Profile: Eulenspiegel Puppeteers

CEDAR RAPIDS — For 40 years, the Eulenspiegel Puppets have dominated the local market as the only resident puppeteer group in the state.

Justin Cornett-Olsson, a puppeteer with Eulenspiegel, said their style is one-of-a-kind — not just in the type of puppet but in their seemingly indescribable 'folksy look.'

The puppeteers use anything from hand to shadow puppets, traditional marionettes to plush creatures perched on sticks. They're hand made any shape or size, usually with fabric or paper mâché.

Monica Leo, Eulenspiegel's founder, lead puppeteer and primary puppet designer, makes easy operation her top priority.

'Simplicity is a big part of it,' Leo said. 'I try to remove as many controls as possible …

so (the puppet) will almost move itself.'

The name is based on a fictional 'folk hero' who played tricks on the wealthy for the amusement of the poor, Till Eulenspiegel.

Leo's love of puppetry came early in life, stemming from a childhood spent playing with traditional Kasperle puppets from Germany. After fleeing the country during Nazi occupation, her parents ordered the toys for her after the war. She eventually started making puppets of her own and putting on shows with friends.

She was hooked.

'I've always felt really connected with puppets,' Leo said. 'You can create your whole imaginary world … not just write about it or paint it, but actually create it and invite other people into it ...

I can't think of anything I'd rather do.'

Now she and her full-time, professional puppet crew — Cornett-Olsson, Angela Polowy, musician Ron Hillis and an impressive collection of puppets — invite audiences into their imaginary world with shows meant to entertain as well as educate.

'Puppets are an amazing tool for a lot of things,' said Polowy. 'They can tackle any topic …

especially tougher topics.'

Topics such as slavery, for example, which they cover in 'Freedom Star: Gertie's Journey on the Underground Railroad,' the story of Gertie, a young black girl who escapes from a farm in Missouri and makes her way through Iowa on a quest for freedom.

As with 'Freedom Star,' several shows in Eulenspiegel's 15-show repertoire are based on regional history. Most, though, follow traditional folk tales such as Peter and the Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood and the Snow Queen.

Their performances generally are intended for younger audiences, but have enough 'depth and wit' — as Cornett-Olsson put it — to make them exciting for children and adults alike. Of course, they have some 'adult only' shows, too. 'Girls on the Roof' is an illustration of Iowa Poet Laureate Mary Swander's poetry in which two women discover they've had an affair with the same man.

Though Iowa has a smaller community of puppet enthusiasts compared to larger cities such as Minneapolis and Chicago, Leo said the demand still is here.

What has changed, she said, less availability of funding for schools to host their shows — mostly due to changes in administration and cuts in education funding, especially in the arts.

But that doesn't stop the Eulenspiegel Puppets. Leo is persistent and resilient, finding ways back into the school curriculum as well as other venues such as libraries and museums.

'A lot of being able to keep doing this is being flexible, keeping up with the changes and just …

being obsessed with it,' she said.

Want to see a Eulenspiegel show?

• Puppets and Pastries; Dessert Theatre for Adults (register early to reserve tickets); 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Owl Glass Puppetry Center, $15

• Celebrate Eulenspiegel's 40th Birthday with cake, a puppet show and surprises, on the International Day of Puppetry; 2-4 p.m., March 21, Owl Glass Puppetry Center, Free (donations welcome)

• Interactive Puppet Tour through West Liberty's historical district, 2 p.m., April 12, West Liberty Depot. Donation requested

• For more information, call (319) 627-2487 or go to www.puppetspuppets.com.

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