BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

When Jim Morrow left Newfoundland 30 years ago to attend Acadia University, little did he know the dramatic direction his life would take or that he would become renowned internationally for bringing books to life for thousands of children.

The master puppeteer was honoured recently when he was awarded a Doctorate in Humanities from Acadia for his achievements with Mermaid Theatre.

Morrow, who has been with Mermaid for the past 25 years, has helped to adapt such classics as “Puss in Boots” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” through stage narration and picture book puppets. The children's stories have been translated and performed by Mermaid, based on Gerrish Street in Windsor, in countries all over the world and it’s an ambition Morrow takes very seriously.

“I work in the world of animation by constructing the characters children already know and love,” he says. “For a child, there has to be instant recognition. They’ve read the books hundreds of times and my job is to re-create the story true to the pages, but with animation and movement. That’s where the book ends and the play begins.”

Morrow said the productions are often the first theatre experience for children and leave a lasting impression on young minds. “The great thing is what it does for the whole family,” he said. “The hour a child is sitting in the theatre is only one part of the experience. It’s about more than the play; it acts as a catalyst for bonding between parent and child. Everyone feels good about it.”



Started out studying Phys. Ed.

Morrow didn’t start out with dreams of puppetry. He attended Acadia initially to study Physical Education.

But when friends coaxed him into being a cast member for a local play, his talent was unleashed. Morrow turned his attention to drama and says he was privileged to be one of two Canadians chosen to study puppetry with Muppet creator the late Jim Henson at the Institute International de la Marionnette in Charleville-Méziere in France.

“I never dreamed I'd become a puppeteer,” Morrow said. “I’ve met people who have known from a young age that’s what they wanted, but not me.”

The experience in France inspired the actor, who returned to Nova Scotia to join a fledgling theatre company called Mermaid. Since then, Morrow has continued to set the scene by constructing and directing puppet performances with the help of talented Mermaid cast and creative staff.

He also turns his hand to teaching puppetry throughout Canada and his work with Mermaid has taken him to many countries. Morrow has teamed up with actors such as Beau Bridges, who recorded the narration for Guess How Much I Love You.

Currently, he’s working to adapt Good Night Moon, and Runaway Bunny. “A year from now these books will spring to life,” Morrow said proudly. “This is the only place in the world where that happens.”



Belongs to the community

Although pleased by the recognition from his alma mater, Morrow says the honour belongs as much to the theatre and the community that has housed them for a quarter-century.

“It’s an honour for the individual, certainly,” Morrow said, “but also for Mermaid that an academic institute recognizes the work we do as important. It belongs to the whole community; I just happen to be the front person in all the activity.”

Morrow has experienced many twists of fate, but says he has learned to go with the flow and let life direct and surprise him.

“It was one of those things that happen you just don’t expect,” he said of the doctorate. “You don’t go about your work everyday thinking about awards; you just do the best work you can. My life has been a series of pages turning and doors opening. I simply go forward without much real design.”

Words to live by from a man who listens to and acknowledges the value of a creative and collaborative muse.