Under The Puppet

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  On July 21, 2023 as part of the National Puppetry Festival at the University of Maryland, festival attendees were invited to take a bus tour of historical Jim Henson sites in Washington DC and the surrounding areas.   The tour was hosted by Heather Henson and author Craig Shemin.   Cheryl Henson was also along for the tour. I recorded the audio of that bus trip i...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Danny Montooth spent several years as a puppeteer and Puppet Specialist at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.   He is also a creator of and puppeteer for Perception Studios which streams weekly live on Twitch.   I talk to Danny about working for Disney, his thoughts on streaming, and his jobs working on commercials, movies, web series and more in this...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Melvin Campbell is a puppeteer on the PBS Show Donkey Hode. Not only is he playing the show's newest character Cousin Hode, he's also composed music for the show and written a couple of episodes of the show as well.   He's also written for Sesame Street and The Not Too Late Show Starring Elmo.   I talk to the incredibly talented Mel Campbell about his puppetry ca...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Alex Evans is the Co-Executive Director and Head Puppeteer of The Historic Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Los Angeles.   Since the 1960's The Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been entertaining audiences throughout Southern California. I talk to Alex Evans about his puppetry career, his role at the theater and a bit about the history of Bob Baker and the theater...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Puppeteers Donna Kimball and Colleen Smith are the creators, directors, and producers of   GLOP - The Glorious Ladies of Puppetry.   Donna and Colleen, along with puppeteer Alice Dinnean, created GLOP to promote the many incredible Lady Puppeteers, Puppeteers of Color and Non-Binary and Trans puppeteers there are around the world.   I sat down with Donna and Coll...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Alison Mork played Chairry on the legendary TV Show Pee-Wee's Playhouse where she also performed Magic Screen, Chicky Baby, Chandelier and more.  She has also puppeteered on Sesame Street, The  Muppets, Crank Yankers and Team America World Police.  I sit down with Alison Mork to talk about all this and more on this episode of Under The Puppet. Plus, hear more of...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  - On Saturday, July 22, 2023, I was honored to be asked to moderate What's Next? A Panel for the Future in Puppetry at the National Puppetry Festival.  I sat down with puppeteers Rachel Burson, Andrew A. Cano and Matthew Lish to talk about their careers in puppetry and where they see the art form going in the future.  I'm happy to share that audio with you on this e...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Sam Kendall is a puppeteer, writer and director who has been making puppet videos for the internet for over a decade. His show The Mo Show starring his puppet Mo Monster has shown that Sam is a master at writing, directing and performing puppetry for the web. I sit down to talk to Sam about The Mo Show, his new series Rooming with Dino and much more on this episo...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  While I was at the 2023 National Puppetry Festival, I met Carol Sterling for the first time.   Within a minute of speaking with her, I knew I wanted to get her on the show.   Carol Sterling is an educational puppeteer who has taught puppetry in education around the world including as a Fulbright Specialist in Uganda and India and she was invited to the White Hous...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com -  For this episode of Under The Puppet, we're doing something a little different.   We are headed out of the studio to conduct some interviews, sort of documentary style, with several of the performers   of the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry's recent Puppetzilla Puppet Slam Astrology: What's Your Sign.   We'll then chat with about what goes into putting on a successf...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Sid Krofft is the grandfather of puppetry.  He picked up his puppet at a young age and was soon a sensation booking shows across the United States and then around the world.  He would go on to create shows such as H.R. Pufnstuff, Land of the Lost and Sigmund & The Sea Monsters to name a few, but his love of puppetry was always at the heart of all he did.  I chatt...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com - Michael Oosterom puppeteered Cornelius in The Jim Henson Company series Earth To Ned on Disney+.  He also played Rankle on the Netflix Series The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell.  I talk to Michael about these projects as well as Puppet Up Uncensored, No You Shut Up, the reboot of Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and more on this episode of Under The Puppet. P...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Dustin Curtis is the puppeteer and founder of Trivia Puppet Company out of Seattle.   He is also the current president of the Puppeteers of America and the director of the 2023 National Puppetry Festival happening this July in Maryland.   I sit down to chat with Dustin about his journey to puppetry, his travels abroad working with other puppet companies and what...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Andy Breckman is television and film writer who created the Emmy Award Winning television series Monk.   Ken Freedman is the station manager of WFMU, an independent free form radio station in New Jersey.   For over 30 years, Andy and Ken have hosted Seven Second Delay, a stunt radio program that airs every Wednesday on WFMU.   I sit down and talk to these two non...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Chad Williams is the Co-Artistic Director of   WonderSpark puppets.   He has written, directed and performed over 15 solo puppet shows and will be presenting his show Fox Fables at the 2023 National Puppetry Festival.   He's also the author of the book 50 Hand Puppet Techniques: Hidden Secrets and Tricks Revealed that just won an award from UNIMA.   I talk to Cha...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Paul Lewis is a puppeteer who was building puppets and molding creatures at an early age.   A trained opera singer and accomplished actor, Paul's puppetry credit include Bobby the Gopher Boy on the hit Netflix series Sweet Tooth and the menacing M3gan, the killer robot from the hit 2022 science fiction horror film.   I talk to Paul Lewis about his puppetry career...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Mike Horner is the Director of Puppetry Arts at What If Puppets, a puppet company that creates innovate storytelling that captures children's imaginations and inspires communities.   I talk to Mike about his puppetry career, how   e got started at What If Puppets, originally the Mesner Puppet Theater, and the show How To Snag A Sea Monster that he'll be performin...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  - Alex & Olmsted is an internationally acclaimed puppet theater and filmmaking company than has been the recipient of two Jim Henson Foundation Grants.   They create puppet magic in many different mediums and will be performing live at the 2023 National Puppetry Festival.   I talk to Alex & Olmsted about their path to puppetry, their wonderful shows including Milo t...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  - Danny Joe LaBrecque is the creator, puppeteer and host of Danny Joe's Treehouse.  A show that invites families to come out and play with big thoughts, ideas, and feelings. I talk to Danny Joe about the development of Danny Joe's Treehouse and how he has been able to produce three seasons of the show completely on his own on this episode of Under The Puppet.   Plus...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com - I've asked some of my favorite puppeteers to bring in their favorite pieces of puppetry for us to react to! Look at these popular scenes from a puppeteer's point of view! THIS EPISODE'S CLIP: https://youtu.be/VZK8607PQtM?t=29 Visit the  Kukla, Fran and Ollie YouTube Channel for more! https://www.youtube.com/c/KuklaFranandOllie #puppets #puppetry #puppeteers  CONNEC...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Mallory Lewis is the Emmy Award winning daughter of ventriloquist Shari Lewis and the current performer of Lamb Chop.   She's also an author who along with Nat Segloff has just released a book called: Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop: The Team That Changed Children's Television .   I talk with Mallory about this new biography that examines the joys, sorrows, triumphs, a...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com - I've asked some of my favorite puppeteers to bring in their favorite pieces of puppetry for us to look at these popular scenes from a puppeteer's point of view! This week my guest is Drew Massey and we watch Feed Me from the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors directed by Frank Oz. This episode's clip if you want to watch along: https://youtu.be/KNHrzZUascE #puppets #...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Sam & Friends - The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show is a brand new book by Craig Shemin that explores, in depth, the history of Sam & Friends, the first TV Show that Jim and Jane Henson created for local television in Washington DC. I talk to Craig Shemin about the book and the history of Sam & Friends as well as his role as President of The Jim Henso...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  Kurt Hunter built his first marionette at age 12.   Ever since he's made marionettes his passion creating several shows he's performed all over the United States with his company Kurt Hunter Marionettes.   In addition to teaching and performing at National Puppetry Festivals, he is now on the artistic staff of the O'Neill Puppetry conference.   I talk to Kurt abo...

http://www. UnderThePuppet.com  -  The TV Show Donkey Hodie from Fred Rogers productions expands on characters created by Mr. Rogers and empowers viewers to dream big and overcome obstacles.   Chief Creative Officer for Fred Rogers Productions and Executive producer of the show Ellen Doherty and Donkey Hodie Puppeteer Haley Jenkins join me for an exclusive look at Donkey Hodie on this episode of U...