Dear Puppet Showplace Friends,

Over my nearly 10 years of employment at Puppet Showplace, I managed the box office, helped to build our field trip and touring client base, created and performed original music for a number of productions and pieces seen on stage, and served as a welcoming face (literally and figuratively) for all visitors to the theater. It is with bittersweet emotions that I announce my departure from my position as Box Office Manager, which I have held since 2015. 

PST has been a home base for me since I joined as an intern back in 2011. I had just moved to the East Coast after finishing a B.A. in music and psychology from UC Davis, and in applying for the position on a whim, I inadvertently discovered a world of creativity and camaraderie to dive headlong into. My first experience of watching a live puppet show was a performance by Sparky’s Puppets, and I was enchanted from the start by the rapid-fire jokes (many of which were squarely aimed at the adults in attendance), by the call-and-response audience engagement, and by the sheer virtuosity and endurance necessary for one puppeteer to perform all the characters, sound effects, and scene changes. I didn’t get to have  the experience of live professional puppetry until I was already an adult, so getting to be a part of an organization that is a regional hub for this art form and facilitating this experience for kids and others was very rewarding.

I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the organization over these 10 years, and I'm very grateful for the connections and friendships I have made with the artists, business & cultural partners, patrons, and staff. Going forward, I'll still be in the Boston area, and without a doubt I'll be an audience member at future PST shows! You may even see me performing in Good Hearted Entertainment's “Word Play”, or you might hear my music in some yet-to-be-created production. By the way, if you’re interested in checking out my concert music (if you happen to be a fan of both puppets AND contemporary chamber music), you can find some of my recordings at https://soundcloud.com/pitchfieldpaul.

Thank you all for making me a part of the Puppet Showplace family, and I hope our paths will cross again soon. Until then!

Best wishes,

Paul Watkins