Bob Baker’s childhood drawing of Bob’s Petite Theatre (courtesy Bob Baker Marionette Theater)
Since shuttering its longtime Echo Park location last fall, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been nomadic, staging performances at venues around Los Angeles until it found a new home. Earlier this year, the theater announced that it would be settling into a new spot in Highland Park this summer, and on Tuesday, it will begin its last off-site project before the official grand opening.
Bob Baker’s workshop in his backyard (courtesy Bob Baker Marionette Theater)
From May 28 to August 3, Bob Baker will be in residence at Oxy Arts on York, a brand-new community-based arts space established by Occidental College. Titled Bob’s Petite Theatre, the residency will look at the puppet theater’s origins, going back over five decades to Baker’s first theater, which he set up in his backyard workshop on New Hampshire Avenue. In the wide-eyed spirit of Baker’s experiments with performance and fabrication, there will be free puppet shows and workshops every Tuesday during the residency, as well as special events focusing on 2D shadow puppets (on June 20), foley sound effects (on July 18), lullabies (on July 25), a collaboration with dublab, and more. The fun begins on Tuesday, May 28 with a free show at 10am, workshop for five- to 10-year-old kids at 11am (registration required), and an opening reception from 5 to 7pm.
When: Opens Tuesday, May 28
Where: Oxy Arts on York (4757 York Blvd., Highland Park, Los Angeles)
More info at Bob Baker Marionette Theater.
