Under The Puppet

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Vanessa Valliere creates original solo theater shows combining elements of clown and puppetry.  She’s performed these shows all over the world and often performs at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.  She’s also toured with the Manual Cinema and she recently attended the National Puppetry Conferen...

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Showko Showfukutei is a Ventriloquist, comedian, actor and one of the few female Rakugo performers in the world.  Born in Japan, Showko traveled the world with stops in Canada, Singapore, London to learn her craft which combines 400 year old Japanese comedy techniques and ventriloquism. I talk to Showko about her live stage shows, working on cruise ships, ...

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Sarah Oh is a puppeteer and improvisor who got her start in puppetry working on the Jim Henson Company Show Splash and Bubbles.  Since then she’s worked with The Muppets, Puppet Up Uncensored, Postmodern Jukebox and on TV shows like Kidding and The Barbarian and the Troll as well the blockbuster film Five Nights At Freddy’s as well as the upcoming sequel Five Nights At Freddy’s 2!  I chat with Sarah...

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Adrian Rose Leonard is a puppeteer, builder and director who has worked in many forms of puppetry.  She’s puppeteered on TV shows like Waffles & Mochi’s Restaurant, Crank Yankers and Mr. Neighbor’s House as well as movies such as If It Bleeds and The Butthole Surfers Movie.  She’s also directed several projects in...

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Stoph Scheer is a puppeteer, writer, and director who has worked with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets, and even Banksy.  Stoph is also a writer, producer and puppeteer for the surreal and nostalgic web series The Creatures of Yes, and has performed in Slumberkins, Puppet Up! Uncensored, and The Muppets Mayhem. I sit down with Stoph to talk about her journey in puppetry and much more on this epis...

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On February 2, 2025, Under The Puppet along with past show guest Christine Papalexis, the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry and Bob Baker Marionette Theater held a live episode recording celebrating the puppeteers of Pee Wee’s Playhouse.  This event sold out in less than 10 minutes and is, as of this recording, the fastest sell out Bob Baker Marionette Theater...

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Sharon Johnson is the puppeteer creator of Grace and Grins, a puppet company that produces puppet shows that educate, entertain and spread kindness.  Her shows are interactive, tailor made to each audience and promote good social and emotional learning practices.  I talk to Sharon Johnson about Grace and Grins, h...

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Nicolette Santino is a puppeteer who has worked with The Muppets, The Jim Henson Company and on the shows The Barbarian and the Troll and Earth To Ned.  She also has the ‘gig of a lifetime’ puppeteering Angel Moon on stage with Coldplay as they tour the world.  I sat down with Nicolette to discuss her career in pu...

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Keith Shubert is a puppeteer, puppet festival director, toy maker and champion of all things puppetry.  Keith also performs as Toybox, America’s Favorite Cartoon Witch whose unique brand of puppet entertainment is in high demand for puppet slams, shows and festivals across the country.  I sit down with Keith to t...

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Aanika’s Elephants is a stage show featuring puppetry that is about a young Kenyan girl who meets a baby elephant at the orphanage where her father works.  The show was written by Emmy Award winning Sesame Street writer Annie Evans and directed by Sesame Street and Muppets puppeteer Pam Arciero. Annie and Pam also produce the show along with Jean Marie Kee...

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Russ Walko has puppeteered on projects such as Five Nights at Freddy’s, Waffles + Mochi and Mystery Science Theater 3000.  He’s also an Emmy Nominated puppet wrangler and builder who has worked with The Muppets and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.  His own puppet shop Puppet Garage has built puppets for commercials and...

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Cat Rock is a puppeteer, filmmaker and puppet builder who lives in Bristol in South West England.  Disciplined in many styles of puppetry from hand and rod, to shadow, to table top to giant puppets, Cat is always looking to push the notion of what can be done with puppets.  She’s a trustee at puppet place, a works...

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Luman Coad is a puppeteer who spent several years as the director of The Storybook Theater at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, California.  He used the skills learned there to found his own puppet company Coad Canada Puppets, that produced over 30 different puppet shows and traveled around the world performing them. 

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Bob Mills is one of, if not the original Disneyland puppeteers, performing marionette shows at the park starting in 1957.  Before that he puppeteered at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, CA and before that he was the resident puppeteer and clown for the TV show Just Kids which broadcast every weekday in Hawaii.  Bo...

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On July 21, 2023 as part of the National Puppetry Festival at the University of Maryland, festival attendees were invited to take a bus tour of historical Jim Henson sites in Washington DC and the surrounding areas.  The tour was hosted by Heather Henson and author Craig Shemin.  Cheryl Henson was also along for th...

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Danny Montooth spent several years as a puppeteer and Puppet Specialist at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.  He is also a creator of and puppeteer for Perception Studios which streams weekly live on Twitch.  I talk to Danny about working for Disney, his thoughts on streaming, and his jobs working on c...

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Melvin Campbell is a puppeteer on the PBS Show Donkey Hode. Not only is he playing the show’s newest character Cousin Hode, he’s also composed music for the show and written a couple of episodes of the show as well.  He’s also written for Sesame Street and The Not Too Late Show Starring Elmo.  I talk to the incre...

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Alex Evans is the Co-Executive Director and Head Puppeteer of The Historic Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Los Angeles.  Since the 1960’s The Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been entertaining audiences throughout Southern California. I talk to Alex Evans about his puppetry career, his role at the theater and a bit about the history of Bob Baker and the the...

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Puppeteers Donna Kimball and Colleen Smith are the creators, directors, and producers of  GLOP - The Glorious Ladies of Puppetry.  Donna and Colleen, along with puppeteer Alice Dinnean, created GLOP to promote the many incredible Lady Puppeteers, Puppeteers of Color and Non-Binary and Trans puppeteers there are ar...