Cynthia von Buhler (;Teaching Books (retrieved December 17, 2010) born Cynthia Carrozza,) is an American artist, author, playwright, performer, and producer.
Early life Cynthia von Buhler was born Cynthia Carrozza and raised in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the middle child in an artistic family with six children. Of her childhood, she says "As soon as we could hold a scissor, we learned every kind of craft imaginable, and worked in three dimensions, not just two." Creative from the start, she created large-scale papier-mâché floats for her hometown Halloween parades, and won her first art award while she was still in grammar school. Growing up in the Berkshires, surrounded by world-class theater, von Buhler staged, performed and sang in plays at school and camp.ArtBite, (February 14, 2012) Her high school graduation was held at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Von Buhler studied art and children's books at The Art Institute of Boston.Lesley University (retrieved December 17, 2010). Cynthia von Buhler After graduating she continued her studies at Richmond, The American International University in London.
Royalty connection Von Buhler claims her family is rumored to descend from the royal Italian Sforza family through an illegitimate child. This Sforza line was given the title of "Count" by the Pope to give them legitimacy. An Italian diplomat and anti-Fascist politician of this line is Count Carlo Sforza.(Arcanalogue, November 2009).Interview: Cynthia von Buhler Revisits The Shakespeare OracleCynthia von Buhler (June 2001). Royally F**ked ManifestoEntertainment Today (October 1998).Down For The Countess In a manifesto von Buhler wrote in 2001 she explains why she has a title. "My grandmother's maiden name is Sforza, and the rumor in the family is that we are related to the infamous Francesco Sforza of Milan, known for treachery, hiring Leonardo da Vinci as his plumber, beautiful mistresses, and a delicious Italian nougat candy called Torrone." A friend began referring to the gothic Victorian house as Castle von Buhler and the name stuck—the press dubbed the artist Countess Cynthia von Buhler.
Immersive theater Speakeasy Dollhouse by von Buhler is a true tale of New York City Prohibition-era bootlegging, mafia, infidelity, and murder. Von Buhler had been haunted by a shocking family mystery for years. Her grandparents Frank and Mary Spano owned two speakeasies in the Bronx during Prohibition: one that masqueraded as a bakery, the other a secret nightclub. Shortly after Prohibition ended, her grandfather was shot and killed on the street in Manhattan. Her grandmother was pregnant with her mother at the time, and upon hearing the news of the murder she went into labor. Von Buhler's grandfather's body was laid out in one room of their small Bronx apartment while her mother was born in the room next to it. "Nobody still living in my family knows why my grandfather was shot. Nothing was known about the killer, his motive, or a trial. My grandmother took these secrets to her grave. And so, over the past two years, I have been dusting off a complicated, historically significant story," explains von Buhler. To more thoroughly explore her grandfather's murder and events leading up to it, von Buhler created an elaborate speakeasy dollhouse set complete with handmade dolls in her art studio. The set includes a plush secret nightclub, a bakery, a pre-war apartment, a bootlegging bathroom, a morgue, and even Ellis Island. The set contains crime scene details that can be examined from every angle. Von Buhler was featured in the "Gurney For Grandpa" episode of Oddities discussing this project.
Taking it one step further, the artist created an immersive theatrical experience to go along with the sets and her own investigation. Speakeasy Dollhouse stages these events in a historic Lower East Side speakeasy elaborately set up to mirror the dollhouse sets. The actors aren't visually distinguished from the audience, making the audience as key to the show as the performers. The play's tagline is "The speakeasy is my dollhouse and you are my dolls." A limited-edition graphic novel book, The Bloody Beginning, and initial performances in 2011 were paid through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding site. The play will continue into 2015 with tickets available to the general public. Of Dolls and Murder, directed by Susan Marks and narrated by John Waters, is a documentary about Francis Glessner Lee's crime scene investigation dollhouse dioramas. Marks created an Of Dolls and Murder sequel based on Speakeasy Dollhouse.
Speakeasy Dollhouse became the brand name for all of Cynthia von Buhler's immersive theater productions. The original show was renamed The Bloody Beginning.
Immersive theater productions October 2017 – February 2018, The Illuminati Ball, Weylin formerly Williamsburgh Savings Bank, Brooklyn, NY March 2016 – August 2018, The Illuminati Ball, An Immersive Excursion, A Secret Estate, NY, NY September 2018 – November 2018, The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini, Theatre 80, NY, NY June 2016 – August 2016, The Bloody Beginning, Weylin, Brooklyn, NY March 2015 – November 2015, Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic, Liberty Theater, NY, NY March 2014 – April 2014, The Brothers Booth, The Players, NY, NY March 2011 – April 2015, The Bloody Beginning, The Back Room, NY, NY
Graphic novels The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini follows private investigator Minky Woodcock as she uncovers secrets surrounding the final days of the world-famous escape artist, Harry Houdini. Woodcock's investigation leads her to cross paths with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who believes Houdini is not merely a magician but has supernatural powers, and Bess Houdini, who suspects her husband is cheating on her. Von Buhler investigated the death of Houdini and based her story on true crime evidence.
In The Girl Who Electrified Tesla, Minky Woodcock is hired to investigate whether the inventor Nicola Tesla has developed a death ray.
The third in the Minky Woodcock series, The Girl Called Cthulhu, begins with the detective trying to exonerate the occultist Aleister Crowley after he's accused of murder, in a tale that involves HP Lovecraft and Ian Fleming.
Evelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer (of The Dresden Dolls) and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters (aka "Eva" and "Lyn"), Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley. The twins are actually portrayed by Palmer and Webley, dressed in connected garments. Dark Horse Comics published a two book graphic novel encased in a hardcover sleeve, written by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley and illustrated by von Buhler. The book had an afterword written by Neil Gaiman.
Graphic novel bibliography
2025, Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu written and illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, Distributed by Random House 2021, Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Electrified Tesla written and illustrated by von Buhler, Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, Distributed by Random House 2019, The Illuminati Ball written and illustrated by von Buhler, Titan Comics, Distributed by Random House 2018, Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini written and illustrated by von Buhler, Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics, Distributed by Random House 2012, Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes written by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler, Dark Horse Comics, Distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors
Children's books In 2001 von Buhler was asked by Steven Spielberg to illustrate Martha Stewart's story for Once Upon A Fairy Tale (Viking), a book produced to benefit The Starbright Foundation for seriously ill children.Once upon a Fairy Tale: Four Favorite Stories (Viking, Oct 15, 2001)., In 2002, New York Public Library selected the "handsomely illustrated" (The New York Times)The New York Times (Oct 20, 2002). Children's Books, Bookshelf They Called Her Molly Pitcher, written by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by von Buhler, as one of One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing.New York Public Library (2002)Children's Books, 2002: One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing In 2004, von Buhler went on to illustrate Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth is a Planet. Reviews called her "dramatic oil-on-gesso artwork" (School Library Journal)School Library Journal (2004). "handsome and effective" (Booklist). Publishers Weekly offered high praise for her work on the book: "Von Buhler's paintings exert a gravitational pull of their own."Publishers Weekly (January 2004).
In 2006 von Buhler wrote and illustrated The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside with dual credits as author and illustrator. The book, based on a true story, featured painted clay characters in detailed architectural sets. Book Sense named the book as a Children's Pick for Winter/Spring 2006/2007 for its "beautiful story" and "extremely detailed sets."Book Sense Children's Picks (December 14, 2006).The Winter 2006/2007 Book Sense Children's Picks Kirkus Reviews called the illustrations "unique" and "eye-popping," providing "a glimpse of a world beyond the frame" and pronounced the book "a sheer delight." Publishers Weekly thought "readers ... may well be entranced" by the "considerable magic" of von Buhler's illustrations, while Time Out New York called the book "beautifully ornate," and "the cat's meow." The book was also chosen as Teacher's Picks: Best of 2006 by Parent & Child magazine.
In 2009, von Buhler took a second turn as author and illustrator with But Who Will Bell The Cats?. The book's illustrations feature handmade architectural sets, cinematic lighting, and paper doll oil paintings of the characters in action. Kirkus Reviews stated that "young readers will pore over this one again and again," and School Library Journal agreed that "children will find a lot to discover in the details, even after repeated readings."School Library Journal (September 2009). The Nassau County Museum of Art in New York exhibited the book's elaborate miniature sets in a solo exhibition between September 20, 2009, and January 3, 2010.Jennifer Taber, Houghton Mifflin (August 2009).But Who Will Bell the Cats? Press Release During the summer of 2010 Von Buhler exhibited the miniature sets in an animatronic window display that she created for Books of Wonder in Manhattan. Time Out Kid's did a feature article on the window along with a slideshow showing von Buhler creating it.Time Out Kids (July 2010). Illustrator Cynthia von Buhler's window displays An artist brings her latest feline-centric story to life at Chelsea's Books of Wonder. Elizabeth Bird, a New York Public Librarian, posted a lengthy review of the book on her School Library Journal blog, "Is it wrong that I sometimes want to blow a four-year-old's mind? I've come to the decision that Cynthia von Buhler's But Who Will Bell the Cats? is going to be my library's secret weapon from here on in."School Library Journal (September 3, 2009).Review of the Day.
In 2024, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation picked up von Buhler's upcoming work Forestina for a potential feature film adaptation.
Von Buhler has also illustrated dozens of young adult book covers including Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen,Jane Yolen and Robert Harris, Queen's Own Fool, Putnam Juvenile (November 12, 2001). , . The Road to Damietta by Scott O'Dell,Scott O'Dell, The Road to Damietta, Graphia (October 25, 2004) , and two Newbery Medal winners, The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George SpeareElizabeth George Speare, The Bronze Bow, Houghton Mifflin (September 1, 1997). . and The Perilous Guard by Elizabeth Marie Pope.Elizabeth Marie Pope, Sandpiper (October 29, 2001)., .
Children's book bibliography 2009, But Who Will Bell The Cats? written and illustrated by von Buhler, Houghton Mifflin, 2006, The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside written and illustrated by von Buhler, Houghton Mifflin,