Alice fell down the rabbit hole. The Beatles found psychedelics. And I found puppets.
I had the honor of being a part of a series called Puppet Playlist produced by Sinking Ship Productions at The Tank in NYC. I was not, a week prior to the show, a puppeteer. But thanks to playwright Ed Valentine, I now know the sheer joy of operating Pokey, Miss Polly Otis, some giant feathers and two cardboard feet in Ed’s play, Cowboy Kabuki. Together with Ed and fellow puppet newbie (and an exceptional actor/director in her own right), Jenn O’Donnell, I stumbled through a thrilling puppet ride.
Puppets in Progress: Pokey & Double D
In helping to build and operate the puppets and by watching other incredible puppeteers I had the chance to work alongside, I discovered the magic of bringing life to inanimate objects. Literally giving them breath. Making them cry, laugh, struggle, dance…all through a heightened attention to movement details, patience and an intimate connection to breath. Giving them a heartbeat.
As a four-year-old, I knew the power of the Muppets. They are still a strong and magical force in my life, and I am the proud owner of my own Muppet puppet, Figgy Pudds. And this new puppet performing experience reenergized my belief in the immediacy of theater and the idea that big ideas can be conveyed simply in small ways—with well-crafted syntax and a wine bottle with cardboard arms. These creatures come to life and make us care. Deeply. Make us laugh. Profoundly.
Pokey contemplates the mesa (complete with cacti and twine tumbleweeds)
Puppets help us dream. Imagine. And examine the human potential and possibilities hiding in every single thing. It opens the door to all the possibility inherent in simple objects. A fork. An old skirt. The ever-magical refrigerator box. Look around at all the potential of your “things.” They can be so much more, if you let them.
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