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A singer, puppeteer, and actor who immerses herself in her work

I caught up with Somerville’s Charlotte Anne Dore to talk about her life and work as a puppeteer, actor, and singer. It seems whatever this multi-talented person does – from belting out a few numbers in a cabaret – expertly manipulating puppets – to playing Mary Jo Kopechne in the major motion picture Chappaquiddick, she intensely immerses herself in her work.

Doug Holder: First off, how has it been for you, the artist, to be living in Somerville?

Charlotte Anne Dore

Charlotte Anne Dore: I have lived in Somerville since 1993 and have an art studio in Union square. What I love about Somerville is you can walk everywhere. There are so many beautiful buildings, although sadly over the last few years some have been knocked down. I saw a beautiful home on Lowell Street with a big garden and thought that has a lot of land and then two weeks later the place was being torn down and they are currently building on it.

It breaks my heart to see beautiful homes get destroyed. When they are renovated, I love that. As an artist, to see the history and the crafts-person-ship (craftsmanship) of buildings is inspiring. In Somerville you are also close to Boston for work. During the pandemic, the Somerville Arts Council really supported artists like me who lost our income when we couldn’t perform shows for so many months. I had the opportunity to do a live stream for the city and then had an emergency grant – very grateful.

DH: Talk about multi-talented artists. You are an accomplished puppeteer, actor, coach, and singer. How did you become so eclectic? What lured you into the world of puppets?

CAD: I’ve always loved visual art and always loved music and acting. I grew up watching Shirley Temple films on BBC. I was born and grew up in the UK. The films were already old at the time, but I loved the singing and dancing.

At a very young age I visited a doll museum and saw an amazing puppet show at Little Angel Marionette Theatre in London. Those two things have made me fascinated with dolls, toys and puppets. I was around five when I built my first puppet and ended up building puppets as part of my art exam (O levels) I took at age 16. This interest went through college and my first job was as a puppeteer at a shopping mall in the UK.

Even though I act professionally as much as I do puppetry, it’s more unusual that people remember the puppetry part. For me, puppets are just an extension of acting dance, music, words. Your whole creative body is interlinked, and that’s why these skills all fit together and complement one another.

Puppets combine all my visual art skills and my theatrical theatre/acting skills into one and ultimately that is where the doors have opened. Pre- pandemic, I would present over 100 puppet shows a year. It’s been slow picking back up.

DH: You have been in any number of films. One film was Chappaquiddick. This film, released in 2018, dealt with the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, when she drowned in a car driven by Ted Kennedy. You play the mother of Mary Jo. How did you get into the character? How did you envision the mother?

CAD: There is actually footage of Gwen Kopechne talking in an interview and I studied that and her expression in great detail, as well as having dialect coaching from the film company. I researched the role and immersed myself in the lines. When I approach roles, my goal is to “become.” In acting, its sometimes termed “the art of becoming” and it is a process. It’s hard to explain in a short article but basically you lose yourself in the role and their motives and situation. I had my hair cut for the role. It’s now finally grown back. The cut looked great but I didn’t feel myself.

DH: I love the “American Song Book.” I read that you have now ventured in cabaret. Is it the relative intimacy of cabaret that you are attracted to? Or perhaps the sniff of decadence as portrayed in the movie Cabaret?

CAD: I love immersive theatre and have done that for years. My puppet shows are also extremely interactive. I have always loved the dynamic relationship between audience and performer so of course cabaret is a perfect vehicle because it’s all about telling stories and connecting with the audience.

I also LOVE music and singing. I started going to Hump Night at Club Cafe a few years ago where the amazing Brian Patton plays shows tunes and people sing along then you get up and sing one song. I had so much great response there I ended up producing two solo shows that went really well. I don’t have a solo show planned there just yet, but I have started to return and be part of Boston’s cabaret scene again.

DH: Tell us about some recent and upcoming projects. Recently, you finished a project called Holiday Tree. Can you touch on that?

CAD: I wrote a solo show during 2020 and felt it was inspired and needed to be workshopped and developed as an adult/family, rather than a kids show per say. I applied for some grants and residencies and was delighted when I was accepted by Appolinaire Theatre at Chelsea Theatre Works for their Resident Artist program. I took them up on the opportunity and self-produced a show that we presented in person and also live streamed around the world thanks to Cambridge Community Center for the Arts who sponsored the livestream

DH: I read that you are available for hire at any number of venues. How should one contact you?

CAD: My websites have contact links and I can also be called 617-633-2832. Also, email rosalitaspuppets@aol.com. My websites also have contact info and contact forms www.rosalitaspuppets.com and www.charlottedore.com.