SST 40th Anniversary Event

[zns]

I'm so upset that I missed it, I could just cry. Oh well.... at least I got to visit the set last April, so that's better than nothing.

 

[Neil565]

Oh? How'd that happen? Please fill us in .

 

[zns]

Oh? How'd that happen? Please fill us in .

Do you mean visiting the set or not attending the lecture?

 

[CoOKiE]

i Meant to ask Sonia about that... how does one get into the set? I've heard of it being done many times. And is there a fee?

When i seen her at the singing all these other questions poped up... and i honestly i was just so amazed to see her that i dont recall our whole convo.

 

[Neil565]

Do you mean visiting the set or not attending the lecture?

The set . I'd love to get the chance to take a camera over there and film a mini documentary of my visit, let alone just get the chance to take pictures on it and see how things are done ..

 

[zns]

The set . I'd love to get the chance to take a camera over there and film a mini documentary of my visit, let alone just get the chance to take pictures on it and see how things are done ..

Well it all goes back to July 2007. My parents let me go to one of the national puppet festivals that was being done in St. Paul Minnesota. Since I am very interested in puppetry, especially Muppet-style, I thought that this would be an excellent opportunity to get a hands-on approach to the field. The great thing about it was that Marty Robinson came over and did a Q&A seminar with Telly Monster and I thought that this would be my one chance to meet someone involved with the Henson Company. Two days before the session, I ran into him just before a screening was about to begin. We chatted for awhile and before the end of the week, I told him about what I wanted to do and asked if I could visit the set. He said of course, and we playted email tag for al most a year, until we agreed to meet up on the last day of taping season 39 (4/10/08).

When my folks and I got to the studio, they started shooting some inserts with Big Bird (Caroll Spinney), where he goes to the mailbox and pulls out the "Letter of the Day", which Nadine Zylsta was directing. They then shot the part where The Count (Jerry Nelson, voice not puppetry) pulls out the lottery ball for the" Number of the Day". Marty came in a little later on and we got to chat for a little bit about what we were each up to. He also told me that he was engaged to Annie Evans at that point.

I then got to talk with Caroll Spinney for a little bit before he left for home and he graciously signed my copy of "Sesame Street Unpaved". I didn't get to talk to Jerry Nelson, but when he came into the studio, he was carrying on oxygen tank. When I saw him and he saw me, he smiled and said hello, which was a great thing to hear from him. He obviously wasn't going to let his health get the best of him. When they were shooting scenes with The Count, Jerry was unable to manipulate the puppet, but he still did the voice beautifully while Victor Yerrid (I think that's who it was) worked the puppet. Leslie Carrera came up to me with Abby Cadabby in her arms and just blew me away with how she approached me. When I told her about me wanting to get into puppetry, Abby listened to me do a different range of voices that I could do. Leslie then signed my "Unpaved" bookand told me about her work with the Muppets. She mentioned that she was uncomfortable with taking over Morton the Elephant in season two of "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss", as well as doing work for "Muppets Tonight".

There were other performers at the studio that day, including David Rudmin and Pam Arciero, in which Marty told me that a lot of people have trouble pronouncing her last name. One of the studio ladies gave my family a tour of the set and showed me the Muppet Workshop area just fifteen steps away from Big Bird's nest. On racks stood Baby Bear (with "Number of the Day" vest), Rosita (in Help-O-Bot costume), Count Von Count, two Telly Monsters (one in Help-O-Bot costume), and a little hot pink A.M. Monster with little orange horns. In a special cabinet were several Elmo's and Cookie Monster. There were boxes with labels on the such as "Big Bird Feathers", and lots of cool backstage photos, including a very cute B&W one of Miss Piggy with her arm around Elmo (probably just a general picture that the Workshop took). Ther was also a workshop lady working on Telly's "Letter of the Day" vest, as she wa ironing the letter J on it.

The visit lasted for two and a half hours, until our guiding lady had to get us to leave right away wihout saying goodbye to Marty before we could since other visiters were coming in. All in all, it was the best day of my life.

Lately I've been keeping in touch with Marty and showing him some puppet videos that I made on youtube.com. He said that so far he loves him and mentioned that I had a lot of talent. Hopefully this means beng able to join his Muppet family in the future.

 

[sesameguy]

I'm so upset that I missed it, I could just cry. Oh well.... at least I got to visit the set last April, so that's better than nothing.

I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the event as well, but I'm glad so many of us got the chance to be there. It was indeed a unique event that I hope we'll get to see more of.

 

[KerMatttheFrog]

You know, I am pretty sure that the casual observer of the lecture would likely walk away thinking that Frank Oz was a big stiff for not doing his Miss Piggy voice for that woman who requested it. I talked with a few hardcore fans and we all agreed that in reality, that was just the characterization of his reverence for his work with the Muppets. He didn't want it to be cheapened to a "party trick" as he put it. The current puppeteers prepared to perform came prepared with their Muppets. The one exception being when Spinney talked about how Big Bird's voice came to be, but that was to illustrate a point.

As much as I am an even bigger TMS fan than SS and would have loved hearing Frank perform any of his characters, his explanation for why he would NOT do it was completely meaningful and gave even MORE value to those performances we all have grown to love.

 

[Neil565]

Lately I've been keeping in touch with Marty and showing him some puppet videos that I made on youtube.com. He said that so far he loves him and mentioned that I had a lot of talent. Hopefully this means beng able to join his Muppet family in the future.

That's just too cool . Any pictures to share with us? I didn't get a chance to talk to marty at the event. I was patiently waiting for something else, and he walked away to go talk to someone behind me, heh.

And if memory serves, Marty was also working on TMNT 1 as one of the Turtle Puppeteers

 

[ftnpro]

My pics are on my Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/melissay1

Thanks for the link to your pix. I tried to snap a couple too, but they didn't turn out. I definitely respect the participants' wish to be able to speak freely and not have 20,000 photos taken of them... I was just hoping for a couple snaps to help me remember this event when I'm 70 and thinking back on all the cool Muppet stuff I did when I was a "kid." I suppose Sesame Street will be broadcast in 4-D Holographic Virtual Reality by then.

Truly a fun event. I'm glad to hear everyone on here talking about how far they came for it- makes me feel less embarrassed about buying that plane ticket and flying in from Milwaukee!