“Hand, Shadow, Rod: The Story of Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre”
Monica Leo with head puppet Alfred Schulz
Ice Cube Press
ISBN 9781948509466
$21.95
A lot of people dream of making a hobby a profession. Monica Leo, author of “Hand, Shadow, Rod: The Story of the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre,” of West Liberty did just that. The Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Japan.
Leo credits head puppet Alfred Schulz as co-author, a testament to the relationship Leo has had with her lifelike friends over the years. “Alfred” intersperses his own italicized comments on Leo’s narrative, giving a puppet’s-eye view to the story.
Leo’s journey in transitioning from hobby to worldwide-acclaimed puppet theater was not easy.
It all started when she made a papier-mache witch as a young girl. In time, puppet-making became her forte, and it only seemed natural that a puppet theater should follow.
“After that first trip to northern Iowa, the word got out and soon we were doing an average of two five-day residencies a month, sometimes more in all of Iowa’s ninety-nine counties,” says Leo.
Through the years, Leo was assisted in her puppetry endeavors by a dear friend, Teri Jean Breitbach, who tragically passed from cancer as Leo’s enterprise, Owl Glass Puppetry Center, was reaching the height of success.
“Halfway through the week in Tennessee, I got the message: Teri Jean had passed to the other side. Present or not, she will always be part of Eulenspiegel. On our website, in the “About Us” section, she’s listed as our guardian angel. Our artistic visions were so intertwined that I don’t know what mine would have been without her.”
Similar losses of her husband, John, and friend from Mexico, Eli, forced Leo to change course and regroup to keep their mutual vision alive.
“I sometimes imagine John, Teri Jean and Eli hanging out together on the other side. I try to honor Eli’s wishes by remembering all of them with joy. I still feel their presences in the blue building in West Liberty that loomed so large in all of their lives.”
Leo’s book is more than simply a memoir. It’s a chronicle of how hard work, creativity and persistence made Eulenspiegel an international presence. Leo also gives credit to every person involved in her endeavor.
Eulenspiegel continues today. For more information, go to https://owlglass.org.
Michael Tidemann writes from Estherville. His Facebook page is Author Michael Tidemann.