Richard L. Robbins of Richmond is one of those directors who can put together a production on a shoestring. Or more correctly, a puppet string. Over the last six months, with no other experience in the art than his 25 years in theatre, he has created a stock company of 10 puppets. This summer, a small group of young people, including guitarist David Grover, became intrigued enough to volunteer their services, and the happy troupe has been traveling all over Berkshire County, delighting church supper-goers and passing audiences with their repertoire of fairy tales and Thurber fables.

"People enjoy the puppets," pointed out Robbins, "because there are no personalities involved. The marionette is the thing rather than an actor pretending he is the thing."

It all started last year when Robbins was teaching drama at the Berkshire Farm for Boys in Canaan, N.Y.  "My boys were at the awkward age when they felt embarrassed acting in front of each other. To help them overcome their inhibitions, I went to the library, came upon the idea of marionettes and shortly had so many boys that it was necessary to divide them into two classes.

When Robbins' teaching vocation ended, he found himself submerged beyond the level of rescue in his avocation. He constructed a wooden stage whose dimensions, 10 by 7 by 6 feet in depth, can easily be assembled in a living room, and began to haunt the attic and store sales for usable pieces of material. In his search, he found four willing helpers. Wife, Genie Zust, and children Mala, Thea and Dion.

Genie, who teaches at Berkshire Community College and holds a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama, has a special interest in Greek theatre, evidenced by the children's names. Dion is named after Dionysus, the god of drama in classical mythology. Of his 7-year-old, Robbins laughed, "He will probably live up to his name."

The puppets are made of wood and papier-maché. Robbins draws on magazines and art books for his inspiration, and even designs the costumes for his marionettes. He fashioned the pants for the Woodcutter from the sleeve of an old T-shirt, and from scraps of purple cloth and nylon rope modeled his woman after Genie in tribute for her scripts of "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Three Little Pigs."

This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle.

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.

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