I first saw the Von Orthal Puppets at the wedding of my good friends Preston and Emily Klik, who among many other things, put on the monthly 8:18 event at the Unity in
Chicago
church. I was very impressed and have intended to feature them in The Monthly Aspectarian ever since. Recently at a really great party I was once again treated to a performance and had an opportunity to speak with Cynthia Von Orthal the creator and artistic director. Her puppets are amazing, the stories are inspirational and the Von Orthal Puppets are one of the coolest things going on in the
Chicago
region. Here are pictures of just some of the puppets. We hope you enjoy seeing them and encourage you to see a performance as soon as you can. Guy Spiro
Spirits of the Earth is an organization that takes groups to
Peru
on spiritual journeys. Along with visiting the various cities and temples in the
Sacred
Valley
, Spirits of the Earth also collects clothes, food, and money for the people of
Peru
. Vera Lopez is the founder of Spirits of the Earth.
On one of Ms. Lopez’s trips, she met a young boy named
Washington
who would work his way into her groups, offering to show them the city sights, temples, and to sing songs for any handout he could get. Vera learned that this boy was gathering whatever money he could to help feed his family: his mother, father and three smaller brothers.
Washington
was six years old.
Every year,
Washington
would find “Ms. Vera” as he called her, and charm his way once more into her group. When
Washington
was in his early teens, one of Vera’s groups decided to sponsor this boy and send him to a Peruvian Tour Guide school, so he could actually learn the truth about the places he was showing people.
Washington
excelled at this school and became one of the youngest “official” tour guides in the
Sacred
Valley
.
As
Washington
grew, it became clear that this was a young man with vision. At eighteen, he was asked to speak at a millionaires convention in
Los Angeles
. Barely speaking English, he spoke in front of hundreds of people about the importance of helping people empower themselves. He had many ideas about how to accomplish this. He was then schooled in the
United States
and offered many jobs. He chose to go back to his hometown of
Urubamba
,
Peru
, and continue his work with his people.
Washington
then opened The Foundation of the Universal Heart. The Foundation is a “restaurant” that feeds the children of the mountains on their way to and from school.
Many of these children have to walk two hours to and from school with no food. The children often did not want to go to school because they were too hungry. Keeping with
Washington
’s idea of empowerment, this was not a “handout” for the poor. The mothers in the community were enlisted to come and cook for the children, and the children were expected to help out with cleaning. In this way, they are all helping themselves.
Vera’s group then began taking up collections for
Washington
’s Foundation. Each year Vera would collect money, and upon arrival in
Peru
,
Washington
would meet her at the local market where they would purchase a six month supply of food for the Foundation.
In 2004, Von Orthal Puppets performed their original all puppet musical, “Tara’s Story: The Birth of the Universe,” for Unity in
Chicago
. Following the show, Vera Lopez approached Cynthia Von Orthal, Artistic Director of Von Orthal Puppets, and asked if she would be willing to create something for the childen at Foundation of the Universal Heart in
Urubamba
,
Peru
.
In the summer of 2005, Cynthia Von Orthal, accompanied Vera to
Peru
. She created a 2 day workshop with the children from the Foundation. The workshop focused on storytelling and puppet building based on myths of the area and each child built a simple rod puppet of himself or herself wearing their local dress. The workshop was a great success, with over sixty children creating and playing. Washington and Cynthia began to brainstorm about the possibility of creating an arts program for the children. The following summer, 2006, Cynthia returned to
Peru
with Vera and Spirits of the Earth to continue to build upon the success of the previous year. Over one hundred children were in attendance on the day of the workshop.
Today Cynthia, Vera, and Washington continue to talk about creating an artistic program with the children of The Foundation of the Heart in
Urubamba
,
Peru
. The program would use the language of the people, their myths, stories and legends to create street theater using puppets, mask, dance, song and story. These performances would be taken to the temples, town centers, and hotels where tourists to the area gather. The goal of the program would be to empower the children by telling their stories, teach the public about the Peruvian culture, and create income for the children’s families and The Foundation. Organizing an arts program which empowers the community to tell their stories using the creative skills already ingrained in the culture would be a wonderfully fruitful way to generate income for the people. It is their hope that with grants and other public and private funds, this program will be a sustainable and successful community enriching opportunity.
Here in
Chicago
during the month of February, people can learn more about Cynthia’s expressive programs and work by attending Peaches & Popcorn: The Valentine Show, a production of Von Orthal Puppets. The company has been captivating audiences for over a decade with productions including the critically acclaimed puppet musicals Akuba’s Dream and Tara’s Story. Performances combine traditional European, Japanese and American puppetry techniques; their unique style blends imagination, music, story and expressively alive characters known for high artistic quality. From the moment a Von Orthal show begins, your imagination takes over. Whether it’s the wisdom of Akuba, a thousand-year old woman who awakens three young friends to the music that lives within them, the mysterious knowing of Tara who dreams life out of the darkness, or the ancient wisdom of Mother Earth, the spirit of discovery is palpable.
Before committing herself full-time to the art of puppetry, Cynthia spent time in
Hollywood
where she appeared on Rosanne, Seinfeld, and in the film A League of Their Own. Today Cynthia designs puppets for her own shows as well as other theaters around the country. When she’s not breathing life into characters for the stage, she is teaching others how to create their own spirit-filled puppets. Cynthia Von Orthal is a graduate of the Goodman School of Drama, and has studied at the Trejnar Studios in
Prague
. Paul Mertens is the musical director of Von Orthal Puppets. A member of Brian Wilson’s recording and touring band and
Chicago
’s own Poi Dog Pondering, Merten’s compositions add dimension and energy to Von Orthal’s productions. In addition to composing music for the
Peabody
award-winning documentary, “The Lost Children of Rockdale County,” Paul was invited to play for Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubiliee.
For their show, Peaches & Popcorn have lined up a number of very special guest stars to perform with them in a one-of-a-kind cabaret rock-and-roll puppet show to end all rock-and-roll puppet shows. Peaches & Popcorn: The Valentine Show runs every Saturday night in February at 11pm, and a very special Valentine’s Day performance on Wednesday, February 14th at 8pm, at the world-famous PROP THTR, 3502
N. Elston
, Chicago, 773-539-7838, www.propthtr.org. For information or reservations, contact Cynthia Von Orthal directly at 773-814-8181 or email vonorthalpuppets@earthlink.net, and please visit www.vonorthalpuppets.com. (For members of the press, a special opening is scheduled for Saturday, February 3. Press members can call or email Cynthia to reserve a seat now.)
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