Hey, Henson!!! How to get hired.....

[Buck-Beaver]

Originally posted by Mr.Penguin
I'm pretty good at puppeteering. BUT NO CHURCES.
Muppet Short film idea:

Something to keep in mind is to look at your skills and talent objectively. The best performers remember that you can always learn something from any other performer (yes, even the odd Church puppeteer). Especially being as young as you are, as good as you think you are now you'll be 100 times better in ten years.

Also - while it's great to be inspired by the Muppets - I've read time and again they don't want people who do what they already do. They don't need someone who can mimic voices. They want original, creative people. The whole company does work in a specific style, but they want people who bring something new to the mix.

Case in point: Bill Baretta. His characters, Pepe, Johnny Fiama, Clueless Morgan, etc. fit really well with the Muppets, but I'm not sure any of the other performers would handle them quite the same way. It might be good to remember that while pursuing your dream. Good luck!

 

[DriedDragonFly]

Auditions

How does one find out when the Jim Henson Co. holds these auditions?

 

[VC2020]

Don't be in a rush my penguin friend. Puppeteers like myself (Even though I'm still an amateur) are always getting better and learning new things. And driedDragonFly They do workshops or something like that every few years. The way to get contacted by them to come and audition is after you send an audition tape.

 

[Super Scooter]

Originally posted by Mr.Penguin
You're sick.

Yes, it's how I got to the point in my life where I'm at now. Where's that you ask? Cleveland.

*rimshot*

Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here til tomorrow! Everything you've just heard and seen is an echo of the bad performance of yesterday.

Seriously, though, it's always a good idea to be constantly looking at other performances, see wht you can pick up. If you've taped stuff in the past, check those old tapes and see where you have improved, and how you can improve on your performance even more. That's what the Muppets have always tried to do. They're always trying to better themselves. Something that Kathy Mullen once pointed out in the book Of Muppets and Men was this: "We all went to a puppet show the other day, and it was quite extraordinary...... Most of the Muppet performers, on the other hand, were wide-eyed. We were saying, 'Did you see that? How did they do that?' There we were, the best-known group of puppeteers in the world, and we were sitting there with our mouths hanging open."

No matter how good you may be, or think you may be, you can always be better. That's something that's hard to learn at first, but, it's worthwhile. People are always commenting on how well I do puppets, but, I know I can always do better. I'm always trying to. I hope it pays off!

 

[VC2020]

Yeah people always tell me im a well trained Puppeteer.
I know I'll get even better I'm a beginner I have tons to learn and I know I'll get better. I don't ever get cocky like "Yeah, I know I'm good. Henson wants me so bad! But I'm playing hard to get."
I'm gonna keep practicing i still have like 5 years.
(I'm only 15)
and 11 is just way to young to even get a job.at least finish Elementary and High School first.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Re: Auditions

Originally posted by DriedDragonFly
How does one find out when the Jim Henson Co. holds these auditions?

Like Vic20 said, you really have to send in a tape (just be sure you think you're ready and it's very good). They aren't done on any kind of regular basis, just when they may need some extra people for whatever reason they will hold the workshops.

I know a few people who have gone through this process and generally the workshops seem to run for a week and one or more of the Muppeteers train potential puppeteers from scratch. Everyday new skills are added and a certain number of people get cut until finally only the best people are left.

They seem to have a bias towards younger (by younger I mean 18+) inexperienced puppeteers rather than esthablished ones because that allows them to train them in the Muppet style more easily (though I am sure there are exceptions to this).
Sometimes they are very specific in who they will audition. I understand that the last one in New York was just for women because they felt more female puppeteers were needed on Sesame Street. Bill Baretta also did some auditions in Vancouver for the Muppet Christmas movie last year. Presumably those were only open to Canadians because the movie was being shot here under the jurisdiction of the ACTRA union (though I don't know that for sure).

I believe Terry Angus and Steve Whitmire both share their successful Muppet audition experiences in their respective Interviews in the Articles section of MuppetCentral.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Say Vic20, whereabouts in Canada do you live anyways?

 

[VC2020]

Montreal, Quebec...

 

[DriedDragonFly]

Other

I'm more interested in designing backgrounds, puppets and props? How would I go about being hired for that?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

VC2020 - Ever joined/talked to UNIMA Quebec? I hear they are very good. Also, The Toronto School of Puppetry offers a TV Puppetry workshop (it's usually held over a weekend) every Spring in Toronto. It's very good and usually taught by Rob Mills, who used to work for Henson and is one of the country's top puppeteers. I highly recommend it.

Dragonfly - I think there is an answer to your question in the "careers" setion at http://henson.com.