BEHIND THE CURTAINS:
Frequently Asked Questions about the Puppet Opera
What are your puppets made from/how are they made?
Each OPERA IN FOCUS puppet contains an assortment of universal joints, springs, pulleys, hinges, pins, and rings that allow for very sophisticated character movement on stage. The making of a puppet begins with highly detailed clay sculptures of each individual element of the body. These tiny sculptures are then painstakingly molded, and casts are made from these molds.
The puppets are then assembled from these basic components cast out of a polyester resin (an ingredient of fiberglass). The hands and feet are cast in lead to give them greater weight (which helps them move more naturally and assists the puppeteers in their manipulation). The hand/arm “rods” are made from flexible spring steel. There are several feet of 8 lb. test clear nylon fishing line strung through each puppet which grants the puppeteer control over the manipulation of the puppets’ feet, legs, head, back, and shoulders.
Aren’t these puppets marionettes?
No, our puppets are a unique form of rod puppet invented and patented by William B. Fosser in the 1950s. One major distinction between our puppets and marionettes is that rod puppets are operated from BELOW the stage floor (utilizing a centralized rod system) and marionette puppets are operated from ABOVE the puppet (utilizing strings). Although we do not use marionettes at our theatre, the Chicagoland area is home to some of the most brilliant marionette puppeteers alive (like the legendary Dave Herzog’s Marionettes). We encourage you to check out our LINKS section if you’re interested in learning more about some of the many different types of puppetry that you can find both locally and abroad.
Are these the same puppets from the Kungsholm Miniature Grand Opera?
Yes and no, depending on how you wish to view it. To accurately answer this question, we have to examine what exactly constitutes a Kungsholm puppet.
The puppets that eventually made their way to the old Kungsholm in the 1940s were invented by Ernest Wolff in the 1930s (see our HISTORY page for more information about Ernest Wolff). The original Wolff puppets, made from papier-mâché, scraps of old Erector sets, and pieces of whatever “random junk” that Wolff was able to get his hands on, were unusual at the time due to their unique construction and control mechanism. These were the puppets that Bill Fosser, who had already been experimenting with rudimentary rod puppet designs of his own at home, first began performing with as an Apprentice Puppeteer at Kungsholm in 1943.
Over the next several decades, as Kungsholm premiered new productions, new puppets were built using superior construction techniques and materials that improved upon Wolff’s original batches of puppets but still followed the same basic Wolff puppet design. One of the first major improvements/modifications that occurred in the basic design of the Wolff puppet was Bill Fosser’s invention of the walking mechanism which gave the Kungsholm puppeteers the ability to move their puppets’ legs, enabling them to walk, dance, and run (the original Wolff puppets featured unmoveable legs).
When Bill Fosser was asked to return to the Kungsholm Miniature Grand Opera as its Artistic Director in the late ’50s, he had already built the first batch of what would be considered “Opera in Focus” puppets and had presented a handful of invitation-only performances of his new Puppet Opera on the Northwest side of the Chicago. After having worked for over a decade off and on at the old Kungsholm, Bill had developed and patented his own unique puppet design that eliminated many of the Kungsholm puppets’ limitations. When comparing an Ernest Wolff/Kungsholm puppet side-by-side with a Bill Fosser puppet, the differences in their design and construction become immediately apparent. Wolff’s puppets are 12 – 14 inches tall and Bill Fosser puppets are 16 inches tall. Wolff’s puppets have 8 points of articulation and Fosser’s puppets have 18 points of articulation. The sculptural style of the Wolff/Kungsholm puppets was also more stylized, whereas Opera in Focus puppets are sculpted to more closely resemble “real people”.
One of Bill Fosser’s stipulations when he agreed to return to Kungsholm as Artistic Director was that he wanted to build all new productions—puppets, sets, and props—moving forward utilizing his own designs. At that time, after decades of performing at Kungsholm, many of the puppets they were using were “just this side of terrible” as Fosser put it, with deteriorating limbs and faulty control mechanisms plaguing the older figures. Thus, in 1963, the first production at the old Kungsholm that utilized Opera in Focus puppets, “Kismet”, premiered. These Opera in Focus/Kungsholm hybrid puppets (some of which are in the permanent collection of the Swedish American Museum in Andersonville and some of which are part of the Opera in Focus collection) were unique in that they were the first batch of puppets made for Kungsholm that completely departed from Wolff’s original design.
So the short answer to that question—”Are these the same puppets that performed at Kungsholm”—is that Opera in Focus puppets are an evolved/improved form of the original Kungsholm puppet that share some similar design characteristics (rod puppet operated from below the stage with a central rod mechanism) but deviate in ways —both in terms of the mechanics of their design and the material utilized in their contstruction—that make them a completely distinct type of puppet, capable of performing more subtle, lifelike gestures. Since the Fosser/Opera in Focus puppets were used in the Kungsholm production of Kismet, one could say that they are “the same puppets”, however all of the original puppets that performed at Kungsholm from 1941 thru 1971 (including the Fosser Kismet puppets) are retired and are no longer used in performance.
We do currently still use several of the puppets from the original batch of Opera in Focus puppets from the mid-1950s (including puppets from La Boheme and Faust) in our productions.
The puppets that we make and use today are built using the exact same processes and materials that Bill Fosser developed back in the ’50s. We remain the only people in the world who make and use this specific type of puppet.
What happened to all of the original Kungsholm puppets?
Most of the Kungsholm puppets that are known to still exist today are part of the permanent collection of The Swedish American Museum in Andersonville. Their collection (comprising nearly 400 puppets ranging from pre-Kungsholm Wolff puppets from the late ’30s to ’60s era Fosser Kismet puppets) also includes original set pieces, props, and more. The museum’s Kungsholm collection is not permanently on display, however, so be sure to keep an eye on their website for news about upcoming Kungsholm exhibits.
Very few of the original Wolff puppets from the 1930s are known to exist, sadly. Most are in very poor condition—more like the skeletons of puppets, with tiny scraps of tattered fabric clinging to rusted armatures. Opera in Focus has several original Pre-Kungsholm Wolff puppets (gifted by Mr. Wolff to Mr. Fosser) in our collection, including one that performed at the 1938-1939 Worlds Fair, that remain in stellar condition.
Of the roughly 1,700 Kungsholm puppets that Fredrick Chramer estimated to be in existence by the late ’50s, the whereabouts of less than 500 are known today. When the theatre closed in 1971, there was a great deal of animosity between the Kungsholm performers and the Fred Harvey Group. A lot of the puppets, scenery and equipment were stolen from 100 East Ontario Street by disgruntled former staff, which led to them being scattered all around the world in the decades that followed. Kungsholm puppets have popped up on eBay over the years being sold from as far away as Osaka, Japan. If only those puppets could share their stories of how they ended up traveling from Chicago to Japan after the theatre closed, they would certainly have some interesting stories to tell!
Occasionally people reach out to us from other states and parts of the world to inform us that they have somehow managed to find themselves in possession of an old Kungsholm puppet . . . or an entire crate filled with them! A gentleman from Utah sent us a giant crate filled with Kungsholm puppets several year ago. Apparently he’d had a roommate in the ’70s that used to be a Kungsholm puppeteer who left that crate behind when he moved out and never returned to recover it. After carting that crate full of puppets around for over 40 years and not knowing what to do with them, he did some research and was able to track us down to send those puppets back “home”.
If you find yourself in possession of what you believe to be a Kungsholm puppet or an original Ernest Wolff puppet (or even just the skeleton of a Wolff puppet) that you would like to see preserved for posterity, please reach out to Opera in Focus or The Swedish American Museum to ensure that these puppets are properly cared for. They are extremely fragile and can be permanently damaged even with good-intentioned mishandling.
Whatever happened to the old McCormick Mansion at Rush & Ontario where Kungsholm was located?
After Kungsholm closed in 1971, the building became home to Lawry’s Prime Rib restaurant, which became a beloved Chicago institution in its own right, for many decades. We were delighted to take part in many special events at Lawry’s over the years, including a book signing event for the release of Eric Bronsky’s “The Rise of the Magnificent Mile” (which features a chapter about the history of Puppet Opera in Chicago) where we brought a collection of original Kungsholm puppets back to the building—their first time returning to their “old stomping grounds” in 40 years! Unfortunately, Lawry’s closed permanently during the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020. Recently it was announced that a new magic-themed dining and entertainment establishment, The Hand & The Eye, would be opening in the former Kungsholm building.
Do you re-use the same puppets in different roles?
In many cases, yes! Although the older puppets from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s are all “stuck” with the same head/face, they can still play a wide variety of different roles—just like human performers—by changing their costumes and wigs. Of course, the expression of a role/character mostly comes from how the role is performed/interpreted, so even though the same puppet may be redressed to play a different role, it’s up to the puppeteer to change how they manipulate that puppet to suit whatever role they may be portraying. Just as one human actor may play a wide variety of characters, the costumes and wig can only take them so far in terms of bringing each character to life. The rest is up to the performer who is tasked with getting inside of each character psychologically so that the role can be interpreted physcially.
Since the ’90s, some of our newer puppets are sculpted with interchangeable heads. We call these puppets “Changelings”. By swapping out different heads on the same figure body, one puppet can perform an even vaster array of wildly different roles.
Can I purchase one of your puppets or commission you to create an Opera in Focus puppet for me?
While none of our puppets are for sale and we do not make puppets for the purpose of sale, our Head Sculptor, Shayne Snyder, does accept freelance sculptural and paint work commissions whenever his schedule allows it. Reach out to us via our CONTACT page if you would like to be put in touch with him to discuss the particularities of your project/concept.
How do you operate puppets and sing at the same time?
Fortunately for our audiences, we don’t! All of the audio utilized in our performances is pre-recorded (by many of the greatest singers ever to grace the operatic stage). This enables our puppeteers to focus on the manipulation/pantomime aspects. When you aren’t worried about the musicians playing in time or the singers singing in key, you can focus your attention exclusively on the manipulation of your puppet and breathing life into it.
In the shower, we like to sing, but backstage we remain absolutely silent throughout the performance.
Don’t your arms get tired from holding the weight of the puppets up for so long? How can you see what you’re doing from down there? Doesn’t your neck get sore from being stuck in that position?
Fortunately, we don’t have to support the weight of our puppets—the stage floor itself handles that for us. Once the puppets are slotted into the stage, their body weight is entirely supported by the stage floor, allowing the puppeteers to focus on the subtle movements of the figures themselves. The slots in the stage floor allow us to see the puppet we are operating from underneath the stage (we always work facing the puppet we are manipulating).
When new apprentices are first starting out, minor soreness in the arms, shoulders and neck are common, however, with time and practice, the body grows accustomed to the unusual positions/actions being demanded of it and the muscles develop greater strength, flexibility, and dexterity (very much like studying a musical instrument or martial arts: actions that seem challenging/physically difficult at first become simple and effortless over time with practice and training).
We don’t experience any pain in our necks as a result of looking up at the puppets through the track openings in the stage floor. Nor do we experience any back pain sitting on our castered stools. All of our weight is centered on the stool. We use our feet to move around under the stage. And we seldom bump into each other while maneuvering around on our stools, as everything you see on stage is carefully blocked out and choreographed during rigorous rehearsals.
Can I become an Apprentice Puppeteer at the Puppet Opera?
Although our Apprentice Puppeteer positions at the theatre are currently all filled as of the start of our 2026 season, we are always looking to connect with folks who have an interest in/passion for this craft and might wish to study with us. Aside from our regular crew positions, we often require understudy/standby apprentices when supplemental crew is needed. If you are interested in studying the art of Puppet Opera, please reach out to us to set up a meeting.
What does it take to become an Apprentice Puppeteer at Opera in Focus?
A good memory—especially a good “musical memory”—as well as impeccable hand-eye coordination are essential. A familiarity with foreign languages is very helpful, as most of the scenes we perform are in Italian, French, German, Russian, or Spanish and every Opera in Focus puppeteer is required to memorize the libretto for each scene we perform (so that they know precisely what their puppet is saying and doing and how to respond to what other puppets are saying and doing). It takes at least 80-100 hours of dedicated “work” with a puppet to become familiar enough with its control mechanism to concentrate solely on the story and “action”.
In addition to being a puppeteer, every member of the Opera in Focus crew is trained to become a highly skilled backstage technician, well-versed in the proper operation of our sophisticated backstage equipment. Our puppeteers take turns operating the theatre’s 48-dimmer lighting console & sound system, as well as various other special FX components used in our productions (fog machines, follow-spots, rear-screen projected effects, etc.). Absolutely nothing you see at the Puppet Opera is automated. Everything is done manually—LIVE!—by human beings.
Of course, the most important component to becoming a puppeteer is passion! If you feel a deep sense of passion or “a calling” for this craft, it will take you very far.
