History of Puppetry
in Canada

Nancy A. Cole

Nancy A. Cole worked as a puppeteer for over 30 years. She trained with
George and Elizabeth Merten in the late 1950s and became involved with the Toronto Guild of Puppetry. Working with Lori Bucan, and later with Christiane Mioglio-Barker, Cole's company, The Friendly Puppet People, performed extensively throughout Ontario. Since then, her one-person shows have been widely imitated in both Canada and the United States. With Ken McKay, Cole developed a company called O.O. Sa. Can. U.C. Puppeteers, which produced shows for an adult audience. She also worked on CBC Television's Mr. Dressup. Cole was active in the Puppeteers of America, and was instrumental in creating a Canadian branch of UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette). She also served as president of the Ontario Puppetry Association in 1979.

Adapted from Figuratively Speaking: Puppetry in Ontario by Ken McKay, copyright 1990. Courtesy of the Ontario Puppetry Association and Ken McKay.