The Library's Marionette Tradition

Children in Nashville have been enchanted by the marionettes featured in weekly shows at the Nashville Public Library's Main Library for more than 60 years.

The library's marionette tradition began in 1938 when an enthusiastic and talented 15-year-old boy named Tom Tichenor staged an original marionette version of the classic Puss in Boots for children at the library. Countless shows have been staged at the library through the years, including those by Tichenor and the library's current staff of three full-time performers, known collectively as Wishing Chair Productions. Wishing Chair Productions generally stages four or five different shows each year that run for about two to three months each.

Tom Tichenor & the Tichenor marionettes

Tichenor's association with the library, both as volunteer and staff member, spanned 50 years, including a period in the 1940s and 50s when he worked for commercial radio stations WSM and WSIX.

From his nationally televised Poindexter series to his outstanding work with the Circle Players and the Nashville Children's Theater, and his stunning contribution of puppetry in the Broadway musical Carnival!, Tichenor's professional career was exciting and varied.

In 1967, after the completion of his daily children's program Birthday House, broadcast on WNBC-TV in New York, Tichenor returned home to the Nashville Public Library. By the time of his retirement in 1988, he had marked "fifty years of enchantment" and was a much-loved figure to generations of audiences who treasured his marionette shows.

Nashville suffered a great loss upon Tichenor's death in 1992, but his work lives on today. Wishing Chair Productions is proud to preserve Tichenor's memory through the continued use of his beloved marionettes and puppets. The Nashville Public Library honors and embraces the legacy of the unique craftsman, artist and storyteller that was Tom Tichenor.

The Peeko Puppets

In 1950s Wisconsin, Miss Billie Logan of Milwaukee and Miss Elly Reed of Delavan were two creative and industrious young women with a simple question: could their talents in the areas of education, theatrical arts and music be combined into a rewarding career of educating and entertaining children? The answer was "yes!" and resulted in the wonderful Peeko puppets.

Based in the Chicago area for more than 40 years, Logan and Reed performed countless marionette plays and puppet shows for schools, libraries, women's clubs and businesses, including regular shows at Marshall Field and Company, before donating their entire inventory to the Nashville Public Library.

Their complete commitment to quality programming was highly praised and valued by audiences and friends during that wonderfully prolific time. That they cared deeply about which stories they chose to tell and how well their puppets were designed, used, and maintained is ample evidence of their professionalism and excellence.

With one look at any of their puppets, all of which were hand-crafted by Logan and Reed in a process that took about 150 hours to create just one marionette, children and adults alike can see the care and attention given to even the tiniest of details.

Through the admirable work of the Kohler Foundation, based in Wisconsin, the Peeko puppets found a permanent home at the Nashville Public Library in late 2003. This amazing collection of more than 70 marionettes and hand puppets, sets, props, stages and vintage sound equipment is now securely stored in Nashville's downtown Main Library.

But far from being mere objects to be admired, the Peeko puppets made their library debut in March 2004 with a revival of Logan and Reed's delightful production of "Many Moons," based on the Caldecott Award winning book by James Thurber and Louis Slobodkin.

With the gift of the Peeko puppets, (which delighted audiences at schools, libraries, women's club events and businesses in the Chicago area for more than 40 years), the library now owns nearly 350 marionettes, including close to 250 marionettes created by Tichenor.

Wood and Strings Puppets

Clarissa Lega and Leon Fuller are puppet artists at Wood and Strings, located in Centerville, Tenn. They are the talented artists responsible for many of Wishing Chair Productions' most beautiful and culturally diverse puppets. From the colorful and whimsical marionettes used for Anansi the Spider to the mysterious and lovely Stonecutter puppets, Wood and Strings has become an invaluable partner in the tradition started so long ago by Tom Tichenor.

Puppets created by Wood and Strings are featured in the classic folktale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, as well as Sky Bear and Tomas and the Library Lady.