Twenty Five Years Ago
I was finishing up my Master’s degree at the Yale School of Drama. My last work-study was as a stagehand on a rather fine production of Pygmalion. We had been doing double performances for schools along with the evening shows. It was going to be a mixed crowd since it was a Wednesday and we had both the season ticket holders and a couple of school groups.
I walked into the stage door to be greeted by the sound tech by, “I didn’t think you would be here since your hero Jim Henson died.”
I didn’t believe him. We had history to the point that he had a reprimand in his union jacket because of me. My solution was to stay as far away from him but couldn’t do it always.
Then a couple of the actors came in and asked me if I was OK since the news broke that Henson had died.
I knew it was real then. I went to the stage and checked my gear and made sure that all the set pieces were back where they needed to be. I ran my fly check of the scenery as well. Then I went into a dark corner and collapsed for a bit. People checked on me. The stage manager offered to get in the sub but I did the show and went home and was numb.
I went to the memorial, which was a celebration of a man’s life and the lives of all the people he touched. It made me feel better.
Since then I have had a lot of discussions and conversations with people who knew Jim or worked with him. I had met him several times and, because I made myself rather memorable the first time thanks to the Tales of the Tinkerdee, he remembered me.
Funny thing is that now a generation has grown up and some have even had children of their own without Jim Henson physically in the world but his spirit lives on through us.
One of the reasons I do panels at various conventions about puppets and the history of puppetry and the ever popular ‘what is a puppet?’ is because of Jim and his belief in puppetry as another form of art and storytelling. He championed a lot of puppeteers that have gone on to champion others and encourage others to give, as Gonzo would say, ‘wiggling dolls for a living’ a try.
He is a touchstone for many of us. He gave us some of our best childhood memories. He showed how with puppets you could make the world a better place.
I have made so many friends through puppetry. I have had some seriously fun adventures because I am a puppeteer. I have made people laugh or just smile by what I do. I have had people thank me for cheering up their day with my puppets. Jim Henson is a big reason I do what I do.
He is missed and is loved even twenty-five years later and his legacy lives on through all of us.
I am grateful that I did get to meet and talked to Jim Henson.
I walked into the stage door to be greeted by the sound tech by, “I didn’t think you would be here since your hero Jim Henson died.”
I didn’t believe him. We had history to the point that he had a reprimand in his union jacket because of me. My solution was to stay as far away from him but couldn’t do it always.
Then a couple of the actors came in and asked me if I was OK since the news broke that Henson had died.
I knew it was real then. I went to the stage and checked my gear and made sure that all the set pieces were back where they needed to be. I ran my fly check of the scenery as well. Then I went into a dark corner and collapsed for a bit. People checked on me. The stage manager offered to get in the sub but I did the show and went home and was numb.
I went to the memorial, which was a celebration of a man’s life and the lives of all the people he touched. It made me feel better.
Since then I have had a lot of discussions and conversations with people who knew Jim or worked with him. I had met him several times and, because I made myself rather memorable the first time thanks to the Tales of the Tinkerdee, he remembered me.
Funny thing is that now a generation has grown up and some have even had children of their own without Jim Henson physically in the world but his spirit lives on through us.
One of the reasons I do panels at various conventions about puppets and the history of puppetry and the ever popular ‘what is a puppet?’ is because of Jim and his belief in puppetry as another form of art and storytelling. He championed a lot of puppeteers that have gone on to champion others and encourage others to give, as Gonzo would say, ‘wiggling dolls for a living’ a try.
He is a touchstone for many of us. He gave us some of our best childhood memories. He showed how with puppets you could make the world a better place.
I have made so many friends through puppetry. I have had some seriously fun adventures because I am a puppeteer. I have made people laugh or just smile by what I do. I have had people thank me for cheering up their day with my puppets. Jim Henson is a big reason I do what I do.
He is missed and is loved even twenty-five years later and his legacy lives on through all of us.
I am grateful that I did get to meet and talked to Jim Henson.