Puppetry College

[dwayne1115]

Whould i have a better chance you think if i went to the " puppet" college. In connetcet. im not shure and would love some insite.

 

[Jivepuppet]

That would be the Univeristy of Connecticut (UConn).
For more info go here:
http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~wwwsfa/bimp.html

This link should get you started with any information you might need from there. I've been to their (small) muesum on several occasions. Recently they had the Scooter used in the Muppet Show on display. In the past it's had Grover, the dog from Tale of the Bunny Picnic, and many others!
Good luck!

 

[ravagefrackle]

Whould i have a better chance you think if i went to the " puppet" college. In connetcet. im not shure and would love some insite.

well i think it would give you some insites to the other uses of puppetry, although they do teach some Video puppetry,

but going to school thier isnt going to gaurentee u a job with the muppets,

some people who have gone their have worked for the muppets in the past , but many more come from different backgrounds, performers, arists, sculptures, costume designers, ect. ect.

maybe you should try and find a local pupet troupe and see if you can get a part time job, and learn some of the ropes,

 

[puppetguy]

Also, UConn tends to downplay the importance of the role the Muppets have had on American puppetry. Its a good overview of many performance styles and contstruction techniques, though. But, as I've learned from many puppeteers, going to school does not necessarily make one a better puppeteer.

 

[FISH'N'WOLFE]

I visited the puppetry division of the UCONN campus and the work they are doing is wonderful. It's a fantastic group of people they have there. I had the opportunity to speak with Bart Roccoburton, who is head of the puppetry department and head teacher. He actually knew Jim Henson. I also spoke with Ian Sweetman, who went to school there, and still volunteers his help with them. He also knows the Henson family. It was wonderful, their workshop is like a mini Creature/Muppet workshop. They in fact cover all aspects of the world of puppetry, and are absolutely the best place to go for learning about puppetry in general. If you are going to go to school for this field of work, they are number one. They do not in fact downplay the importance of the Muppets in any way. They expose people to all types of puppetry equally. And as we know the Muppets are not the only part of this world.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

UCONN is great - all you have to do is look at the talent that's come out of there. IMHO the most of the best puppeteers are ones who have worked in multiple styles and have a broad range of knowledge.

 

[puppetguy]

"They do not in fact downplay the importance of the Muppets in any way. They expose people to all types of puppetry equally. And as we know the Muppets are not the only part of this world."

Well, as a graduate of the UConn Puppetry program (MA 2001), I can tell you that if you want your puppetry emphasis to be Muppet-style, television puppetry, you will probably be disappointed.

 

[Beaker4Presidnt]

so you went to uconn, huh... interesting. im very interested in talking with someone about this school, as im really broke but considering putting myself in debt for years, to learn puppetry. i am interested in doing muppet-style puppets. not ripping it off, but that style. but im even more interested in learning how to BUILD and CREATE puppets of that style. and all sorts of styles. im interesting in learning to perform as well. can you give me so more information? thanks a lot!


mike!

 

[puppetguy]

Its tough. Plain and simple. It requires a lot and often there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. If you do decide to enroll, I highly recommend going as a grad student. Thereby, your course load consists entirely of puppetry classes. I pity the poor undergrads who have to take general studies classes, then a pile of theatre classes and then the puppetry courses.

Also, if you want to learn how to build and perform Muppet-style puppets, UConn might not be the best place for you. Many of the topics that are related to Muppet building, which pop up on the message board here, are often never brought up when talking about foam puppet construction. Those students who excel in those techniques do so on their own or learn from other people not neccessarily associated with the program. There is no "how-to-make-Muppets" class. There is a TV Puppetry course (which is very limited in its scope) in which foam puppets are made but not by using Muppet building techniques. Paper sculpture will become your life. Other alumni will testify to that.

If you want your scope of puppetry knowlege to broadly stroke many types of puppets and construction techniques, then UConn might be a good choice. I say broadly because it is impossible to teach a fully comprehensive class on any one style of puppetry in one semester. There's just too much information to cram in. For instance, you could spend a whole semester on Chinese shadow puppetry. But as part of a class on shadow puppetry in general, it gets as much (or little) attention as any other shadow culture because of the limitations of time. It sucks if that's something your really into exploring or works to your advantage if you couldn't care less. Kinda like what happens to the American Revolution in history class. Its there, its important, but don't expect to delve into it.

If you do go and get no financial aid, then be prepared to be in debt for a long time. It ain't cheap. Especially if you're out of state/out of region.

Hope this answers some of you questions..heh..and doesn't scare you too much.
www.allhandsproductions.com

 

[ravagefrackle]

as far as muppet style puppets, i think u need to learn a lot on your own, you have a lot of info here on this board or over at buck beavers site, no school teaches how they do it, i learned on my own , years of experimentation, and study, learning all i could about the from those paper things called books, and watching hours of footage form the shows,

and im still learning new things today, i think u might be better off getting some basic art training, first, sculpture, drawing,maybe take some drapping , and pattering making courses,

keep in mind that just going to uconn will not get you a job as a puppeteer or puppet designer, even if you do get a gig, most are freelenace and you will not be making as much as a senior designer, and from my own expeirience puppet jobs are often few and far between, and you will have that school loan hanging over you for quite a long time,