TWO THINGS!

First, this Saturday, March 19th at 10pm on HBO: The Pee Wee Herman Show! (featuring puppets by Chiodo Bros., Alex in Wonderland, and Basil Twist/Tandem Otter/us!)




Thing the second: The spring leg of the Bixby's Rainforest Rescue Tour!





Monday, March 21 & 22 (10am & 12pm performances on both days!)
The Peace Center for Performing Arts
101 W. Broad St
Greenville, SC

Saturday, March 26 3:00pm
Viterbo University
900 Viterbo Dr.
La Crosse, WI

Sunday, April 10 2:30pm
Charles W. Eiseman Center
2351 Performance Dr.
Richardson, TX


Friday, April 29 7:00pm
Harford Community College
401 Thomas Run Rd.
Bel Air, MD

But I brought pics this time!

Wow. I really haven't updated this since October, huh?

Well, the GOOD news is that I've actually been busy since then. And as much as I hate talking about myself, I'm going to try to post more often.

Big things: The Bixby Tour was great! Although we only had 4 performances, it was a great experience (even though I was surprised to learn I was more out of shape than I though! D:).



And since we ended up in Georgia for a week, I was able to visit the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts! Both Basil Twist and Adam Pagdon had worked there, so I've heard a lot of stories. I was able to catch the Halloween Ghastly Dreadfuls show and visit their museum.



Aaron, Travis and I also did a bit of atmosphere puppeteering for Darren Shan's event at the Jefferson Market branch of the NYPL. It was great how many of the kids were curious about the simple trigger crow puppets we had.


I was lucky to "re-enlist" at the Park Avenue Armory for the Peter Greenaway installation (I can admit it- I love "The Pillow Book" and save for a slight discomfort when I think about the White Male Gaze in relation, I love him for making it). I hadn't realized how much I like being there- the armory is this gorgeous old building that seems so random when compared to other armories. But that's what happens when most of your regiment is filthy rich- you get a pimped out armory! The more I learned about it the more I realized there was still to learn. Even though I'm not really suited to sedentary work, I love getting to engage with the guest and pass along my meager knowledge of the building's history.

And, AND, AND I finally was able to see the new Pee Wee Show! Armagads, I was a four-year-old on crack! Even though it's essentially an updated version of the 80's HBO special it was so much more hilarious and amazing than I thought it would be. (I knew it'd be great; I wasn't expecting bloody fantastic!) Adam arranged for Travis, Mr.Pickett (Trav's dad), my friend Julia and I to get a tour of the set (complete with puppets I'd built and was no longer allowed to touch) and meet the cast in their dressing rooms.

You guys. You guys. I got hugs from Miss Yvonne. That's right; plural.

I'm actually pretty surprised I didn't stroke out. ^__^ And the best part? HBO taped the new show, so you'll be able to (not) see the 6 puppets we built from scratch (blackout scene. Irony!).

Hmmmm... I guess I'm about caught up now. I'm still settling into my new space, but there are a ton of shorts I want to animate once I'm settled with enough room.

^__~
m!

Oh yea...

I know, I know: I'm seriously the WORST blogger ever. Granted, part of it is that this blog was meant more for my stop-motion stuff, and I've been crazy busy doing theatrical puppetry and mascotting. At Tandem Otter, we've just finished the big refurb for the Pee Wee Herman Show! I hate that I don't have any pics for you, but it's been insanely awesome getting to work for one of my childhood heroes, however indirectly. He'll be at the Stephen Sondheim theatre starting in November!

I have been inside Chairry. And Conkey. Seriously. You can touch me if you like. :D

And I've been mascotting like mad; I'm actually about to leave for my first ever performance tour with Bixby's Rain Forest Rescue! (Bixbyandfriends.com) I'll be gone for just under three weeks and I hope to have some great performance shots when I get back.

That time of year again!

Soooooooooooooooooo guess who built a dozen sheep for this year's production of "A Winter's Tale" for Shakespeare in the Park. Most of the puppets were built by the awesome Lake Simmons and her team (and Lake does a lot with us at Tandem Otter), but she let us in on the fun.

You should go! And you! And you over there! No, not you, though you should, but I meant that guy!

I'm also a docent at the Christian Boltanki installation, "No Man's Land" at the Armory on Park. If you see blue hair, come over and say hi!

Miffy Goes to Washington!

I know, I know, but I couldn't help it! (It's like I'm trying to elevate cheese into an art form or something!)

Miffy has updated her facebook page with photos from her White House Visit! She was there on Monday for the annual Egg Roll, and I got to be her super special helper!

She had a great time playing with the kids and all the other mascots there. It was an amazing, and exhausting day. :D

Here's a link of her dancing with Apolo Ohno on Fox News! http://video.foxnews.com/v/4137819/annual-easter-egg-roll

More photos here!

::insert catchy Disney tune here::

Wow, we've just ended the primary build at Basil Twist's for the touring Beauty and the Beast and are about to jump into The Addams Family Musical (on Broadway)'s refurb! Eeek! Beauty and the Beast opens on the 9th in Providence, RI and our wolves (and Enchantress) are flippin' SWEET.

If it's hitting a town near you, check it out! Revel in our amazing puppets!

Plush Life

It's been a pleasantly busy fall at Basil Twist's. We finished the build (so! Many! Tentacles!) and the musical (The Addams Family) will be opening this month in Chicago, and on Broadway this spring.

I really wish I had pics for you, but I don't!

But what I do have for you are pics from what I do when I'm not animatin' and a puppet-tin'. I finally got around to scanning some of my old Six Flags photos, and I've a few more recent mascot shots as well.

New stuff!



I was too psyched to learn that this was the actual (well, secondary, but still!) Plex suit from the show. :-3 We had a great time at the Macy's Parade Press day. (And as soon as I find footage from it...!)





Miffy at the Natural History Museum Halloween show. First time in an inflatable costume. (Gotta confess, I'm not a fan of the inflatable. It felt like I was in a giant marshmallow the whole time, and I was really unsatisfied with how hard it was for me to interact with the kids. But the client and kids were awesome, and it was still a pretty great time all around!)




ROSITA SMASH!!!! Man... this very nearly ended in tragedy. (It's a great story, but not for the web). Have I mentioned that I love Sesame Street? And all things Muppetty? I feel like I was just too big for her- I'm not that tall, but I have long limbs that love to throw everything off. DX It was short, but kind of epic.




The Stork and I have a great working relationship. This is back from our first time in June, at some big deal high school football-dealy at Rutgers. I really, really wish I had some shots from ad week.


Classic plush



Remember my weird proportions? I had to campaign for YEARS to get any Daffy time. It was a bit maddening. I was the shortest regular rotation Bugs (Seriously? You can ALWAYS tell when it's me since the ankles pool). I was shorter than most of the regular Daffy's. But partially since I went into a lot of "Tall" characters I was technically too short for or just barely fit everyone was convinced I was taller than I am. So when I was finally able to do Daffy I... went a little nuts. ^__^;; What can I say? The Duck is AWESOME, and so much fun to work in.




Yea... apparently I was "too tall" for Lola, too.This was from the Philadelphia Mascot Parade years and years ago.