It was an ordinary day. Just finished watching filmmaker Alexander Monelli's very interesting one and a half hour long documentary of Rob Broucht and his now closed Lancaster Marionette Theatre on WITF-TV. The film won the best documentary award at the Northeast Pennsylvania Film Festival this past April. The film documented Rob's journey through life as a fantastic artist, performer and gay man. My wife Carol and I have known Rob for many years. His mother, Mary Lou, was the assistant minister at St. James Episcopal Church in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania for many years. My family got to know her family, since she and her husband Bob were very close in age to my family. Her husband Bob seemed to be a fixture around the church who helped with all the meals served at the church as well as being a good friend to all the young adults of the parish, my family included. In 1999, Mary Lou and her son Rob took a trip to Italy with my wife Carol and I and a busload of our friends. The trip was sponsored by our church, St. James Episcopal in downtown Lancaster, PA. and Mary Lou was the leader of the group of about 30 people. I have written about the trip a few times in the past and Rob has been part of the stories on a few occasions. Rob has spent his life as an artist who specialized in film making as well as performing. He began the "Hole-In-The-Wall Puppett Theartre, now known as the Lancaster Marionette Theatre, in downtown Lancaster over 25 years ago.
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| Photo of Rob and his mother Mary Lou at the puppet theatre. |
Bob, Mary Lou's husband and Rob's father died in 2004. At first, most of the shows at the theatre were performed with puppets, but now the performances are done using marionettes. Quite a few times I would stop at the theatre for a visit and to see how Rob made his puppets and built his sets and scenery. I even did one of my hand-altered Polaroid prints of the front of the theatre which sits along North Water Street in downtown Lancaster.  |
| Rob working at his theatre on North Water Street. |
Well, today when Carol and myself watched the documentary on WITF-TV, we were amazed to learn so much more about Rob, his mother and Rob's business with the Marionette Theatre. Rob's story was traced back to the time when he and his mother first bought the property on N. Water Street in downtown Lancaster.  |
| Photo of the exterior of the theatre from this past winter. |
His story also tells of his coming out as a gay man and his success with the puppet theatre. I sat in front of my TV, glued to the screen, as I learned so much more about Rob and his profession as an entertainer and puppeteer. An hour-and-a-half later the show ended. I wanted to learn more about Rob and his puppets, but there was no more. Luckily my wife had recorded the show so that we could watch another time or two when we were ready. Filmmaker Alexander Moneli's moving portraiture of Rob was amazing. I could see how he won the award for best documentary with his portraiture of Rob. The story told by Alexander did tell that Rob has closed the theatre. I must stop soon to see how he and his mother are doing. Evidently both Rob and Mary Lou have decided to retire. I'd love to hear how they are doing and what is in store for them next. Perhaps another trip to somewhere exciting! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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Photo of me standing in his workshop at the puppet theatre.
Notice the red-rimmed glasses that I am wearing. They are
a pair that Rob wears from time to time. |
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