Only because I don't feel like writing anything else tonight

At the front of the room, Lynne Jennings towers over a small, stooped, elderly lady named Rue. The tiny ancient takes no notice of Jennings, nor does she seem aware that she holds the attention of an entire classroom. Under Jennings’s watchful gaze, she takes a few faltering steps, hesitates, and begins nervously fiddling with her hair - she is absorbed with private thoughts and is oblivious to all else. Suddenly, Jennings lifts Rue up, and, immediately, all the life drains from her. She lays limp and quiet as she passes from student to student, some of whom pinch her limbs and prod her face in an attempt to draw out some of the animation that was there moments ago. She withstands these indignities, because, more often than not, those hands will help her express to emotion and character that would otherwise stay locked away inside her. She endures them, because she is a puppet - made from cloth and foam by Jennings, a professional puppeteer, for one of her upcoming productions.

Quite the opposite of Rue, Jennings is brimming with vitality at all times. She is the board president of the San Diego Guild of Puppetry as well as a past member of numerous other boards across the country. In addition to that, she writes and directs performances, creates puppets, teaches, and consults for other puppetry centers. However, her love for her work is most visible when she talks about working with the puppets. For her, puppetry is much more than her hobby or profession – it’s her passion. She is so involved with her art that it has taken over her life. She jokes, “I live with razorblades and curved scissors in my pockets.”

Puppetry in America needs advocates as passionate as Jennings. Interest in the art is rather low – many feel that puppetry is entertainment solely for children. In this country, there are only around thirty puppetry centers where one can go to receive training. Those that do pursue puppetry as a life’s work often have to supplement their incomes with second jobs. There are those that become quite successful in the industry, but they are somewhat rare. Jennings says, “Most artists are not equally talented as business people and have a hard time marketing themselves effectively. Those that succeed may not, sadly, be the best puppeteers, but they are the best at marketing.”

However, Jennings is working to make puppetry more accessible to everyone. As president of the San Diego Guild of Puppetry, she hopes to make her organization grow to the point that it rivals The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, the largest center of its kind in the US. Jennings says, “Of course, they have been at it a lot longer than we have, but they did start just as small as we did, so it is a ‘possible dream’....even as tiny as we are currently.”

Jennings has reason to be optimistic. For the first time, her troupe has received a seed grant from the Jim Henson Foundation to produce an upcoming show. “Goldilocks: The Nursing Home Version” is a brainchild of Jennings that she based on experiences she saw her mother undergo at an eldercare facility - it is also the reason Rue was created. Although the grant is a great honor and will help defray production costs, it is adding a bit of stress to the troupe. Jennings says, “It’s both the most exciting and the most terrifying thing we’ve ever done…it has to be good.”