December 2, 2025 • 7 mins
Carrie Lynn Fowler has an amazing academic path that allowed her to create shows through puppetry.She has a special holiday show coming up on December 13 at the Kentucky Center. It's called PERFECT CHRISTMAS COOKIES.
Carrie Lynn and her puppet Darla spoke with Terry Meiners. He's not sure which one is speaking at any given moment but you'll figure it out.
Carrie Lynn and her puppet Darla spoke with Terry Meiners. He's not sure which one is speaking at any given moment but you'll figure it out.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right. If you're a regular listener to this show,
you know, I like me some showbiz folk. I like
people that are inventive and they come up with their
own things. And I got this email from Carrie Lynn Fowler,
who's my new best friend. She's in the studio right now. Hello,
they're Carrie, Hi, Terry. Is it carry or carry Lynn?
How should I refer to you?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
You can call me carry Lynn?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Okay, carry Lynn. I like that. That sounds very Kentucky.
Are you a native Kentuckian?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yes, sir, I am from Lebanon, Kentucky and Marion County.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I know that town.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
That's a great place, very beautiful, lots of art thriving
there as well.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
They still have the ham Parade, Ham Days and there
Ham Days, that's what it is. I was in that
one time and thought, man, this is awesome.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Oh yes, it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
They gave me a ham and a bottle of Maker's Mark.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I love you people. That's fantastic. So Carry Lynn. Have
you had voices in your head your whole life?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
I've definitely always that's been the creative type. You could say,
very artsy, fartsy, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So what happened. You were drawn to puppetry as a child.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
So I began as a musical theater actor when I
was growing up. But then when I entered college, I
went to Center College, I discovered puppetry in one of
my theater classes and it just catapulted from there, and
then I attended University of Connecticut for a master's in puppetry.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
That is fantastic. You're talking about the famous Yukon.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yes, sir, University of Connecticut.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Oh my goodness. I mean, I know they're more than
just basketball. They're famous. I mean both of them, men's
and women's basketball programs are insanely good. But is that
a since it's Connecticut, is that bunched into a tight
area or do they have some open space.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
It's a little different looking than Kentucky. There are lots
of small towns and they are all in the woods. However,
you could still get anywhere you need to go within
thirty minutes.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
And then the puppetry department where you're doing this. Was
this a separate building or a separate area.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
The puppet arts program exists on the Depot campus of Yukon,
which is about three miles away from the main campus
and it used to be an old medical facility.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
What type of medical facility.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I believe the puppet lab itself used to be a
psychiatric facility.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Oh my goodness, I'll bet there are story's there too.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
There might be some ghosts. We don't know.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Did you ever encounter any spirits or anything when you're
in that building? Because we have Waverly Hills here and
a lot of people go there and they go I
saw something.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I never saw anything myself, but I've definitely heard stories.
There is also a fun practical joke that we would
like to play on each other. There is a life
size puppet of a young boy and we would just
stick him in the middle of the hallway in the
middle of the night while the lights are off, and
then when the next students come in in the morning,
scares them.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Today.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So you got your masters doing inventing a show or
how to? How did that work?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (03:01):
So, for it's the Master of Fine Arts program. You
do two years of classes and then your third year
is focused on your MFA project, so your thesis, so
to speak. So for my MFA project, I created a
hand puppet Christmas musical called Perfect Christmas Cookies.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I love the sound of this. You only have two hands,
so how many puppets are there? Two?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
There are ten puppets. They're split between myself and one.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Other performer, so someone else does help assist, and then
so you're able to move people to people, puppets around
to make them to make it appear there's at least
four then I.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Guess with yes, some scenes we have four puppets on
stage at a time. Sometimes puppets transition and are switched
out very quickly, so there is in the finale all
nine characters appear.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So you're able to click between various personalities. Obviously, if
you're creating conversations.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Oh real quick.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
I have about three or four pages at the beginning
of the show that is entirely me switching between two voices.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
And you never lose your place. You forget who you
are and what you sound like in each of those contexts.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Hasn't happened yet.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
The voices are very distinct, as are their personalities, so
it just becomes it becomes muscle memory, honestly, right, we're.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Posting a photo of you holding one of them. This
is the main character in this play called Perfect Christmas Cookies,
who is this Yes, this is Darla.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
She's our leading lady.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Are you and Darla going to interact here? Was that?
What should I just watch?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah, Darla? Would you like to introduce yourself? Oh? Hello everyone,
My name is Darla.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
I am so happy to be here with mister Terry
Miners on his radio show.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
That's very nice. I'm looking at the puppet instead of
looking at you.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Oh she's very alive. She's full of personality.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
She'd be offended if I were just looking at you
and not looking over at.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Darla a little bit.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
She does have maybe not a temper, but she can
get a little feisty. Darla, you have a very special
Christmas tradition, don't you.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yes, absolutely I do.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Every year on Christmas Eve, I break out my apron
and my oven mits and I bake my perfect Christmas cookies.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
I love this. So the other characters are involved in
the creation of these perfect Christmas cookies.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Well it's actually rather chaotic plot a little bit okay,
So on Christmas Eve, as Darla is baking her Christmas cookies,
her oven runs away with Ebenezer Scrooge from.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
A Christmas Carol.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Oh my goodness, and so Darla has to go to
the North Pole to ask Santa Claus for a Christmas miracle.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, you're pulling everybody into this, and please tell me
Darlalad doesn't wind up on the Island of Misfit Toys.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Oh no, it's a very sweet ending at all.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Oh good. That always made me nervous as a kid
on Rudolph when they would take them to the Island
of Misfit Toys and I would think, shouldn't somebody go
get them? They're there all the year.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
There are a lot of jokes throughout the show that
are very reference based, So if you're familiar with Christmas
film Christmas lore'll you'll catch a few comments in there.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
I'm sure just the Grinch got to mention.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
It might be referred it might be referred.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
To and now that's cool. How long does this show last?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
It's about an hour.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Okay, And so it's going to be on December thirteenth,
that's next weekend. Is that Saturday? Seven pm?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yes, next Saturday at seven.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
December thirteen, seven pm at the Next Theater that's inside
the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. An original Christmas
hand puppet musical that you wrote composed, design, build, perform.
I mean, this is so cool.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So we get to see your school project like this
but come to life.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yes, thus far it has been performed.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
It was originally produced at the University of Connecticut in
January twenty twenty four. Last season, we performed it at
two venues in New York City, one in Astoria, Queens
and one in Times Square, Manhattan.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
It's very excited.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I'm excited to bring it to my home state and
share it with everybody.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
How do people find tickets for your show?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
They're on the Kentucky Performing Arts website. It's Kentucky Performing
Arts dot org.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Okay, Kentucky Performing Arts dot org. Carrie Lynn, I didn't
call her by her full name. I should have done
it through it throughout this interview. Carry Lynn Fowler. It
is great to meet you and Darla.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Oh, it was wonderful to meet you.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And as please say hello to the other characters.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
We'll do, Darling. I will have a whole talk with them.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I'm sure you will on the way the way back home.
Great to see you and I hope the show's a
big success for you.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
December thirteenth, seven o'clock Mix theater that's inside the Kentucky
Center for the Performing Arts, And give the website one
more time where people can get.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Tickets Kentucky Performing Arts dot org.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
So perfect back in a minute on news radio eight
forty whas
All right. If you're a regular listener to this show,
you know, I like me some showbiz folk. I like
people that are inventive and they come up with their
own things. And I got this email from Carrie Lynn Fowler,
who's my new best friend. She's in the studio right now. Hello,
they're Carrie, Hi, Terry. Is it carry or carry Lynn?
How should I refer to you?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
You can call me carry Lynn?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Okay, carry Lynn. I like that. That sounds very Kentucky.
Are you a native Kentuckian?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yes, sir, I am from Lebanon, Kentucky and Marion County.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I know that town.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
That's a great place, very beautiful, lots of art thriving
there as well.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
They still have the ham Parade, Ham Days and there
Ham Days, that's what it is. I was in that
one time and thought, man, this is awesome.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Oh yes, it's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
They gave me a ham and a bottle of Maker's Mark.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I love you people. That's fantastic. So Carry Lynn. Have
you had voices in your head your whole life?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
I've definitely always that's been the creative type. You could say,
very artsy, fartsy, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
So what happened. You were drawn to puppetry as a child.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
So I began as a musical theater actor when I
was growing up. But then when I entered college, I
went to Center College, I discovered puppetry in one of
my theater classes and it just catapulted from there, and
then I attended University of Connecticut for a master's in puppetry.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
That is fantastic. You're talking about the famous Yukon.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yes, sir, University of Connecticut.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Oh my goodness. I mean, I know they're more than
just basketball. They're famous. I mean both of them, men's
and women's basketball programs are insanely good. But is that
a since it's Connecticut, is that bunched into a tight
area or do they have some open space.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
It's a little different looking than Kentucky. There are lots
of small towns and they are all in the woods. However,
you could still get anywhere you need to go within
thirty minutes.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
And then the puppetry department where you're doing this. Was
this a separate building or a separate area.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
The puppet arts program exists on the Depot campus of Yukon,
which is about three miles away from the main campus
and it used to be an old medical facility.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
What type of medical facility.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I believe the puppet lab itself used to be a
psychiatric facility.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Oh my goodness, I'll bet there are story's there too.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
There might be some ghosts. We don't know.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Did you ever encounter any spirits or anything when you're
in that building? Because we have Waverly Hills here and
a lot of people go there and they go I
saw something.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I never saw anything myself, but I've definitely heard stories.
There is also a fun practical joke that we would
like to play on each other. There is a life
size puppet of a young boy and we would just
stick him in the middle of the hallway in the
middle of the night while the lights are off, and
then when the next students come in in the morning,
scares them.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Today.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
So you got your masters doing inventing a show or
how to? How did that work?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (03:01):
So, for it's the Master of Fine Arts program. You
do two years of classes and then your third year
is focused on your MFA project, so your thesis, so
to speak. So for my MFA project, I created a
hand puppet Christmas musical called Perfect Christmas Cookies.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I love the sound of this. You only have two hands,
so how many puppets are there? Two?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
There are ten puppets. They're split between myself and one.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Other performer, so someone else does help assist, and then
so you're able to move people to people, puppets around
to make them to make it appear there's at least
four then I.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Guess with yes, some scenes we have four puppets on
stage at a time. Sometimes puppets transition and are switched
out very quickly, so there is in the finale all
nine characters appear.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
So you're able to click between various personalities. Obviously, if
you're creating conversations.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Oh real quick.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
I have about three or four pages at the beginning
of the show that is entirely me switching between two voices.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
And you never lose your place. You forget who you
are and what you sound like in each of those contexts.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Hasn't happened yet.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
The voices are very distinct, as are their personalities, so
it just becomes it becomes muscle memory, honestly, right, we're.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Posting a photo of you holding one of them. This
is the main character in this play called Perfect Christmas Cookies,
who is this Yes, this is Darla.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
She's our leading lady.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Are you and Darla going to interact here? Was that?
What should I just watch?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Yeah, Darla? Would you like to introduce yourself? Oh? Hello everyone,
My name is Darla.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
I am so happy to be here with mister Terry
Miners on his radio show.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
That's very nice. I'm looking at the puppet instead of
looking at you.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Oh she's very alive. She's full of personality.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
She'd be offended if I were just looking at you
and not looking over at.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Darla a little bit.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
She does have maybe not a temper, but she can
get a little feisty. Darla, you have a very special
Christmas tradition, don't you.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yes, absolutely I do.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Every year on Christmas Eve, I break out my apron
and my oven mits and I bake my perfect Christmas cookies.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
I love this. So the other characters are involved in
the creation of these perfect Christmas cookies.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
Well it's actually rather chaotic plot a little bit okay,
So on Christmas Eve, as Darla is baking her Christmas cookies,
her oven runs away with Ebenezer Scrooge from.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
A Christmas Carol.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Oh my goodness, and so Darla has to go to
the North Pole to ask Santa Claus for a Christmas miracle.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Well, you're pulling everybody into this, and please tell me
Darlalad doesn't wind up on the Island of Misfit Toys.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Oh no, it's a very sweet ending at all.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Oh good. That always made me nervous as a kid
on Rudolph when they would take them to the Island
of Misfit Toys and I would think, shouldn't somebody go
get them? They're there all the year.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
There are a lot of jokes throughout the show that
are very reference based, So if you're familiar with Christmas
film Christmas lore'll you'll catch a few comments in there.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
I'm sure just the Grinch got to mention.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
It might be referred it might be referred.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
To and now that's cool. How long does this show last?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
It's about an hour.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Okay, And so it's going to be on December thirteenth,
that's next weekend. Is that Saturday? Seven pm?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yes, next Saturday at seven.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
December thirteen, seven pm at the Next Theater that's inside
the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. An original Christmas
hand puppet musical that you wrote composed, design, build, perform.
I mean, this is so cool.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
So we get to see your school project like this
but come to life.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yes, thus far it has been performed.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
It was originally produced at the University of Connecticut in
January twenty twenty four. Last season, we performed it at
two venues in New York City, one in Astoria, Queens
and one in Times Square, Manhattan.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
It's very excited.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I'm excited to bring it to my home state and
share it with everybody.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
How do people find tickets for your show?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
They're on the Kentucky Performing Arts website. It's Kentucky Performing
Arts dot org.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Okay, Kentucky Performing Arts dot org. Carrie Lynn, I didn't
call her by her full name. I should have done
it through it throughout this interview. Carry Lynn Fowler. It
is great to meet you and Darla.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Oh, it was wonderful to meet you.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And as please say hello to the other characters.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
We'll do, Darling. I will have a whole talk with them.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I'm sure you will on the way the way back home.
Great to see you and I hope the show's a
big success for you.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
December thirteenth, seven o'clock Mix theater that's inside the Kentucky
Center for the Performing Arts, And give the website one
more time where people can get.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Tickets Kentucky Performing Arts dot org.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
So perfect back in a minute on news radio eight
forty whas
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