Noreen Young, O.C.
Artistic Director Founder
Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival

Award-winning puppeteer and puppet builder, Noreen Young has held roles as a designer, writer, and ultimately, executive-producer for Under the Umbrella Tree, a children’s series that ran on both CBC television and The Disney Channel for many seasons. The series is now an eight-volume DVD compilation. She starred in the series as Gloria Gopher, alongside her brother, Stephen Brathwaite, who costarred as Jacob Bluejay.

A graduate of the Ontario College of Art, Noreen has headed her own Corporation, Noreen Young Productions, since 1979. Over the course of her illustrious career, her distinctive puppet characters have appeared on CBC, CTV, TVOntario, The Disney Channel, BBC America, Canal Famille and Much Music.

Her look-alike caricature puppets include: former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson and her husband, John Ralston Saul; Citizen Publisher, James Orban; CTV’s Max Keeping and JJ Clarke; CBC’s Peter Mansbridge; popular TV personality Wayne Rostad; hockey host, Don Cherry; and other, prominent politicians and personalities from her own hometown of Almonte, Ontario.

As the Artistic Director for the Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival, she has been instrumental in securing troupes from around the world to showcase their talents to Canadian audiences. These have included visiting troupes from Britain, the Czech Republic, Cost Rica, Iceland, France, Brazil, Mexico, Hungary, United States, and from across Canada.

Well known as a teacher of her art, Young was awarded the Order of Canada in 1995 for her contribution to puppetry and children’s television. A promoter of education, she has conducted numerous workshops in schools to teach young people the art and enjoyment of puppetry and has encouraged its application to all parts of the curriculum.

Noreen Young was born and raised in Ottawa and has made puppetry her lifelong passion. She currently resides in Almonte, part of the Town of Mississippi Mills, Ontario, and continues to foster a tremendous appreciation for the arts through her artistic endeavours and community spirit. She takes great pleasure and pride in mentoring young people and promoting education in the arts.