Theater of the Palms: The World of Puppet Master Lee Tien-lu (1990)
Margaret and Madeleine studied with the late master puppeteer Lee Tien-lu, who was named a “national living treasure” in Taiwan. Master Lee taught Margaret and Madeleine the basic movements of the Chang Chung Hsi style, which is also known as the “theater of the palm of the hand.” Galapagos now performs three episodes of the Journey to the West, a classic Chinese folktale. Taiwan’s I Wan Jan Troupe made the puppets that Galapagos uses in Chinese folktales.
While in Taiwan, Madeleine and Margaret teamed with filmmakers Oren Rudavsky and Peter Hutcheson to produce the documentary Theater of the Palms: The World of Puppet Master Lee. The film was shown at the Margaret Mead and Bombay film festivals and aired on PBS stations around the country in 1991. Theater of the Palms is available as part of school residencies by Galapagos.
Galapagos Puppet Theater 