was a Japanese–Australian

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...

. Nishimoto began studying drama in Osaka, but turned to puppetry after a friend took her to see a puppet show. She joined Osaka's La Clarte Puppet Theatre, where she spent 16 years working as a performer, writer and director, before going freelance. In 1980, Australian puppetry director Peter Wilson saw one of her shows in Osaka, and invited her to perform at the

Festival of Perth Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...

in a puppetry performance of '' Faust''. After a six-week season in Perth, Nishimoto returned to Japan, but was invited back by Wilson in 1981 to join his new company,

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre The Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is located at 1–9 Short Street, Fremantle, Western Australia, in Pioneer Park, opposite the Fremantle railway station. History The building was constructed as a commercial building in 1921. It is a two-storey ...

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Western Australia, as a puppet master. Initially on a one-year tenure, Nishimoto stayed for three years and relinquished her Japanese citizenship to take up Australian citizenship. In 1987, she became assistant artistic director at Spare Parts, and artistic director in 1997. After 19 years with the company, she stepped down to work as a freelance director and puppet artist. In 2008, she was recognised by the International Puppetry Association

UNIMA UNIMA (''Union Internationale de la Marionnette'' - ''International Puppetry Association'') was founded in Prague in 1929 (the then Czechoslovak magazine Loutkář was UNIMA's first official journal in years 1929–1930). In 1981, the French pup ...

for her work in Australia, and was presented with an award for outstanding contribution in puppetry in 2012, at the World Congress and Puppet Festival in Chengdu, China. Nishimoto died of cancer on 16 May 2016, aged 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishimoto, Noriko 1940 births 2016 deaths Japanese puppeteers Australian puppeteers Japanese emigrants to Australia Naturalised citizens of Australia Deaths from cancer in Western Australia Female puppeteers