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puppetmakerI would like to thank the voting members of American Theater Guild for their great wisdom for not thinking that puppets are for kids. They showed great courage to vote for a show where part of the cast is felt and imagination
Avenue Q won for book, score and Best Musical. Last night their lives didn’t suck. The puppets were integrated into the Tony awards flawlessly including Hugh Jackman being hit on by a gay puppet and being told that Hugh’s wife was in the audience. “She ‘s a very lucky woman” said the puppet through gritted teeth. I almost fell off the couch I was laughing so hard.
Avenue Q gives puppeteers that thing that we have always wants. Legitimacy in the adult theater. When I tell someone I am a puppeteer, they assume that most of what I have done has been kiddy shows. My performances in adult puppet theater outweighs my performances in kiddy puppet theater about 4 to 1. By adult, I do not mean sex, violence, and cussing. I mean shows that adults would enjoy more than kids. One of the best puppet shows I have ever seen would have bored the pants off of anyone under 10. It was an adult version of Pinocchio by Theater Drak. If Theater Drak comes to your neck of the woods, go see them. They are incredible.
In Europe, puppetry is seen for both children and adults. There are a number of adult puppetry companies that thrive there without having to do kiddy shows unless they want to. Here in the US the thinking seems to be that puppets are for children. I can remember the frustration of the marketing manager at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta when she was trying to sell an adult show to the public. Since the center is there, she had less of an uphill battle than she would in other places in the country. Bruce Shwartz, who was one of the most brilliant puppeteers that America ever produced, quit making puppets and went to run an art gallery because he got tired of living hand to mouth. He had/has a great following but it didn’t pay all the bills. Canada, Mexico, and the South American countries have the European attitude towards puppetry. A number of puppetry companies from those countries came through the center and did shows for the older crowd.
I am a puppeteer and proud of it. Always have been and always will be. I am very happy that Avenue Q was judged as a musical show rather than a puppet show with music. They won on the merits of their show making the path to Broadway and legitimate theater easier for rest of us who call themselves Puppeteers.
Avenue Q won for book, score and Best Musical. Last night their lives didn’t suck. The puppets were integrated into the Tony awards flawlessly including Hugh Jackman being hit on by a gay puppet and being told that Hugh’s wife was in the audience. “She ‘s a very lucky woman” said the puppet through gritted teeth. I almost fell off the couch I was laughing so hard.
Avenue Q gives puppeteers that thing that we have always wants. Legitimacy in the adult theater. When I tell someone I am a puppeteer, they assume that most of what I have done has been kiddy shows. My performances in adult puppet theater outweighs my performances in kiddy puppet theater about 4 to 1. By adult, I do not mean sex, violence, and cussing. I mean shows that adults would enjoy more than kids. One of the best puppet shows I have ever seen would have bored the pants off of anyone under 10. It was an adult version of Pinocchio by Theater Drak. If Theater Drak comes to your neck of the woods, go see them. They are incredible.
In Europe, puppetry is seen for both children and adults. There are a number of adult puppetry companies that thrive there without having to do kiddy shows unless they want to. Here in the US the thinking seems to be that puppets are for children. I can remember the frustration of the marketing manager at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta when she was trying to sell an adult show to the public. Since the center is there, she had less of an uphill battle than she would in other places in the country. Bruce Shwartz, who was one of the most brilliant puppeteers that America ever produced, quit making puppets and went to run an art gallery because he got tired of living hand to mouth. He had/has a great following but it didn’t pay all the bills. Canada, Mexico, and the South American countries have the European attitude towards puppetry. A number of puppetry companies from those countries came through the center and did shows for the older crowd.
I am a puppeteer and proud of it. Always have been and always will be. I am very happy that Avenue Q was judged as a musical show rather than a puppet show with music. They won on the merits of their show making the path to Broadway and legitimate theater easier for rest of us who call themselves Puppeteers.
