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HARLEQUIN F R O M " A GIFT FOR COLUMBINE" HIS MAJESTY, THE KING F R O M THE H A N S CHRISTIAN A N D E R S E N STORY "THE T I N D E R B O X " Puppets in the Attic theatre | by M a u r e e n Curtis Driving by the small house with its lovely garden in the Pemberton area of North Vancouver, one could not guess that this was the cozy retreat and command-central of a world-renowned puppet theatre company. Here, husband and wife Luman and Arlyn Coad collaborated to create the stones they would later present with puppets designed by Arlyn and brought to life through the skilled handling of Luman. Starting in the 1970s, Coad Canada Puppets entertained hundreds and hundreds of children in schools and theatres throughout BC. They also toured North America and Europe, bringing back numerous awards and citations, some from the Union International de la Marionette. They were known especially for the artistry of their puppets, which Arlyn fashioned out of papier-mache and plastic wood. Arlyn had an eye for combining colour and texture and the ability to create a distinctive silhouette. "She always simplified her designs to present the essence of the character," recalls Luman. Arlyn passed away in 1999. A retrospective on her life and artistic achievement will feature many of the puppets she designed and crafted, along with her miniature wax dolls, theatre masks, and a sampling of paintings and drawings. The A r t o f A r l y n C o a d i n R e t r o s p e c t Arlyn was born in 1927 in London, England, and took an early interest in art. She lost her mother, a fashion designer, when she was only 9, and her father when she was 15. Still, she continued with her art studies in London, Paris, and the Vancouver Art School (now Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design). Arlyn married a Czech artist, George Kuthan, with whom she had three daughters: Sasha, Tanya, and Katya.They settled in Vancouver. After Kuthan died, Aryln married Luman, whom she had met earlier in California, where he was performing as a puppeteer. Arlyn was fascinated by his craft and joined him in forming Canada Coad Puppets. The Coads combined their diverse talents. With her superior artistic abilities, Arlyn took over the design and much of the construction of the puppets. Backstage, she assisted Luman, the principle puppeteer, stage designer, and business operator. They wrote most of the stories because they both had a strong feeling that their approach should be based on action. "A puppet face is kind of like a mask in that the facial expression cannot be changed. To have a puppet stand and talk too much is boring," Luman explains. The Coads were successful, performing with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1967. Noting how few children they were able to reach at a theatre, however, they decided to bring their craft to the children by touring schools. In her latter years, Aryln suffered from bone disease and eventually could not manoeuvre the puppets. She carried on designing and creating puppets until finally succumbing to leukemia, at the age of 72. She and Luman had lived and worked together almost 24 hours a day for 33 years. Luman continues to perform but misses working with the partner who shared his love of puppetry: "I was fortunate. It was a remarkable time." The A r t of Arlyn Coad in R e t r o s p e c t r u n s A p r i l 4 to M a y 6 at the CityScape C o m m u n i t y A r t S p a c e , 335 L o n s d a l e A v e n u e . In c o n j u n c t i o n with the exhibit, Coad Canada Puppets prese n t s Up Please on April 7 a n d Oregon Shadow T h e a t r e p e r f o r m s Thumbelina o n A p r i l 8, b o t h at P r e s e n t a t i o n House. The A r l y n A w a r d , g i v e n for e x c e l l e n c e i n p u p p e t r y d e s i g n , is d u e t o be p r e s e n t e d f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e t h i s s p r i n g . M a r c h | A p r i l