Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Humanitarian of the Week: Mark Andrews

Mark Andrews
In order to be a true humanitarian, one must feed minds as well as bodies. I have always believed that the only way in which we can be complete as a culture is to understand from where we’ve come. Everything that we do and all that we have has some correlation to a decision made by our ancestors. Only when we explore the past, can we begin to comprehend what the future holds for us. To me, the kindest thing you can so for someone is to introduce them to our collective history, especially the history of the arts. One man who has dedicated his life to the teaching of a very specific art is Mark Andrews, celebrated “Punch & Judy Man” and Secretary of The Punch and Judy Fellowship.


Mr. Andrews is considered one of the best and most influential Punch & Judy “Professors” in the United Kingdom. Through his continued performances of Britain’s favorite puppet show, he is preserving an important piece of world culture and history. Andrews also travels to give lectures on a variety of topics, including: The History of Punch and Judy, Seaside Holidays of the Past, Puppets and Puppetry, and Victorian Entertainment. Co-editor of the recently published, limited edition book, That’s the Way to Do It: Thirty Years of the Punch & Judy Fellowship, Mr. Andrews continues to enrich our culture by reminding us of our roots. For fostering a spirit of reflection, providing us with a chance to see our beautiful past, and for keeping Mr. Punch up to his beloved antics, Mark Andrews is our “Humanitarian of the Week.”  A visit to Mr. Andrews' Web sites is definitely enjoyable.  They are Punch & Judy Man and MarkAndrews.co.uk.

2 comments:

Mark Andrews said...

Thank you!

From a very flattered Mark Andrews

Joseph Crisalli said...

My pleasure, Mark. Your contributions to our understanding of our collective culture and to our enjoyment of life deserve public mention.