Cynthia Von Orthal (Visiting Artist, Puppetry Workshop)

Cynthia is an actress, writer, director and puppet designer. She has performed at many theaters across the country and in Europe, including Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Blue Rider (Chicago), The Actor's Gang (Los Angeles) and Trejnar Studios (Prague). While at Hystopolis Puppet Theatre, Ms. Von Orthal co-created an all puppet version of The Adding Machine, which won an International UNIMA Award for Excellence in Puppetry. Her own company, Von Orthal Puppets, has designed puppets and masks for several productions, including Breathing Under Water with Running With Scissors; The Two Towers and Return of the King at Lifeline Theatre; The Passion of Lucy with Wildlife Theatre; Freud, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland at City Lit. Ms. Von Orthal has produced an origi­nal all puppet musical, Akuba's Dream, which she wrote with her husband, composer Paul Mertens of Poi Dog Pondering. She appeared on Roseanne and in the film A League of Their Own, and is a gradu­ate of the Goodman School of Drama.