New Bob Baker Marionette Theater show aims to raise money to buy Highland park building
The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is releasing its first new show in four decades as the iconic team works to raise money and purchase its permanent home in Highland Park.
For 63 years now, the theater has pulled the strings on imagination in Los Angeles County.
"I often say to people, 'Do you like joy?'" said Mary Fagot, the co-executive director of the theater. "Obviously, most people do. And I say, 'Well then, you should come to a Bob Baker Marionette show.'"
Stepping into the Highland Park theater is like stepping into another world, where puppets take center stage.
"It's all about imagination, joy, creativity. That was the kind of thing that people craved," Fagot said.
Each of the puppets is a handcrafted, original creation. Some date back decades, drawing the awe of Angelenos since the 1930s.
"I think the puppets kind of do half the job of getting you into that spirit," said one of the puppeteers while speaking with CBS LA.
Despite the longstanding tradition, big changes are underway at the theater, where the "Choo Choo Revue" show becomes the first new production to debut since the 1980s. The show has new characters and a fresh storyline for Los Angeles.
The show comes as they look to their community for help after losing their original building in 2018. They want to establish a permanent place where people can enjoy live theater for years to come by purchasing the York Theatre in Highland Park.
"There have been generations and generations of young people and families who have had their very first experience of live theater here," Fagot said. "LA would lose something of its identity if it lost Bob Baker Marionette Theater. We are just a cornerstone of the culture here, and that is really worth getting behind and saving."
One of those is puppeteer Ginger Duncan, who fell in love when she saw her first show at just 8 years old.
"I watched the show and the earth moved beneath me," Duncan said.
The theater hosts approximately 20,000 students on a yearly basis, most of whom come from Title I school districts, which serve students from low-income families. With funding now threatened, Duncan fears that programs serving underserved schools could be cut, saying that the money is invaluable to Los Angeles.
"We would be able to reach more underserved communities, which is where I was from," she said.
So far, the theater has raised more than $4.5 million and are looking to the community help close the $500,000 funding gap and whatever repairs and restorations costs come after they hopefully purchase the property.
