Puppeteer Challenge, Day 2. The Center for Puppetry Arts. When I was 17, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta under the watchful eye of Bobby Box . Several years before (I think when I was 13), my father and I drove from my grandmothers house in Birmingham, AL specifically to see the Muppets on exhibit in the Centers permanent collection. We drove for two and half hours only to discover that the Centers museum was closed for maintenance. I sobbed in the car. My internship was a far happier experience. Because I was interning in the off-season (the summer months) I was allowed to float between the different departments. One day Id be helping to stuff mailers in marketing, other days Id be helping Chris Brown (Macabre Puppets) in the puppet shop stitching fleece feathers onto Owl for an upcoming production of Winnie-the-Pooh. I assisted the museum department with displaying puppets by Jimmy Rowland for an exhibit. And I was able to see performances by a number of wonderful touring puppeteers such as Drew Allison, Paul Vincent Davis, and Hobey Ford. For me, the Center exemplified what it meant to have made it. If you were good enough to perform one of your shows at the Center, you had arrived. I didnt think that just a year later, Id be performing my Aesops Fables show in the Downstairs Theater. This was the first of many shows I would perform on that stage. Billy Goats Gruff And Other Stuff, The Adventures of the Gingerbread Man, and Jack and the Beanstalk all enjoyed very successful runs. In 2003, I set the Centers record for skinniest Brer Bear ever in Jon Ludwigs Brer Rabbit and Friends. Working for the first time as a cast member, directed by Jon, was quite an intense, but highly rewarding experience. As a fellow cast member put it: with Jon, the notes he gives are the difference between an A show and an A+ show. As a young puppeteer, it was wonderful to have a home where I could immerse myself in puppetry through performance, Nancy Lohman Staubs collection in the Centers museum, hands-on work, and being able to interact with people in all departments, who somehow have to work together to make the Center function and keep its doors open. Later in my career I took advantage of opportunities to perform in XPT, X-perimental Puppet Theater, Kevin Hueys Captain Wim-Wam, (who could forget chasing the audience as they left in disgust!?) working as a hire-in builder with Jason Hines in the Puppet Shop and performing my shows to a global audience in the Centers Distance Learning department which, via internet, connects to classrooms across the globe (Sara Shapiro Burmenko). But there are some painful lessons I learned as well: Dont shit where you eat. Dont bite the hand that feeds you. Take nothing for granted. Keep your mouth shut. And if someone jokingly says they can end your career, take them seriously. The Center remains a national staple and a national treasure for the art of puppetry in America. Many have come through its doors and many will continue to do so. And if theyd ever have me back, Id love to play there again.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 19:35:11 +0000