Should You See Puppets at the Mall? Of course!

North Carolina’s loss is Tucson’s gain. At least in the world of puppetry.

Two and a half years ago award-winning puppeteer Lisa Sturz packed up the thousands of puppets she owns — almost all made by her own hands–and moved from Ashville to Tucson to be closer to family. With mall-stores closing left and right, accelerated by COVID shutdowns, Sturz managed to find a space that could double both as a puppet-making studio and classroom as well as a puppet theater in the Tucson Mall.

Today, the sign over the door reads: Red Herring Puppets. Because it is in a Mall there are, of course, many types of puppets for sale. Inside is also a small theater with table top puppets, as seen in the featured photo at the top, where performances are offered every weekend. (The woman pictured is Sturz’s assistant, Katie Popiel. The puppets are familiar characters from Aesop’s Fables.)

In the Mall window are some examples of her puppets. Hanging on the walls inside are others–some obviously for children; some for adult performances.

Puppets for adult theater and opera

More than just kiddie stuff, Sturz’s puppets are serious art works which her credentials prove. Since earning her MFA at UCLA she has worked with Walt Disney Imagineering, Jim Henson Productions, Lucas Films, Nickelodeon and the National Geographic among others. And the posters on the wall show her work for the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s performances of Wagner’s Ring Cycle and The Magic Flute by the Atlanta Opera.

On the left, above, performers rehearsing for The Magic Flute in Atlanta with Sturz-created puppets. On the right, the Giant, in Wagner’s Ring Cycle performed in Chicago. (Both photos above and the one below copyright by Red Herring Puppets and Lisa Sturz.)

Closer to home is this La Catrina, Lady of the Dead giant puppet used in a production at the Invisible Theater here in Tucson. Lisa Sturz on the left, Katie Popiel, right. (This figure would fit in to the All Soul’s Parade in Fall.)

On Sunday was the final performance of Aesop’s Fables. Next up: Hansel and Gretel for the month of June. And later this month Puppet Camp begins for children and adults.

During a week when there was the horror of death seemingly everywhere in the news, escaping for a while to the world inhabited by Red Herring puppets was wonderful.