Carolyn Turner (born 1941) was a skilled artist, sculptor and puppeteer whose training at Ealing Art School in the 1950s laid the foundation for a diverse creative career. Her early interest in puppetry led to a collaboration with Wolfgang Manthey, born in Danzig in 1937, who had trained under Professor Harro Siegel at the Brunswick School of Art. Manthey toured Europe and the USA with Siegel’s Marionette Theatre and later spent a year at the Stockholm Marionette Theatre before moving to England. A talented wood‑carver, he worked for 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 Manthey sculpting characters and Turner working as a puppeteer. They created 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 wide range of artistic projects, Turner developed a strong interest in shadow puppetry. She became prolific in devising stories and crafting intricate 2D silhouette and transparent gel figures for illuminated screen performances, work that ultimately led her to establish her own company, Calumet Puppets.
