Title: Patricia Minnaugh Puppet Collection
Dates: 1978-1991
Creator: Patricia Minnaugh
Location: University Archives & Special Collections - Lehman 201
Extent: 5 boxes (2.5 linear ft.) (147 items?)
Language: English with some articles in Spanish
II. Biographical note
Nationally acclaimed puppeteer and director of the Theatre department at Barry University, Patricia Minnaugh was born in Erie, PA, in 1936. She earned her BA in drama from Barry in 1958, and an MFA from Catholic University. She began teaching at Barry in 1966 where she stayed for more than 24 years.
Although always interested in theatre, Minnaugh’s passion was puppetry. She was an accomplished playwright. Between 1983 and 1991, she wrote, directed and designed all puppets for six-full length plays, including “The Wanderings of Odysseus,” which played to full audiences in May. In 1988 she put together a month-long exhibition of 150 puppets entitled “Cultural Phenomena: The art of puppetry.” The exhibit, viewed by more than 3,000, included original creations by Walt Disney and Jim Henson.
In 1990, Puppeteers of America elected her to its national board of directors.
Pat Minnaugh passed away on June 18, 1991, in an auto accident outside London. She was visiting England for six weeks, taking courses at Manchester College and researching a book on English puppeteer Walter Wilkinson.
III. The Collection
Scope and content note: The collection documents Barry faculty Patricia Minnaugh’s professional work in puppetry from 1979 to 1991. The bulk of the collection consists of scripts, research material, collectibles, personal files and photographs. The collection also includes over a hundred of puppets collected by Mrs. Minnaugh. Puppets are still in process, these are not available for research or view yet.
IV. Container list:
Box Title
Series I: Personal Files
19a Biographical Information
Correspondence, 1978-1991
Diary [Manchester College], 1990
Miscellaneous
Outstanding Alumni Award
Poems by PM
Series II: Work in Puppetry
19b Puppetry at Barry
Cards & Postcards
Cards, Chinese masks
Puppet shows
Puppet shows: Cultural Phenomena: the art of puppetry, 1987-88
Research: manuscripts & notes
Research: clippings and pamphlets
Scrapbook
Sub-Series A: Scripts by P.M.
19c Aladdin and the wonderful lamp, 1979
Arts
A bear’s Christmas [from a story by Ray St. Clair], 1987
Brer Rabbit and the Tar-Baby
Christmas puppet show
El Cura y el criado
Detective Ener Genie in … The Watt Wasters Caper, 1980
Elves and the shoemaker, 1979
Everyman, 1987
Fiesta de Cucas (The roaches party)
Forgetful wise man
Gift of Magi
Great cross country race; or, The hare and the tortoise
Half chick (English)
Half chick (Spanish)
History of Barry College puppet show
History of Florida
Impromptu
Indian story
Lo que pasa cuando nos juntamos
Medical spoof puppet show, 1979
Ming Lee and the magic tree
Monkey King [based on Monkey by Wu Ch’Eng-en], 1982
Monkey King: Program, 1984
Monkey meets the white-bored Demon [based on Journey to the West by Wu Ch’Eng-en]
19d The Odyssey: Teacher’s study guide, 1990
Second Shephards play, 1988
The Shadow knows
St. George and the Dragon, 1980
UTO [based on UTO by Zeami Motokiyo], 1987
UTO: Teacher’s study guide, 1987
Wanderings of Odysseus [based on The Odyssey by Homer], 1991
Wanderings of Odysseus: Designs, 1991
Wanderings of Odysseus: Program
Zorro [Spanish]
Sub-Series B: Scripts by others
Bird of sorrow, 1987
First rainbow (by Estelle Smith)
Gondoliers (W.S. Gilbert and A. Sullivan)
Karagiosis and the Dragon
Series III: Photographs
19e General
Wilkinson, Walter
Slides
Series IV: Puppets
V. Administrative Information
Acquisition Information: Gift, May 2015
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Puppets are in process, so they are not available for research or view yet
Processed by: Ximena Valdivia, 2015
Preferred Citation: Patricia Minnaugh Puppet Collection, Barry University Archives and Special Collections, Miami Shores, Florida.
