performer, musician, workshop leader and co-director of the Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre, while also performing music with her husband Tom and with the groups “Spiced Punch” and “No Windows.”
She has served UNIMA-USA unstintingly over many years as a Board Member, President, and long term Chair of the Citations Committee. She fully embodies the values of UNIMA-USA—international friendship though puppetry arts.
Donald Devet
(2022)
Donald Devet has worked as a Board Member and President of UNIMA-USA and generously served as the organization’s exemplary website designer and webmaster for over 20 years, continually improving, correcting and updating in a collaborative manner.
He has maintained the highest standards in his puppetry as a performer, director and playmaker with Grey Seal Puppets. He has performed and taught at national and regional puppet festivals, co-authored The Foam Book, and created a substantive body of online work through his Puppets in Review Blog and Now and Then Video.
Karen Smith
(2021)
Karen Smith has served with excellence and generosity on behalf of American and global puppetry. She has been a UNIMA-USA Board Member, Vice President, President, and Councilor, as well as a guest curator for the Center for Puppetry Arts.
She has contributed to UNIMA-International as President, Vice President, Executive Committee Member, and President of the Publication and Communication Commission, as well as a member of the North America and Research Commissions.
Since 2010 she has served as Editor-in-Chief of the World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts (WEPA) and was the driving force in realizing the 2017 online version in three languages, giving the WEPA a world perspective and making puppetry scholarship accessible across the globe.
Bart P. Roccoberton, Jr.
(2021)
Bartolo P. Roccoberton, Jr. has maintained the highest standard as a performer, educator, and Director of the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts Program. He co-founded Pandemonium Puppet Company and served as Director of regional and national festivals for the Puppeteers of America.
He served UNIMA-USA as a Board Member and Councilor to UNIMA-International where he served on the Professional Training Commission and helped foster the UNIMA national branch in the People’s Republic of China.
He has contributed to recognition of puppetry within the field of theatre through his work at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, first as the Director of the Institute of Professional Puppetry Arts and then as Director of Production for the National Puppetry Conference.
Andrew Periale & Bonnie Periale
(2007)
The Periales have been serving UNIMA-USA in the same position longer than any other officers in its history, first, working as Editor and Designer/ Production Manager of A PROPOS from 1985 through 1999, then, shaping PUPPETRY INTERNATIONAL as founding Editor and Designer/Production Manager since 1995. They have exercised enormous energy, consummate skill, groundbreaking creativity and elegant diplomacy on behalf of North American Puppetry by enhancing the image of puppetry in the context of world theater, championing sophisticated thought, and writing about puppetry and advancing puppetry through their own work as artists.
Cheryl Henson (2005)
Cheryl Henson is an honored friend and respected advocate of puppeteers around the world. Working tirelessly, intelligently and sensitively as Producer of the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre, President of the Henson Foundation and UNIMA-USA Councilor she brought the best international artists to the United States — and the best of American puppetry to the world raising the profile of American Puppetry within the world of American theater.
Through her work as an author, performer, and puppet builder she assists scholars, documentary-makers, videographers, and online resource managers, and educational institutions with problems and projects related to puppet theatre. She champions emerging and established artists by providing performance venues as well as critical forums that help develop their work for adult audiences.
Albrecht Roser (2001)
(Joint proclamation: UNIMA-USA and Puppeteers of America)
As one of the most renowned puppeteers of Germany, Albrecht Roser has contributed greatly to the recognition of puppet theatre as an art form. (more info)
George Latshaw (1999)
For over 50 years, George Latshaw generously shared his gifts with graceful wit, hearty laughter, and elegant simplicity. He is one of the most loved and respected figures in American puppetry. (more info)
Allelu Kurten (1993)
Allelu Kurten served as General Secretary of UNIMA-USA for fifteen years during which time she served as world-wide advocate for puppetry and an invaluable resource for puppeteers. She traveled the world on behalf of UNIMA-USA and served as a goodwill ambassador with vigor, intelligence, grace and enormous sensitivity. She advanced the causes and developed the efforts of UNIMA-USA by broadening outreach, organizing conferences and festivals, and extending opportunities for the training of puppeteers, and personally contributed her resources, intellect and compassion beyond all expectations.
Vince Anthony (1989)
Serving as Executive Director, his creation- the Center for Puppetry Arts - has become a true center of our art form in the USA. Vince has been a tireless fighter for the rights of all puppeteers and has fostered an awareness of the breadth of our art form by espousing the cause of puppetry with the NEA, NEH and all other granting organizations, He has nurtured and sponsored the best in puppetry and has been a major force in the growth of puppetry for an adult audience in our country by always looking beyond the tried-and-true to the new and experimental, As President of the Puppeteers of America from 1978-1981, his leadership and expertise helped prepare and realize the 1980 UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival.
Jim Henson (1987)
A brilliant innovator, Jim Henson stretched the capabilities of puppetry in combination with advancing technology. As a preeminent popular artist, he contributed to the diverse visual vocabulary of the 20th century. As a performing genius, Jim Henson brought delight and wonder to international audiences. (more info)
Nancy Laverick (1985)
Nancy Laverick a gentle-mannered and tireless worker became the editor of the UNIMA-USA magazine A Propos in 1979. She managed the writing and layout of the magazine with superb organizational skills, elegance, and great good humor. She retired as editor in 1985.
Nancy Lohman Staub
(1984)
The work of Nancy Lohman Staub has raised the standard and consciousness of puppetry in the United States and abroad. Puppeteers on every continent value her friendship, her curiosity, her quiet optimism and keen intelligence. (more info)
Mollie Falkenstein
(1983)
Molly Peck Falkenstein served as a liason between American and International puppeteers as the first General Secretary of UNIMA-USA. With her supportive and understanding husband, Bob, she created and edited APROPOS, providing a singular, rich source of information about international puppetry. Through the generous gift of her time and funds, Molly attended many meetings of UNIMA in Europe -first as Representative and then as Member and Vice President of the Executive Committee of UNIMA - making friends for America wherever she went. By her constant representation at the meetings of the Puppeteers of America, Mollie publicized and created interest in UNIMA and built up membership in UNIMA-USA., fostering an international concern on the part of American puppeteers.
Martin Stevens
(1982)
Martin Stevens was awarded a special commendation for his show The Toymaker and its influence throughout the world toward world peace and brotherhood. He created the show in the early 1950s and he performed it at the opening of the UNIMA Festival in Washington DC in 1980.
