OLGA and BAIRD

When Olga Felgemacher joined the Bil Baird Marionette Theater, it rejuvenated Bil. "Finally" he said. "A female puppeteer who can not only act (she graduated from Northwestern University), manipulate marionettes, design and sew costumes - - but - - she also has the perfect toy voice!" Bil signed her to a long-term contract. He also gave her this amazing picture.

Olga became Leading Lady in the Bil Baird "A" Team: Bil, Frank (Sully) Sullivan (who was Olga's mentor), Byron Whiting, Carl Harms and off course, the legendary Pady Blackwood (more about Pady next post.)

Her first show with Bil was Winnie The Pooh. She played Christopher Robbin, Tigger, and the Coddleston Pie Mouse (Sully was Winnie, Bil was Eeyore.)

Olga also played PETER in Peter and the Wolf. . . . . . DOROTHY in The Wizard of Oz, and NICKIE in DAVY JONES LOCKER.
Baird's was a very exciting place to work. Of course all the puppets and marionettes were the product of the idiocyncratic vision and genius of Bil Baird himself, whom I call THE OLYMPUS OF PUPPETRY. Olga said if you were skilled, though, the puppeteers could also have a hand in the building process (there never really was a "shop foreman.") Sully would one day be making molds while Olga was sewing costumes and Bil was painting faces and Pady was laying celastic (they were very close.)

Then one day Bil told Olga they were going to do a show "just for her." It was PINOCCHIO!

Written by JEROME COOPERSMITH (The Apple Tree); Music by MARY RODGERS (Once Upon A Mattress); lyrics by SHELDON HARNICK (Fiddler on the Roof), Pinocchio, with Olga in the lead, won the New York State Council of the Arts GOLD MEDAL.

By now, several new, world-class puppeteers have joined the company, as Sully retired from the bridge to build puppets and supervise the productions. This is when JONATHAN FREEMAN came upon the scene, forging a life-long connection to Olga (and me!) in the make-believe arts.

BAIRD COMPANY ON TOUR

(from left) Sean O'Malley, Olga, Bill Tost, Jonathan Freeman, Byron Whiting, Peter Baird, and Carl Harms

Pinocchio, being the rousing success it was, prompted Bil to tackle another classic. This time, ALICE IN WONDERLAND (see earlier post.) It opened at the theater to rave reviews, and soon, Olga was on the road again, touring Alice across America. Olga played ALICE (live on stage and as the puppet,) the RED QUEEN, and TIGER LILY. All the marionettes were wonderful to work. Of course - - they were BAIRDS!

OLGA ON THE BRIDGE BETWEEN SHOWS

A child loved the show, saw it several times, and came back once to meet Olga - - dressed as Alice!

Olga wanted Bil to sign her copy of his book, THE ART OF THE PUPPET. He said OK but held onto it for several years. Whenever she'd ask about it, he would shine her on. Then one day in 1975, Bil, smiling impishly, handed her the book. Olga ran and hid, and in the privacy of under the stage, she sloo-o-o-wly opened the book and cried. She could not have been happier with what she discovered!

BIL BAIRD'S "Alice In Wonderland"

I am loooooooong overdue for a posting about the late great puppet master of his domain; the marionette monarch of all he surveys, the one and only BIL BAIRD! I'm going to do a jam-packed post real soon, but right now his production of Alice In Wonderland has been floating around Cyberia, so this here is dedicated to that there.

After his wife CORA passed away, Bil despaired of ever finding a female puppeteer of superior skill to take her place. Then one day, answering an ad in the trades along with 300 other applicants, in walks OLGA FELGEMACHER. Olga is a graduate of Northwestern University, and she cut her puppetry teeth touring the country with the wonderful Nicolo Marionettes. Bil was her childhood idol, and there was no turning back. So, after stealing her courage, she climbed onto that FRICKIN' SCARY RAIL-LESS MARIONETTE BRIDGE and? Nailed it! For the next eight season, Olga became leading lady at the Bil Baird Marionette Theater in New York City and on multiple national tours.

Bil & Olga. Her first roles were Christopher Robin, Tigger and one of the two Cottleston Pie Mice in WINNIE THE POOH. Bil was Eeyore.

Olga went on to play the female lead in every production at the theatre (and most of the boy leads too, including Pinocchio), as well appearing on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and dozens of commercials. ALICE IN WONDERLAND was the last show Bil produced at his theater.

Autographed poster hangs in our living room.

Olga not only played the live-action Alice seen when the show opens . . .

. . . she also puppeteered and voiced both the marionette Alice and the Red Queen. . .

. . . from that FRICKIN' SCAREY RAILESS MARIONETTE BRIDGE. . .

. . . in her Alice costume!!!!

It was great all around that Olga walked in that day and got to work so closely with the genius that was Bil Baird. I'm pretty lucky too. I met Olga right when Bil closed his theatre and she was working for the Muppets on Sesame Street & the first Muppet Movie. We fell in love, started our own Flexitoon company, I married her, we have a son Gabriel, and we're partners in everything this life has to offer.

Olga backstage in Alice costume.

Photos of Olga in her Alice costume by Steven Widerman