Ronnie Burkett

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Ronnie Burkett (born June 10, 1957 in Lethbridge, Alberta) is a Canadian puppeteer, best known for his original theatrical plays for adults, performed with marionettes. He was the puppeteer for Ralph on the TV Ontario series Harriet's Magic Hats during seasons 3 & 4.

After winning a regional Emmy Award in 1979 for the puppets in "Cinderrabbit" on PBS in the US, Burkett formed his own theatre company in Alberta in 1986. His early works included Fool's Edge, Virtue Falls, The Punch Club and Awful Manors. In 1994, his work Tinka's New Dress was his international breakthrough, winning two Dora Awards, four Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards and a special citation from the Obie Awards. Performed internationally, Tinka's New Dress was the first part of a trilogy which continued with Street of Blood in 1999 and Happy in 2000. He also won a Chalmers Award in 1996 for Old Friends, a piece commissioned by the Manitoba theatre for young people.

His work, Provenance, was performed for the first time in October 2003, premiering at Theatre Network in Edmonton. He is currently touring a new show 10 Days on Earth that premiered at CanStage in Toronto in April 2006.

Burkett writes his own scripts. Appearing onstage throughout each performance, he manipulates and is the voice of every character, from newborn ducks to dying mothers, Christ and Satan and everything in between. His shows explore the full spectrum of what it means to be human, hurt, hungry; an artist, a child, a lover. He has earned the respect of the international theater community.

Openly gay, Burkett lives in Toronto with his partner, jazz singer John Alcorn.