"Fantasy Puppet Theater"

    In 1956, at the age of eight, Marshall Katzman and his puppets first appeared in Zurich, Switzerland with a backyard performance of "Sleeping Beauty". When the scenery fell down his audience demanded a refund! During the New York World's Fair of 1965, Katzman performed a puppet production written by the world renown Sergei Obratsov. In the summer of 1973 Katzman's "Fantasy Puppet Theater" made its debut with Rock-A-Day Johnny , a Rock and Roll puppet, at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


        The one man troupe then began a tour of the United States, which included performances for museums, nightclubs, libraries, camps, major armed forces installations like Fort Knox as well as recreation departments in Charleston, Columbus, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco. In 1986 Marshall Katzman produced a television documentary, "Stars on Strings": a tribute to Frank Paris the creator of the first Howdy Doody. "Stars on Strings", "Not Just Puppets" and "An Evening of Puppetry" have all been included in the Theater on Film and Tape Archives of the Billy Rose Theater Collection, Lincoln Center. The American Film Institute awarded his production of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" finalist for fiction in their 1990 Visions of U.S. video competition. On October 6th, 1990 Katzman performed Sergei Obratsov's short puppet play entitled, "Mortal Danger" at the Bruno Walter Theater, Lincoln Center. "Fantasy Puppet Theater" has received funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and Con Edison. The one man show has also made regular appearances at the nationally acclaimed Puppet Playhouse in New York City. Katzman's past puppet productions have included: "Around the World in 8O Days", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Rip Van Winkle", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", "The King's Stilts", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Aladdin's Lamp", "Hansel and Gretel", "The Frog Prince", "Rumpelstiltskin" and the "Shoemaker and the Elves". Fantasy Puppet Theater recently performed "Mortal Danger" as part of the "Rituals" production at the Laboratory Theater in Paramus, New Jersey.

        Marshall Katzman received his M.A. in Television and Radio production from the University of Michigan and was a Fellow at Princeton University. He is a member of Union Internationale De La Marionette, Puppeteers of America and the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York. Katzman is listed in the 2nd edition of Who's Who in Entertainment. When not Puppeteering Katzman teaches full time at Bergen Community College, in Paramus, New Jersey.
 

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Rock A Day Johnny

Rock A Day Johnny

National Day of Puppetry
Saturday, April 25, 2009
At the 5th Avenue & 42nd St. Library’s
South Court Auditorium 3-5 PM

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Rock A Day Johnny


Sometime Between June 27th-29th 2008
Exact Date And Time T.B.A.
The "Hello, It's Me Agin!" Tour!
Rock A Day Johnny
With The Original Band
&
Friends

Somewhere "Beyond the Fringe"
at the 28th annual Old Songs Festival
June 27, 28 & 29, 2008
Altamont Fairgrounds, Altamont, NY

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June 7th 2008
The "Hello, It's Me Agin!" Tour!
Rock A Day Johnny
&
Friends
On The Green At New York City's
Central Park

Diana Ross Playground
Noon to 4 p.m.

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For a current repertoire and further performance information contact: fantasypuppettheater@yahoo.com
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