“Puppets Are Cool”
By
Alissa Hunnicutt (curator of A Puppet Music Thing)
Most of us have a picture that pops into our head when we hear the word “puppet” and it usually looks like something from Sesame Street. That’s the kind of puppetry I started with. People also usually think that puppetry is for kids. I do that too. Then I went to The O’Neill Puppetry Conference in Connecticut. As the Artistic Director, Pam Arciero, says...I found my tribe. I wasn’t familiar with the beauty and artistry of theater puppetry and I was blown away by it. Puppets are cool.
When
Jess McLeod, NYMF Director of Programming, suggested I put together an evening of puppetry, I jumped at the chance! It’s a slam, or a revue, a showcase...a thing. A Puppet Music Thing.
I am so proud and excited to show the musical theater audience that there’s more to puppet theater than
Avenue Q and
The Lion King (not that we don’t love those too)! I did my darndest to pull together a wide range of performers doing short pieces or selections from larger shows. The evening will feature marionettes, table top, rod, bunraku, humanette, toy theater and kuruma ningyo puppetry styles.
A lot of the pieces are serious, moving, artistic work. So I knew I needed some comic relief. I found that in my amazing host, Tyler Bunch. He’s an accomplished stage actor in addition to appearing on “Sesame Street,” “OOBI,” “Between The Lions,” and “It's a Big, Big World.” Plus he has a ton of experience in improv comedy and is a member of the cast of “Puppet Up!”, a puppet version of Who's Line produced by Brian Henson. If you haven’t seen any of those shows, do a search. It’s funny stuff.
A Puppet Music Thing is a one night only special event -- September 23 at 7pm & 9:30pm at Chernuchin Theatre at American Theatre of Actors on 54th Street. Check
nymf.org to purchase tickets.
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