Carolyn Turner (born 1941) was a gifted artist, sculptor and puppeteer whose training at Ealing Art School in the 1950s laid the foundation for a wide-ranging creative career. Her early interest in puppetry led to a collaboration with Wolfgang Manthey, who had trained under Professor Harro Siegel at the Brunswick School of Art and toured internationally with Siegel’s Marionette Theatre before working at the Stockholm Marionette Theatre. After moving to England, Manthey spent two years at the Little Angel Theatre, where he met Carolyn and began developing joint marionette productions with her.
In the early 1960s both artists contributed to Gerry Anderson’s Stingray, with Wolfgang sculpting characters and Carolyn working as a puppeteer. They went on to create an adaptation of The Countess Cathleen and enjoyed two successful seasons at the Little Angel Theatre as “The Manthey Marionettes.” During the 1970s, while raising her family and pursuing a range of artistic projects, Carolyn developed a strong interest in shadow puppetry, devising stories and crafting intricate silhouette and transparent gel figures for illuminated screen performances. This work ultimately led her to establish her own company, Calumet Puppets.
