Quarantine Projects

Well…..The world has changed and so has the life of a performing artist. I am very fortunate to be safe and healthy in my apartment in New York City with my partner and one of my roommates, who are both artists.

I’m hoping that I can take this bizarre time as a moment of re-centering. I’d like to use it as a time to breathe and try new things. I’ve had some ideas for a various projects emerging and I guess there’s no time but the present.

I’m going to treat this “shelter-in-place” as an “artist-in-residence”

Sending big love and health to all!

An experiment in molds

I’m in the midst of writing my first short film and have challenged myself to take a stab at building the puppets. Fortunately, prior to the quarantine I had already started compiling the materials I would need to build a mold and prototype puppet. Below you’ll see some photos and videos of the process. It’s by no means perfect but I’ve definitely learned a ton embarking on this project!

Keep an eye out for more soon!

This is the completed silicone prototype

The Plastic Bag Store in Times Square!

I’ve joined the company of the brand new art-installation-meets immersive-puppet-show from the mind of Robin Frohardt.

As the website states: “Free and open to the public, The Plastic Bag Store will occupy 20 Times Square, where shelves will be stocked with thousands of original, hand-sculpted items — produce and meat, dry goods and toiletries, cakes and sushi rolls —  all made from discarded, single-use plastics in an endless flux of packaging. At night, the store transforms into an immersive, dynamic set for free performances where hidden worlds and inventive puppetry tell the darkly comedic, sometimes tender story of how the overabundance of plastic waste we leave behind might be misinterpreted by future generations.”

I’m subbing in for one of the regular performers and will be in the show 3/15-3/21, 3/28 and 4/4. Come check it out!

For more about the show and free reservations CLICK HERE

Shadow Box at PS 33

I’m back at it with The Shadow Box Theatre Company as a teaching artist at an amazing school in Chelsea. Through a CASA grant, I’m teaching puppetry alongside four other teachers (two for movement and two of us for puppets) to four classes of students with special needs.

We get to work with the students through the end of the school year. They are adorable and charming and I’m excited to see what kind of projects we make together!

"Laser Beak Man" soars into the Sydney Opera House

What a joy and a gift it was to bring this piece that is so close to our hearts to one of the most iconic venues in the world. It was a hard time as Australia was in the midst of dealing with the devastating fires wreaking havoc around the country. But at least inside the walls of the opera house we were able to bring a message of light and love for 80 minutes

As I wrote on the first day of our rehearsals in Sydney:

“Today was our first day of rehearsals for “Laser Beak Man” in this special and iconic venue. Being in Australia at the moment, carries such mixed feelings. This is a country in crisis, with leaders who are willingly ignoring the health of its people and the planet. In the USA, our leaders are recklessly putting potentially countless numbers of innocent people at risk, through tweets.

I’m so grateful to be a part of this show. Through Tim, Judy, Dead Puppet Society and this production, I get to be a part of a show that puts kindness and community first. It’s a story that sides with those who are misplaced and misunderstood and shows us a world in which sustainability is possible. It carries its messages with humor, joy, and color. I hope this show can help us all look towards a better world. So here’s to a couple of weeks of laughs and farts and explosions and, of course, a giant tomato monster. “

The show is put to rest for the moment. But here’s hoping we find more life for this beautiful show.

The United Arab Emirates 48th National Day

We’ve completed a month of work on the United Arab Emirates 48th National Festival. I was hired along with four other puppeteers to puppeteer a beautiful giant horse puppet built by A Blanck Canvas. I had a great time exploring the desert and the luxury and thrill of Abu Dhabi! It was pleasure working with people from all over the world as a part of Betty Productions on what is probably the largest production I have ever worked on.

In the video below skip to 38:00 to see our segment.

Moon and Me is nominated for a BAFTA

I’m so excited to share that “Moon and Me” has been nominated for a BAFTA in the “Pre-School: Live Action” category! There were so many talented people who brought their artistry to this show. I feel very lucky to have been a part of it and am so happy to see all the miniature puppet sweat being recognized.

Back In Power City!

The day after I wrapped “Clifford” I jumped on a plane to Brisbane, Australia to begin rehearsals for the remount and tour of one of my favorite shows “Laser Beak Man”. We had a quick two weeks to remember and improve the show we did two years ago and I’m very proud of what we came up with. We brought the show to Cairns, Melbourne and Brisbane with such a positive reception.

AND we get to do the show again in January! Keep your eyes peeled for the dates and locations coming soon!

You can check out some of the reviews here: The Age, Broadway World

That's a wrap!

It’s been a whirlwind of a summer climbing in and out of a giant dog puppet! But we did it! I got to work with and meet some amazing performers like John Cleese, David Allen Grier, Rosie Perez and many more! I learned so much on this film and I can’t wait to see what happens to it in the post production room. Keep your eyes peeled for a 2020 release!

"Clifford the Big Red Dog"

I’ve officially joined the new Paramount Films live action feature film of “Clifford the Big Red Dog”! This will be my first feature film and I’m excited for all I’m going to learn.

Me and one other puppeteer will be performing the reference puppetry for Clifford on set. Because Clifford will be animated in to the movie later, we will be representing Clifford for the entirety of the filming, puppeteering a to-scale Clifford puppet built by Creature Effects.

It shall be a summer full of NYC adventures!