NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Hey moms and dads. A show for the little ones is serving up a rock n' roll retelling of a familiar story. If you happen to be in the know, there a few pieces of Nashville history up on the stage.
"For me, the puppet is essentially a substitute for the human actor," said Evelyn O'Neal.
"We are playing with dolls," smiled the performer who goes by Library Pete. "We're using our imagination, and we're telling a story."
The two are marionette puppeteers at a new show at the Nashville Public Library. Right outside the library's Childrens Theatre, you see pictures of someone.
"Tom Tichenor!" O'Neal and Library Pete said in unison.
Tichenor's story starts in 1938 while he was a student at Hume Fogg High.
"He would walk from high school and put on puppet shows for free at the library," Library Pete explained.
After serving in World War II, Tichenor returned to the art of puppetry. He was creating productions at the library, he started making TV shows, and he wrote books about his craft. Then in the 1960s, Tichenor worked on the hit Broadway show Carnival! Even with all this success, he kept coming back to Nashville, putting on shows at what was then the Ben West Library.
That's how it went the rest of Tichenor's life. He died in 1992, several years before the current Nashville Public Library main building opened. His influence is still felt there.
Library Pete and O'Neal are now part of the library's puppet troupe tradition started by Tichenor. It's called Wishing Chair Productions.
"He's the first thing you learn if you don't already know about him," O'Neal said about joining the troupe. "You learn about him real quick."
The new show's called Rock A Billy Road. It's the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff set to songs by local musicians, and it's starring three Tom Tichenor original creations. They're the three goats in the production.
"I would assume they were built in the 1960s, that era," Library Pete said.
"Here's Wanda in the show," Library Pete continued, operating a marionette goat with a bow on her head. "This is a Tom Tichenor marionette. I built a new controller for her, and we have new strings. I actually added a string, so I can flip her tail up and down."
There are shows at the Nashville Public Library on Friday and Saturday mornings through May 23. On the way in to the Childrens Theatre, you're greeted by several of Tichenor's other characters. An especially fitting tribute on display is a marionette of Tichenor.
There's something pretty great to Library Pete and O'Neal about looking out and seeing little faces so entertained by the characters they're bringing back to life. Like I said, can't go wrong with a classic.
"I think that's something really special that we get to do here at the library," O'Neal said.
For more on the Rock A Billy Road show, visit here.
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