Pros and aspiring puppeteers gathered for “So You Want to Be a Puppeteer…” in the Puppetry track in the Marriott, Thursday at 7PM. Raymond Daniel Carr served as moderator for the remaining panelists Sarah Frechettist, Kurt Hunter, and Kat Pleviak, with track director Beau Brown also joining.
Frechettist said that she played with dolls until high school and attended the University of Connecticut where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Puppetry. She now tours internationally, appearing in both live shows and film.
As a 12-year-old Californian, Hunter was inspired to build a marionette by the work of puppeteer Tony Urbano. He joined the Puppeteers of America, attended the 1980 world festival, and studied under other puppeteers. He now tours nationally and in India.
Pleviak was a collegiate theater major. When a directing class was cancelled, she pursued independent study in puppeteering. She moved to Philadelphia as an unpaid apprentice and later applied for and received a UNIMA grant to produce a marionette production underwater in the Mediterranean Sea with the help of a puppeteer from Germany (pursuing one of UNIMA’s mission goals “to link puppeteers nationally and internationally,” as stated at unima-usa.org). She is currently the membership coordinator for Puppeteers of America.
Brown thanked Dragon Con for its support of his work in establishing and growing the Puppetry Track. He is a member of the Southeastern Region, Atlanta Puppeteer Guild. He attends festivals every year and in odd-numbered years attends Puppeteers of America workshops.
Carr stated that the Center for Puppetry Arts was an amazing resource (website puppet.org, located the corner of Spring and 18th Street in Atlanta and a short walk from Arts Center MARTA). Among its other programs, the Center gives grants for adult work in puppetry. Carr is an upcoming Puppetry NOW Artist at the Center. He also praised UNIMA as a great resource for making connections with other puppeteers outside of the United States.
The panelists related stories from their careers and highlighted opportunities for aspiring puppeteers to meet and interact with professionals at the Dragon Con Puppetry Track.
