Henson Company Puppetry Training Workshops

[Buck-Beaver]

Some details were announced today of upcoming auditions for a new puppeteer diversity training initiative the Jim Henson Company; essentially they are holding auditions for an eight week training program that seems to aimed at increasing cultural diversity in their pool of performers.

This is cut and pasted from an announcement the Jim Henson Foundation posted on Facebook:

The Jim Henson Company Announces

2015 Diversity Puppeteer Training Initiative
Eight-Week Puppeteer Training Workshop

Audition: Saturday, June 6th & Sunday, June 7th

The Jim Henson Company, headquartered in Hollywood, CA, is seeking top talent and new creative voices from diverse communities and backgrounds to be in its troupe of puppeteers, making our work more accessible and inclusive of all cultures. With a mission of expanding and cultivating diverse talent for all of our productions, The Jim Henson Company is producing this unique workshop led by the Company’s top puppeteers.

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS WORKSHOP IS BY AUDITION ONLY

CURRENTLY SEEKING:
Men: African American, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native America
Women: All Backgrounds

Participants should be puppeteers and/or comedic performers, improv experience is a plus. Puppeteering height range is 5’6” to 6’3”. After the audition, those who are invited to attend the workshop must be available two evenings a week for 8 weeks beginning June 22nd.

SUBMISSIONS:
Qualified applicants should submit their headshot and resume (and, if possible, a reel of their work) to puppeteer@Henson.com no later than Friday, May 29th (Audition materials will not be returned.)
​

 

[D'Snowth]

I never thought I'd ever feel excluded for being a white male.

I take it female puppeteers are harder to come by if they're looking for women of "all backgrounds" to attend? I've often wondered, because admittedly, even though it was never intentional, I think the number of female characters I've created actually outnumber the number of male characters I've created, so I actually we definitely need any female puppeteers I could get.

 

[backpackmina]

This sounds great! I wish the JHC the best of luck.